Healthcare workers in China disinfecting a metro train (file photo)
China has awarded martyr status to 14 heathcare workers who died while battling the coronavirus epidemic in the Hubei province, state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday. The government of Hubei province, the fountainhead of the worldwide outbreak of the virus, has reportedly accorded to the prestigious status to the "first batch" of healthcare workers identified as having made a significant contribution in combatting the virus.
Martyrs are the highest honorary title which the Chinese Communist Party awards to citizens who bravely sacrifice their lives for the nation, society and the people, Xinhua noted in its news report. Worldometer, a website keeping track of casualties due to coronavirus worldwide, has recorded 81,589 coronavirus cases in China, majority of them in the Hubei province. The country has reported a total death toll of 3,318.
After an excruciating three months since the virus first emerged in the country, China finally declared victory over it on March 28.
Back home in India, the martyr status is not used in reference to any of the casualties in the Armed forces, as stated by the then Minister of State (MoS) Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in Lok Sabha in December 2015.
As of April 2, India recorded a total of 1,965 coronavirus cases, including 50 deaths.
Also read: India's coronavirus cases rise to 1965; 50 deaths so far
