Crouching on the floor of a traditional market in Indonesian regency of South Bengkulu, in Sumatra, Regent Gusnan Mulyadi hit a plastic container noisily and cajoled passers-by to buy his vegetables. He said: "Come, come here, please."

Two women approached the stall to check out the long beans, lemongrass and lime, and proceeded to bargain with the man casually dressed in a T-shirt and cut-off trousers, his face hidden behind sunglasses, a mask and a face shield.

Suddenly, a fellow seller barged into their conversation, persuading the women to buy from him instead. They refused, saying they preferred to buy from sellers who adhered to health protocols during the coronavirus pandemic.

The fun skit, involving Mr Gusnan disguised as a vegetable seller and other planted characters, was among the creative ways adopted by regional leaders to promote social distancing measures, as the country slowly eases into a "new normal".

Mr Gusnan, 51, told The Straits Times by phone that he held the guise for six hours at the local Ampera market last Saturday (June 6) to teach sellers "the right way of operating in the market".

"Sellers should not entertain buyers who don't wear masks. They must maintain physical distance and wear face shields," he said.

"I don't want anyone else to do it but myself... A leader must be able to lead by example. He must not simply give orders, but show what is good to do and what is bad," he said.

The regent is an elected position for a regency, a district within Indonesia's 34 provinces.

Despite having his face covered, most people could recognise him, said Mr Gusnan, with a laugh.

While some parts of the country were under partial lockdown in the past weeks, shutting traditional markets and restricting people's movements, business was conducted as usual at South Bengkulu, said Mr Gusnan.

"I don't want to give residents an economic shock. The economy, our lives, must continue and we must not be left handicapped by Covid-19," he said, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Traditional markets are the pulse of the people's economy in Indonesia, providing millions of jobs to farmers and small-time vendors who trade in everything from agricultural products to handicraft.

The Trade Ministry has issued a circular asking regents and mayors to keep them running, with precautions in place such as placing stalls at least 1m apart and providing handwashing facilities.

Mr Gusnan said he and district officials had raised awareness through social media, posters, door-to-door visits and radio announcements, adding: "We must continue to work to educate the people."

Indonesia has recorded 33,076 coronavirus infections, with 1,923 fatalities, as of Tuesday.