China observes 3-minute silence to mourn coronavirus victims

China reportedly mourned thousands of people who lost their lives in the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak as of April 4. The country hosted the national flag at half-mast and suspended entertainment activities. The day coincided with the Chinese annual Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, when people pay tribute to millions of ancestors, as per media reports. 

Three minutes of silence was observed to commemorate the frontline staff and medical workers, who died in the country’s fight against the COVID-19 disease. The ships, trains, and cars sounded air raid sirens, State media reported. President Xi Jinping and other prominent leaders had pinned the white flowers on their attires as a mark of mourning, they stood in front of the national flag paying tribute to the martyrs. In Wuhan, Hubei province, the primary epicenter of the outbreak in January, signals across the city turned red at 10 am and traffic halted movement for at least three minutes. 

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People offer flowers and burn incense

According to reports, Wuhan suspended tomb-sweeping activities in its cemeteries until April 30, a tradition that witnesses millions of families during the traditional Chinese lunar new year calendar that tend to ancestor’s graves. It curtailed an important day when people offer flowers and burn incense in remembrance of their loved ones. Some burned joss paper, a tradition which they believe sends money and wealth to the deceased. Instead, the Chinese government instructed the residents to subscribe to the online streaming service that will enable them to watch cemetery staff conducting sweeps online amid the lockdown. 

The federal government of the Hubei province had announced earlier that distinguished title of martyr should be accorded to the first batch of the medics who made major contributions in combat of the coronavirus in China. Generally, in China, the martyr status is strictly reserved for the military personnel who are in the frontline in combat forces. It is an honorary title awarded by the Chinese language Communist Occasion to the soldiers of the armed forces that sacrifice their lives in service to the nation, as per state media reports.  

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