Beijing, With Red Alert for Smog in Full Force, Closes Schools and Limits Traffic
- 8 years ago
Emergency measures adopted for Beijing's first "red alert" over air pollution left millions of schoolchildren cooped up at home, forced motorists off the roads and shut down factories across the region on Tuesday, but they failed to dispel the toxic air that shrouded the Chinese capital in a soupy, metallic haze.
Beijing announced Monday night that from Tuesday morning to noon on Thursday, it was putting in place measures that included closing schools, limiting the number of cars on the road based on their license plate numbers, and banning fireworks and barbecues.
Yet at 4 p.m. Tuesday, walking through Beijing was like strolling through a coal mine, and the municipal air quality index read 308, rated "hazardous" by United States standards - a situation in which people should not set foot outdoors.
Beijing announced Monday night that from Tuesday morning to noon on Thursday, it was putting in place measures that included closing schools, limiting the number of cars on the road based on their license plate numbers, and banning fireworks and barbecues.
Yet at 4 p.m. Tuesday, walking through Beijing was like strolling through a coal mine, and the municipal air quality index read 308, rated "hazardous" by United States standards - a situation in which people should not set foot outdoors.