China goes mum to mourn COVID-19 victims

China came to a standstill on Saturday to mourn patients and medical staff killed by the coronavirus, as the world's most populous country observed a nationwide three-minute silence.

At 10 am (0200 GMT), citizens paused, cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens rang out in memory of the more than 3,000 lives claimed by the virus in China. In Wuhan -- the city where the virus first emerged late last year -- sirens and horns sounded as people fell silent in the streets.

Staff at the Tongji Hospital stood outside with heads bowed toward the main building, some in the protective hazmat suits that have become a symbol of the crisis worldwide. Workers in protective wear paused silently beside barriers at one residential community -- a reminder that there are still tight restrictions on everyday life across Wuhan.

State media showed Chinese President Xi Jinping and other government officials standing outside a Beijing government compound, wearing white flowers. And in the capital's Tiananmen Square, the national flag flew at half-mast, surrounded by heavier-than-normal security.

Pedestrians in one of the city's busiest shopping districts stopped walking and kept their heads low in a silent tribute ceremony, while police patrolling stood at the side of the road with their riot shields down and bowed heads. Park-goers paused their activities too, some holding badminton rackets by their sides, others with hands together in prayer.

Trains on Beijing's subway network also came to a standstill, and saw passengers including children stand silently throughout the three minutes in a mark of respect. Officials said the observance was as a chance to mourn virus "martyrs" -- an honorific title bestowed by the government this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak. They include Li Wenliang, a doctor and whistleblower in Wuhan who was reprimanded by authorities for trying to warn others in the early days of the contagion.