Schools shut down in Pakistan's Punjab over air pollution

Authorities in the Pakistani province of Punjab have ordered educational institutions in several areas to close until November 17 and shift to online teaching to protect children and curb pollution, Al Jazeera reports.

The province, home to more than half of Pakistan’s 240 million people, had earlier closed primary schools, curbed tuk-tuks and shuttered some barbecue restaurants in megacity Lahore.

“Looking at the predicted air wind and air quality index, we are closing all higher secondary schools,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb, a senior minister in Punjab, during a press conference in Lahore on Wednesday.

Live rankings by Swiss group IQAir gave Lahore a pollution index score of 1,165, followed by the Indian capital of New Delhi, with 299.

“This morning’s AQI crossed 1,100 … I appeal to citizens, that for God’s sake don’t come out of your houses,” Aurangzeb added.

Record-high air pollution in Lahore is sending more people to hospitals and private clinics, doctors said, as authorities warned a complete lockdown could be imminent if residents fail to don face masks and follow other guidance related to smog.

Doctors highlighted that most people are complaining of either having a cough or they feel their eyes are burning.

“Tens of thousands of patients suffering from respiratory diseases were treated at hospitals and clinics in a week,” Salman Kazmi, vice president of the Pakistan Medical Association in Punjab, told the Associated Press.

Other affected cities include Faisalabad, Pakistan’s third-largest, as well as Multan and Gujranwala.