Eight people in Gresik regency, East Java, were ordered by local authorities to dig graves for those who have died of COVID-19 as punishment for not wearing face masks in public.

Cerme district head, Suyono, said that he punished residents who did not wear face masks by making them dig graves at a public cemetery in Ngabetan village.

“There are only three available gravediggers at the moment, so I thought I might as well put these people to work with them,” said Suyono as quoted by tribunnews.com on Wednesday, adding that local authorities made sure the health protocol violators did not participate in the burials.