Indonesian gravediggers under strain as COVID-19 burials surge in Jakarta

FILE PHOTO: Workers get sprayed with disinfectant as they prepare new graves at the Muslim burial area provided by the government for victims of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Pondok Ranggon cemetery complex in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 16, 2020. Picture taken September 16, 2020. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Gravedigger Junaedi Bin Hakim toils until nearly midnight almost every day in a Jakarta cemetery, preparing plots for fellow Indonesians amid a renewed spike in coronavirus burials.

"I am worried and scared but this is part of my job and responsibilities," said 43-year-old Junaedi, who prior to the global pandemic routinely left work at 4 p.m. to spend time with his young family.