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‘Send e-cards to the dead’: closed cemeteries in mainland China and live-streamed tomb-sweeping will dampen Ching Ming Festival amid Covid-19 surge
- Local governments are pushing for people to send online messages to their ancestors or hire cemetery staff to sweep tombs
- Many local governments are closing cemeteries altogether to prevent a Covid-19 outbreak
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Cemeteries are being closed and officials are pushing online channels to honour ancestors during the upcoming Ching Ming Festival as China tries to neuter an Omicron-driven Covid-19 outbreak.
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Local governments have either closed cemeteries or will limit the number of visitors during the annual event, also known as the “tomb-sweeping festival”, which takes place on April 5 this year.
The festival is one of the most important annual traditions for Chinese people as it is a moment to commemorate their ancestors. People usually clean graves and burn paper offerings to ensure their loved ones live well in the afterlife.
However, this year the festival will be complicated by Covid-19.
On Wednesday, China reported 8,454 Covid-19 cases, split between 1,803 symptomatic and 6,651 asymptomatic cases. Shanghai, which is in the middle of a two-part lockdown, reported over 5,600 local cases.
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Local governments are encouraging people to send e-cards to their dead ancestors or hire a cemetery staff member to perform the grave-cleaning ritual to prevent people from gathering at cemeteries.
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