PETALING JAYA — Jakarta underlined the seriousness of donning face masks amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Those caught without their face masks are now given the option to lie inside the coffin in Pasar Rebo or pay a fine and do community service work reported Indonesia’s Liputan 6.

It said several violators had to lie inside the open casket on Thursday (Sept 3) for the duration of a minute.

According to East Jakarta public order agency head Budhy Novial, violators in the open casket are given a feel of what it was like to be in a coffin.

“With the current Covid-19 pandemic situation, there is a risk of them being laid inside a real coffin.

“However, the open casket idea is still a new concept as we are still experimenting whether this approach can help change the public perception towards wearing their face masks.”

Mr Budhy also said that authorities will be enforcing the coffin punishment for at least a few more days to see its impact on how citizens view the wearing of face masks in public places.

The open casket concept is not the only thing to remind the citizens of Jakarta about the importance of wearing face masks especially amid such trying times.

Other districts in Jakarta have also built mini coffin monuments that feature the death rate data to spark awareness about the deadly Covid-19 virus. MALAY MAIL