Beijing issues first ever red alert over air pollution

Officials in the Chinese capital declared for the first time Monday that the thick smog blanketing the city was bad enough to require a red alert, the highest level of alarm. It was the first time a code red had been sounded since Beijing announced an emergency air pollution response system with multicolored warnings in 2013.

Across the city, residents braced for the onset of another “airpocalypse” the term that some English speakers here use for the most toxic bouts of air pollution. If carried out properly, the temporary restrictions would affect many of Beijing’s more than 20 million residents. From 7am on Tuesday to noon on Thursday, schools will be required to close; cars will be allowed to drive only on alternate days, depending on their license plate numbers; and fireworks and outdoor barbecuing will be banned. In addition, government agencies will have to keep 30 per cent of their automobiles off the streets.

An official signal of the announcement came around 6:30pm on Monday, when Xinhua, the state news agency, posted on its English-language Twitter account: “Beijing issues first red alert for heavy smog. Odd-even car ban imposed; schools suspended.” The post included a photograph of the Bird’s Nest, the iconic stadium built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, shrouded in charcoal-gray smog and barely visible.

Scrambling to plan

Around the same time, an official website of the Beijing government posted advisories on how to respond to the alarm. One big question was whether officials would strictly enforce the regulations immediately, especially given the late notice Monday. Many residents were left scrambling to plan for the next morning: what to do with children not going to school; how to get to their jobs if they could not drive; and whether they should even go to work.

The city government did not explain the timing of its announcement. Thick smog had already settled over Beijing by Sunday afternoon, with pollution reaching what the US government labels “very unhealthy,” when everyone may experience the effects of toxic air and should avoid unnecessary outdoor activity. On Monday, before the red alert, announcements in Beijing subway stations warned that a spell of toxic air was hitting the city and would last until Wednesday.

The red alert was an upgrade from an orange alert issued on Saturday. By then, official Chinese news reports had already said a period of bad smog would start on Monday.