Students asked to stay indoors as smog blankets Beijing

All schools in the Chinese capital Beijing have been ordered to keep students indoors and adjust classroom activities as heavy smog blanketed the city of 21 million for the third day as top emitter of greenhouse gases China grappled with heavy pollution.
The Beijing No.2 Experimental Primary School today allowed students to choose whether to study at home or in school while Beijing Digital School is running classes online in view of the high levels of pollution in the city.
The smog worsened in north China yesterday and the meteorological centre upgraded its alert from yellow to orange, the second most serious level, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Highways in Beijing and Henan province have been temporarily closed due to low visibility.
The smog will continue in most parts of north China on Tuesday and Wednesday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecasted.
Yesterday, more than 200 expressways were closed and residents were advised to stay indoors as China grappled with the worst smog of the year.

The public has been warned to take protective measures when engaging in outdoor activities and those who suffer from respiratory diseases are advised to stay indoors.
China is the top polluter along with the US in green house gases. Last year, the two reached an agreementto take ambitious action to limit greenhouse gases.

Smog has shrouded much of northern China including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.