Beijing blanketed by hazardous smog despite red alert

Many parents complained that the sudden closure of schools for three days which has made them stay home to take care of children and many felt schools are better equipped to deal with pollution than homes.

News of the seizure came as air pollution has engulfed the capital, Beijing, with authorities declaring a “red alert” there because of dangerously high levels of smog.

The capital has been on red alert since Tuesday morning, and the warning is due to be lifted at noon on Thursday. Under the red alert, vehicles are allowed on the roads on alternate days based on odd and even license plate numbers.

Separately, the heavy smog had also prompted an unlikely spike in vehicle sales, Bloomberg reported. Fireworks and outdoor barbecue, considered as industrial polluting activities, are also banned.

Some Beijing residents use smokestacks to predict smog: Smoke drifting gently upward means stagnant air where smog will accumulate, while smoke blowing away from the mountains indicates fresher winds and clear air ahead.

The safe level had been pegged by the World Health Organization at 25 micrograms per cubic metre.

When the U.S. Embassy in Beijing began issuing pollution readings several years ago, Chinese state media – and many ordinary Chinese – accused Ambassador Gary Locke of “meddling” in the nation’s internal affairs or seeking to embarrass the Communist Party.

More than 300 million people in the region were affected by the toxic air, it added.

Automakers including Tesla Motors and Beijing Automotive Group’s electric auto subsidiary say they have seen an uptick in potential buyers asking about pure electric cars in Beijing because of the pollution – though many don’t dare leave home to do so.

“Because of the smog, I generally tend to wear a mask indoors as well as outside, but today, I don’t even dare to go out”, said Yu Silong, who has been hospitalised for three days and had to quit his supermarket job to seek treatment. She loves nature much less than he would in a normal environment.