China mourned the thousands who have died in the outbreak, flying the national flag at half mast throughout the country and suspending all forms of entertainment.
epa08342360 A man rides on a bicycle past a building with a Chinese national flag flying at half-mast, for the coronavirus and COVID-19 victims, in Wuhan, China, 04 April 2020. On 04 April, China held nation-wide mourning for people who died during the outbreak of coronavirus and COVID-19. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
epaselect epa08342315 People observe three minutes of silence to mourn for the coronavirus and COVID-19 victims in Wuhan, China, 04 April 2020. On 04 April, China held nation-wide mourning for people who died during the outbreak of coronavirus and COVID-19. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
epa08342326 The Chinese national flag flies at half-mast in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, 04 April 2020. On 04 April, China held nation-wide mourning for people who died during the outbreak of coronavirus and COVID-19. EPA-EFE/WU HONG
epa08342320 epa08342317 People observe three minutes of silence to mourn for the coronavirus and COVID-19 victims in Wuhan, China, 04 April 2020. On 04 April, China held nation-wide mourning for people who died during the outbreak of coronavirus and COVID-19. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY
epa08342298 Employees gather to mourn outside a restaurant at Qianmen pedestrian street during a three minutes silence ceremony for victims of coronavirus and COVID-19, in Beijing, China, 04 April 2020. On 04 April, China held nation-wide mourning for people who died during the outbreak of coronavirus and COVID-19. EPA-EFE/WU HONG
epa08342311 People mourn at Qianmen pedestrian street during a three minutes silence ceremony for victims of coronavirus and COVID-19, in Beijing, China, 04 April 2020. On 04 April, China held nation-wide mourning for people who died during the outbreak of coronavirus and COVID-19. EPA-EFE/WU HONG
epa08342302 People mourn at Qianmen pedestrian street during a three minutes silence ceremony for victims of coronavirus and COVID-19, in Beijing, China, 04 April 2020. On 04 April, China held nation-wide mourning for people who died during the outbreak of coronavirus and COVID-19. EPA-EFE/WU HONG
The day of mourning coincided with the start of the annual Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, when millions of Chinese families pay respects to their ancestors.
At 10 am Beijing time (2am Irish time), the country observed three minutes of silence to mourn those who died, including frontline medical workers and doctors. Cars, trains and ships sounded their horns and air raid sirens wailed.
In Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and the epicentre of the outbreak, all traffic lights in urban areas turned red at 10 a.m. and all road traffic ceased for three minutes. More than 3,300 people in mainland China have died in the epidemic, which first surfaced in the central province of Hubei late last year, according to statistics published by the National Health Commission. Some 2,567 people have died in the city of 11 million people, accounting for more than 75% of the country’s coronavirus fatalities.
