China's Day of Mourning

Today, at 10:00 AM local time (02:00 GMT), in Beijing and across China, a 3-minute silence was observed to remember the coronavirus victims. 

Citizens stopped still, cars, trains and ships sounded their horns “wailing in grief”, and air-raid sirens rang out in memory of the more than 3,300 lives lost. In Wuhan, where the outbreak began, all traffic lights in the city were turned red for three minutes as well. 

Saturday has been declared a day of mourning across the country, where flags fly at half-mast, and all public events and entertainment have been stopped. 

China's government said the event was a chance to pay respects to "martyrs", a reference to the 14 medical workers who died battling the virus. 

This day coincides with the start of the annual Qingming festival, when during normal times, Chinese families everywhere pay respects to their ancestors. (Note: This year, with the coronavirus still very much a threat, many people marked the day digitally instead). 

The Covid-19 situation in China is looking good!