BEIJING — The Ministry of Civil Affairs on March 19 stressed efforts to ensure safe and orderly tomb-sweeping activities on Tomb-sweeping Day, which falls on April 4 this year.

The ministry urged agencies in charge of funeral services and graveyards to conduct safety overhauls to check for hidden risks and strictly control the total number of people engaging in on-site tomb-sweeping activities while fully implementing COVID-19 containment measures, according to a meeting by the ministry ahead of the festival.

The meeting also highlighted green tomb-sweeping activities and integrating online and offline tribute-paying services.

During Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, people visit the graves and tombs of their ancestors and deceased loved ones.

Usually, people in China pay tribute to the dead and worship their ancestors by burning fake paper money and other possessions. This can result in fires in drought-hit areas.

Over 26.3 million people in China mourned the deceased via online platforms during last year's Tomb-sweeping Day holiday as the COVID-19 epidemic limited on-site tomb-sweeping activities.