BEIJING — More than 26.3 million people in China opted to mourn the deceased through online platforms during the recent three-day holiday for Tomb-sweeping Day, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on April 7.

To prevent large crowds and reduce cross-infection, China has limited mass tomb-sweeping activities this year as it is fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. People set up commemorative spaces and wrote messages online instead of visiting cemeteries to pay respects to their deceased relatives.

During the holiday ending on April 6, over 15,000 mourning ceremonies were held by cemetery staff on behalf of groups who were not present and 419,000 ceremonies were held for individuals in the same situation, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, funeral facilities across the country received nearly 10.2 million on-site mourning visits in the past three days, the ministry added.