"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 11 March by the World Health Organization, erupted in late December in China's Wuhan.
