Chinese Authorities Declare National Mourning On Saturday To Commemorate COVID-19 Victims

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2020) The Chinese State Council decided on Friday to declare Saturday a national mourning day to commemorate the victims of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

"The State Council decided to hold national mourning events on April 4 to express deepest condolences of our multinational people over the 'fallen heroes,' who sacrificed their lives to fight the epidemic of the novel coronavirus, as well as the deceased compatriots," the State Council said in a statement.

In line with the State Council's decision, Chinese flags across the country and in Chinese diplomatic missions abroad will be dipped on Saturday. All entertainment events across China will be canceled on that day.

At 10:00 a.m. local time (02:00 GMT), the minute of silence will take place across China.

The outbreak of COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic on March 11 by the World Health Organization, erupted in late December in China's Wuhan and left 81,620 Chinese citizens infected, with 3,322 fatalities, according to the National Health Commission.