NY Times China issues first red alert ever,

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Bejing Issues Red Alert Over Air Pollution for the First Time

By EDWARD WONG

DEC. 7, 2015

Photo

The artist Kong Ning wore a costume made of hundreds of plastic trumpets in Beijing on Monday to call attention to the hazardous smog. CreditDamir Sagolj/Reuters

BEIJING — Officials in the Chinese capital declared for the first time on Monday evening 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 7 a.m. 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 (grilled kebabs are a hugely popular street food in the city). In addition, government agencies will have to keep 30 percent of their automobiles off the streets.