Indonesian authorities have forced residents who failed to abide by the country's face mask law to help dig the graves of COVID-19 victims, according to a report.
Currently in East Java face masks are mandatory whenever residents leave their houses, the Jakarta Post reported.
Those who ignore the protocols are subject to fines or community service.
Local politician Suyono said eight people who had been caught without face masks were forced to dig graves at the Ngabetan Village Public Cemetery as part of their community service.
"There are only three available gravediggers at the moment, so I thought I might as well put these people to work with them," Suyono told the Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Suyono said the main reason he delegated them the task was because a local who died from COVID-19 was being buried there.
"Hopefully this can create a deterrent effect against violations," he added.
The rule breakers were made to work in pairs with one digging the grave and the other laying wooden boards inside to support the corpses.
None of them were forced to handle the corpses, the Jakarta Post reported.
The local police chief urged residents to follow the COVID-19 preventative measures.
"We appeal to the public to use masks. As a form of implementing health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19," he said.
Indonesia currently has over 221,000 cases of COVID-19 according to data from John Hopkins University.
The country has recorded 8841 deaths as a result of the virus.
