For the first time, Beijing’s city government issued a red-alert for pollution levels, closing down schools and construction sites in the Chinese capital and limiting the number of cars permitted on the road, various media outlets reported on Monday.
Officials at the US Embassy in Beijing told CNN that the air quality index there was at 250 on Monday morning. That’s classified as “very unhealthy” at 10 times higher than the World Health Organization deems safe, and the air quality was not expected to improve immediately.
In fact, according to the New York Times, the red alert restrictions will last through noon local time on Thursday. Until then, schools in the capital will be forced to close, automobiles can only be driven on alternate days based on their license plate numbers, government agencies must keep 30 percent of their cars off the streets, and outdoor barbecuing and fireworks are banned.
Environment group Greenpeace called the red alert “a welcome sign of a different attitude from the Beijing government,” and Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, wrote that it marked “a near-revolutionary change in thinking” over the span of only a few years.
Some residents ignoring advisories to limit outdoor activity
Even so, Channel NewsAsia reported on Tuesday than many residents were ignoring warnings and going about their regular business. The media outlet said that hundreds of people, including some preschool-age children, watched a flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, and others were ignoring the limitations on the use of their vehicles.
Beijing instituted their system in 2013 and strengthened it earlier this year, the Times said. Under the program, officials are supposed to issue a warning at least 24 hours prior to the arrive of smog predicted to cause the air quality index to remain above 200 for at least 72 hours. Monday’s alert did not come until after the smog had already descended upon the city, however.
Reactions to the conditions in the city were mixed, according to the Associated Press. Li Huiwen told the wire service that she felt “uncomfortable” and didn’t “have any energy,” and emphasized that it was important “to do whatever you can to protect yourself” from the pollution. A man who was identified only as Du said that he enjoyed the haziness from the smog.
Beijing office worker Cao Yong said during a break from work told the AP that the poor quality of the air was “modern life for Beijing people,” adding, “we wanted to develop, and now we pay the price.” Likewise, a store clerk known only as Sun explained, “You live in Beijing, you just get used to it. Every winter is like this. But now that they’re canceling school, it becomes really inconvenient. If you don’t get time off from work, who watches the kid?”
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