A three-minute moment of silence observed across China to honour those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak
Air raid sirens blared, cars, trains and ships honked horns as China held a three-minute nationwide moment of reflection to honour those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak, especially “martyrs” who fell while fighting what has become a global pandemic.
President Xi Jinping led other Chinese leaders on Saturday as they stood in silence in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing in memory of the more than 3,000 lives claimed by the virus in China. They had white flowers pinned to the chest and paid a silent tribute in front of a national flag, flying at half-mast.
In Wuhan — the city where the virus first emerged late last year — sirens and horns sounded as people fell silent in the streets.
A total of 81,639 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported in China, and 3,326 people had died of the disease, according to the National Health Commission.