China will observe a national day of mourning on Saturday for martyrs, including the “whistleblower” doctor Li Wenliang, who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak and the over 3,300 people who died of COVID-19 infection in the country.

During the commemoration, national flags will fly at half-mast across the country and in all Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, and public recreational activities will be suspended across the country, official media reported on Friday.

At 10 am (0200 GMT) Saturday, Chinese people nationwide will observe three minutes of silence to mourn the deceased, while air raid sirens and horns of automobiles, trains and ships will “wail in grief”.

China has identified fourteen frontline workers including doctor Li Wenliang who first warned the nation about the coronavirus as martyrs of the pandemic. Wenliang who was one of the first eight people who warned China about the novel coronavirus had died of the infection in February.

However, residents of Wuhan in Hubei province, where the virus first originated, have been warned to stay inside their homes and remain vigilant on mourning day.

Fourteen frontline workers in Central China’s Hubei Province, including “whistleblower” doctor Li Wenliang, were identified as martyrs on Thursday for sacrificing their lives in combating the COVID-19 outbreak.

The first group of martyrs includes 12 medics, one police officer and one community worker who fought on the frontlines.

According to the list, eight martyrs were members of the Communist Party of China. The oldest one was a 73-year-old while the youngest was 30 years old.

Li Wenliang, 34, an ophthalmologist was one of the eight “whistleblowers” who tried to warn other medical workers of the novel coronavirus outbreak but was reprimanded by the local police. He died on February 7 after contracting COVID-19.

The national mourning day will be observed to express the nation’s deep sorrow for the deaths of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting the COVID-19 and people who died because of the outbreak, state-run Global Times reported.

Chinese officials earlier said that over 3,000 medical personnel contracted the disease. According to official reports, 10 medical staff, including doctors, died of the disease.

Saturday also marks China’s Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day.

It is a tradition for the Chinese people to pay respect to their ancestors, deceased family members and national heroes and martyrs on the day of the festival.

China held its last national day of mourning in May 2008 for the victims of the Wenchuan Earthquake in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, which killed more than 69,000 people.

China has relatively been able to curb the spread of the outbreak and “flatten the curve” as it reported 31 new cases on Friday, down from 35 reported a day prior. The country had imposed nationwide draconian restrictions for two months.

The first epicentre of the outbreak Wuhan is scheduled to allow people to travel outside the city borders on April 8 as volunteers in hazmat suits continue spraying public areas with disinfectants as a precaution, Reuters reported.

The total number of infections reported so far in mainland China excluding, asymptomatic patients who are under observation has surpassed 81,000, while the death toll is over 3300.

Over 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide with at least 52,000 deaths.

(With agency inputs)