Ghosts scare Indonesians indoors and away from coronavirus

Kepuh village on Java island has deployed a cast of "ghosts" to patrol the streets.PHOTO: TWITTER

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Kepuh village in Indonesia has been haunted by ghosts recently - mysterious white figures jumping out at unsuspecting passers-by, then gliding off under a full-moon sky.

The village on Java island has deployed a cast of "ghosts" to patrol the streets, hoping that age-old superstition will keep people indoors and safely away from the coronavirus.

Known as "pocong", the ghostly figures are typically wrapped in white shrouds with powdered faces and kohl-rimmed eyes. In Indonesian folklore, they represent the trapped souls of the dead.

But when they first started appearing this month they had the opposite effect. Instead of keeping people in, they bought them out to catch a glimpse of the apparitions.

The organisers have since changed tack, launching surprise pocong patrols, with village volunteers playing the part of the ghosts.