Beijing has now ordered all of its schools to shut and outdoor construction to halt after the first red alert for smog levels was issued.
Restrictions have also been placed on factories and traffic in a move that will see half of vehicles kept off the roads in China’s capital.
The red alert – the most serious warning on a four-tier system adopted a little over two years ago – means authorities have forecast more than three consecutive days of severe smog.
An online notice from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said it issued the alert to ‘protect public health and reduce levels of heavy air pollution’.
Beijing hotel staffer Fan Jinglong said the smog forecast was ‘really worrisome.’
‘We have no choice but to step up preventative measures like wearing a mask outdoors at all times,’ he said.
Readings of PM2.5 particles climbed toward 300 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday and are expected to continue rising before the air begins to improve with the arrival of a cold front on Thursday. The World Health Organization designates the safe level for the tiny, poisonous particles at 25.
Along with school closures and limiting cars to driving every other day depending on the last number of their license plate, a raft of other restrictions will seek to reduce the amount of dust and other particulate matter in the city of 22.5 million people.
It’s the second time this month that notoriously polluted Beijing has experienced a prolonged bout of smog, sending PM2.5 levels in the suburbs as high as 976 micrograms.
Read More: China pollution: Beijing issues first red smog alert
