Governments are still fighting some recalcitrant citizens who have refused to adhere to precautionary measures aimed at reducing the spread of the Novel Coronavirus. Just like the lockdown period when some governments had to instruct law enforcers to go to the extreme of even lashing offenders just to force them in doing the right thing, some citizens are still acting unconcerned.
Well, wearing of nose mask has also become another cold war between some citizens and authorities.
A human rights group has bemoaned that “degrading” punishments are being meted out to Indonesians who do not follow coronavirus regulations.
According to the activists, citizens caught without face masks are usually given punishments such as push-ups, pulling weeds, cleaning river banks, digging graves, and lying in an open coffin which is becoming a bit disturbing.
Per Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center records, Indonesia has the highest Covid-19 death toll in south-east Asia, with more than 10,300 deaths and 271,000 confirmed cases as of Saturday.
Rivanlee Anandar, a staff member of the rights group Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, told VOA Indonesia that police officers and members of the military are being used to oversee the punishments.
He fumed: “The military should focus on national defence. There [are] no indicators or instruments to measure the effectiveness of involving the military in handling the pandemic.
“Their role in picking up people who have tested positive [for] Covid-19 is too much. In several malls, they even take people’s temperature.”
