Everyday life came to a surreal standstill in Beijing this week, as thick smog blanketed China's capital.
Schools closed, cars cleared the road during rush hour, and factories powered down after officials called an unprecedented "Red Alert." The alert, which reportedly remains in effect through Thursday, signals the highest possible pollution levels under China's color-based warning system.
Officials in Beijing said the measures had already cut the city's pollution levels considerably — it dropped 30% over the course of Tuesday alone, according to The New York Times. By Thursday, U.S. officials downgraded its own air-quality warning to moderate from hazardous, The Times reported.
Even with masks covering their faces, many residents worried about the health impacts of China's chronic pollution. The Red Alert was issued less than a month after an Orange Alert was called over similarly high levels of smog.
"You have to do whatever you can to protect yourself," Li Huiwen told The Associated Press. "Even when wearing the mask, I feel uncomfortable and don't have any energy."
Ahead, haunting images of the scary conditions in Beijing and other parts of China this week.
All captions provided by The Associated Press, Getty, and Reuters photo services.
Beijing government issued a "Red Alert" for the first time since new standards were introduced earlier this year as the city and many parts of northern China were shrouded in heavy pollution. Levels of PM 2.5, considered the most hazardous, crossed 400 units in Beijing, lower than last week but still nearly 20 times the acceptable standard set by the World Health Organization.
Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
A woman wears a mask to protect herself from pollutants near Tiananmen Gate on a heavily polluted day in Beijing. Episodes of nauseating smog lasting several days has become part of wintertime in Beijing.
Photo: Andy Wong/AP
A building and a large screen are seen through thick smog in Beijing on December 8.
Photo: Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Buildings are shrouded in smog in Lianyungang, China. Heavy smog has been lingering in northern and eastern parts of China since last week, disturbing the traffic, worsening air pollution, and forcing the closure of schools.
Photo: ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images
Tourists wearing masks take a selfie at Tian'anmen Square in the heavy smog on December 9 in Beijing. The capital city issued its first-ever Red Alert for smog on Monday, with odd-even car-number restrictions, along with the closing of some expressways and other measures to reduce the air pollution.
Photo: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
A woman uses a scarf to shield her face from pollutants as she walks out of an underpass tunnel on a polluted day in Beijing.
Photo: Andy Wong/AP
Vehicles drive through smog in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province of China.
Photo: Wei Liang/CNSPHOTO/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
A woman wears mask to protect against pollution as she walks through a Beijing shopping area in heavy smog.
Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Vehicles are driven along a Beijing road during heavily polluted weather. Thick smog has been lingering in northern and eastern parts of China since last week.
Photo: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
A man wears a mask to protect against pollution near the CCTV building in heavy smog in Beijing.
Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Chinese paramilitary police wear masks to protect against pollution as they stand guard during smog in Tiananmen Square on December 9.
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