Beijing has issued its second-ever red alert pollution warning as China anticipates a new phase of deadly smog over the coming weekend.
The National Meteorological Centre has said that the smog would cover from Xian, home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors, across part of central China, and up into Shenyang and Harbin in China’s northeast.
The air pollution would begin rolling in from about Saturday evening and last until Tuesday, with visibility in the worst affected areas such as Beijing likely to fall to less than 1km, it said.
Half the cars in the city of 22.5 million will be forced off the road on any given day, while barbecues and other outdoor smoke sources will be banned.
Schools will close and people advised to avoid outdoor activities.
The Beijing city government issued its first ‘red alert’ last week following criticism that previous bouts of smog had failed to trigger the highest warning level.
The pollution index would probably exceed 500 in Beijing and parts of Hebei province, which surrounds the capital, it said.
A red alert is triggered when the government believes air quality will surpass a level of 200 on an air quality index that measures various pollutants for at least three days.
The U.S. government deems a level of more than 200 ‘very unhealthy’.
Read More: China smog: Beijing issues second ever pollution red alert
