Who would have thought that an aggressive virus would come leap across continents and threaten to wipe out populations?
That sort thing only happens in movies.
Or so we thought.
The pandemic has forced many cities around the world to go on lockdown while a majority of the global population remain in self-isolation to help stop the spread of the virus.
With over one million confirmed cases of infected patients and 95,528 deaths as of Thursday—according to World Meter—people around the world are doing their best to maintain decorum while adhering to strict social distancing guidelines.
It's not surprising then that Louisiana locals were terrified by the intrusive sound of the 9 p.m. curfew siren implemented last week by the police department in Acadia Parish—a section of Louisiana in which the city of Crowley sits.
See if you can recognize the sound of the siren in this clip.
Crowley Curfew Sirenyoutu.be
The problem was not the Crowley Police department's protocol of alerting residents to get back into their homes in the hopes of controlling the rapid spread of the virus in the area.
The siren sounded all too similar to the one used in The Purge movies.
Remember The Purge?
If you do, you would freak out too if you heard the eerily similar alarm.
The dystopian horror film franchise that started in 2013 centered around a national holiday in which all crimes—including murder, arson, theft and rape—were perfectly legal for 12 hours.
The Louisiana police department unknowingly chose this siren to distinguish itself from other police sirens. It happened to resemble the sonic alert heard at the beginning of all of The Purge movies.
So it is understandable that when the locals in Louisiana heard the curfew warning, they associated our reality with the fictional horror film.
After people familiar with The Purge lost control of their bowels from the unsettling wailing, the city apologized.
Police Chief Jimmy Broussard told KATC news that he was not aware of the sirens used in the film, but the department said they would not be using that particular one again.
Acadia Parish Sheriff K.P. Gibson issued a statement, saying:
"Last night a Purge Siren was utilized by the Crowley Police Department as part of their starting curfew."
"We have received numerous complaints with the belief that our agency was involved in this process. We were not involved in the use of the Purge Siren and will not utilize any type of siren for this purpose."
Much gratitude to the Crowley Police Department for changing the siren sound.
The last thing we need is to soil our pants and brace ourselves for mass murderers during the global crisis.
The Purge: 4-Movie Collection is available here.
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