Indonesia rolls out ‘virus shaming’

Indonesian officials are forcing social distancing violators to recite Koran verses, stay in “haunted” houses and submit to public shaming on social media as the country battles to contain surging coronavirus.

The Southeast Asian archipelago began deploying about 340,000 troops across two dozen cities to oversee enforcement of measures aimed at halting transmission of the disease, such as wearing face masks in public.

But provincial leaders are buttressing these efforts with their own zealous campaigns to fight the virus. Police in western Bengkulu province have assembled a squad to find those breaking lockdown regulations and force them to wear placards with promises to wear masks and keep their distance in future. Pictures of the perpetrators are then uploaded to social media for maximum shaming effect, according to an official.

“People in Bengkulu still aren’t aware of the importance of following the rules, especially when it comes to wearing masks and not gathering” in big groups, said Martinah, Bengkulu’s public order agency chief, who goes by one name.

“This is for the sake of themselves and their families,” he added.

Some of those singled out by police have bristled at the punishment, including fisherman Firmansyah, who was punished for failing to abide by the mask rule while alone on his boat. “It’s silly to wear a mask when I’m out at sea,” he said, after he was nabbed returning to shore.

Farther north in conservative Aceh province, those flouting public health regulations have been forced to atone by reading passages from the Koran.