Beijing's authorities were among the first to issue a red alert due to heavy smog. On December 7, the first red alert was introduced in the capital and lasted until December 10. The second red alert was issued on December 19, and is expected to be lifted on Thursday.
Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center (BMEMC) said on Tuesday that that Beijing, Baoding, Handan, Langfang and Hingtai have issued red alerts, the most serious warning level, Sputnik News cited Xinhua News Agency as reporting.
The agency added that 13 cities, including China’s northern port city of Tianjin, have issued orange alerts, 17 cities issued yellow alerts, and 5 issued blue alerts.
The agency explained that when a city announces a red alert, the government automatically introduces compulsory measures to alleviate the situation, including reducing car traffic, suspending schools and kindergartens, and temporarily closing companies that emit high volumes of pollutants.