Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the world has made great efforts to stop the spread of the virus. Among these efforts, The Seowon News would like to introduce the unusual punishments that have been implemented in Indonesia.
In the town of Ryzen on the east side of Indonesia’s Java island, a punishment was implemented to force those who refused to wear masks to dig the graves of those who died because of COVID-19. In Jakarta, people who did not wear masks were at first given warnings. The second time they got caught, they were forced to clean the bathrooms. In addition, people convicted of not wearing masks were punished by lying in a coffin for five minutes. Some people responded positively to this, but the punishment of lying in the coffin was abolished as many people responded negatively with doubts about the effectiveness of the punishment.
By contrast, the Korean government induced people to voluntarily participate in preventative measures, such as encouraging them to wear masks and keep a social distance rather than the use of coercive methods like in Indonesia. As a result of these measures, Korea was able to respond quickly during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, foreign media said, “The reason why Korea’s quarantine process was effective was because of the transparency of information and the efforts of the people to overcome COVID-19”.
Individuals, nations, and the world must work together to overcome COVID-19, because it is a fight against an invisible virus. Without voluntary cooperation from individuals, it is hard to expect successful results. Even if it is inconvenient, we should actively cooperate with the nation’s preventive and quarantine policies until the end of COVID-19.
