now China where the corona virus
pandemic began has come to a standstill
Saturday for three minutes to remember
those who died of the illness people
across the country stopped and bowed
their heads two more the victims as
sirens and horns sounded Steve McDonald
reports from Beijing
[Music]
right across China flags are at half
mast today is a special day for membrane
those who've gone before us a
traditional festival but twenty twenties
tomb sweeping day in China has taken on
special significance it's been declared
a national day of mourning to remember
those who've died from the coronavirus
at 10 o'clock local time people stopped
what they were doing cars stopped
driving and people were sounding the
horns of their cars sirens and other
alarms also went off right across the
country this nation is where the global
coronavirus emergency started and people
here have been living it for months
officially more than 3,300 people in
China have died from this highly
contagious disease but we don't know
really how many more may have died from
it because some analysts say that it's
possible people have actually died from
the virus but being instead recorded as
having died from other causes pneumonia
and the life by the way from the
country's top leaders down to people
just
who've been walking in the street it was
a time to pause and to remember those
who died from this disease and also are
supposed to be thankful that this
emergency hasn't been even worse in the
country where it all began
Steve McDonald in Beijing