- China held a three-minute-long national moment of silence to honor victims of the novel coronavirus on Saturday morning.
- Among those who were honored was Li Wenliang, the Wuhan doctor who sounded an early alarm about the city’s coronavirus outbreak. The Chinese Communist Party declared him a “martyr” on Thursday.
- The national mourning coincided with Qingming Festival, or “Tomb-Sweeping Day,” when people traditionally visit their ancestors’ graves. This year the Chinese government advised people against the practice to maintain social-distancing guidelines.
- Scroll down to see how various cities observed that moment of silence.
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Life in China came to a complete standstill for three minutes on Saturday morning as people honored those who died of the novel coronavirus with a national moment of silence.
At 10 a.m. local time, people around the country paused their activities and stood still for three minutes to honor the victims of the disease.
They also paid tribute to the country’s coronavirus “martyrs” — a high honor bestowed by the Chinese Communist Party to citizens killed while serving the country. China on Thursday awarded Li Wenliang, the doctor in Wuhan who was censured for sounding an early alarm about the coronavirus, this title.
The three minutes of national mourning came on Qingming Festival, or “Tomb-Sweeping Day,” when people traditionally visit their ancestors’ graves and make offerings to the dead.
This year, however, the government has advised people to avoid congregating or visiting cemeteries en masse to in adherence to social-distancing guidelines. Provinces around China have started lifting its lockdowns and travel bans as new infections in the country appear to plateau, but authorities are still being cautious.
Scroll down to see photos of the country pausing to honor coronavirus victims.