China warns of widespread smog, Beijing issues second 'red alert'
A dangerous gray haze descended on
Northeast China over the weekend, choking off schools, flights and
industry and endangering citizens simply trying to breathe, according to
local reports.
China saw the smog coming and last week issued its first red alert of the year for 23 cities.
As of Saturday, the smog covered 10.1
million square kilometers (3.9 million square miles), according to the
country’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Schools, factories shut down
In the port city of Tianjin, just
southeast of Beijing, officials shut down expressways, increased public
transportation capacity by 15% and ordered cars to run on alternate days
based on whether the vehicles’ license plates end in odd or even
numbers, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.