Pollution Creates Risk for Kids and the Elderly

To better protect children, the capital has recently outlined an emergency plan requiring kindergartens and schools to suspend classes when serious pollution is predicted in the following three days.

The Beijing Commission of Education will ask kindergartens and elementary and middle schools to suspend physical education classes, outdoor activities or all classes based on the degree of pollution. The children aren't aware of how to protect themselves and it's the adults' responsibility to take care of them, it said.

Since air pollution in the city is not evenly distributed, with certain regions witnessing lower pollutant levels, the warnings will be issued based on different regions.

Wang Hao, a physical education teacher in Beijing's Chaoyang District, said that missed school days will be added during the summer or winter vacations.

When to enforce the new rules and how to punish schools that don't comply is still under discussion.

However, parents, like Zhang, face a new dilemma in finding care for their children when school is canceled because of pollution. "The government should come up with detailed measures, considering all possibilities of the plan," Zhang said.