According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, severe air pollution is to be expected over a wide area in northern China this weekend. The cities in the Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei region as well as in neighboring provinces like Shanxi, Shandong and Henan have been asked coordinated efforts to cope with the severe smog.
28 cities have issued an orange alert, the second-highest in the four-tear colored system. The air is expected to improve on Wednesday as the wind picks up but may deteriorate again on Thursday.