Government advises people to reduce outdoor activities as Hong Kong’s air pollution reaches ‘serious’ level under impact of Super Typhoon Lekima
- Two air-quality stations record ‘serious’ pollution, while 13 others register ‘very high’ levels of particulate matters on Thursday afternoon
- Pollution is likely to remain high on Friday as well
Air pollution reached a “serious” level in parts of Hong Kong on Thursday under the influence of a super typhoon, prompting the government to issue a public health warning.
A statement by the Environmental Protection Department advised residents, particularly young children and the elderly, to reduce or avoid outdoor activities as pollutant levels had increased gradually since Thursday morning.
“Under the influence of [Super Typhoon] Lekima, the weather in Hong Kong is fine and very hot but [the skies are] hazy,” the statement said.
“Higher than normal levels of ozone and particulates have been recorded since noon.”
As of 3pm on Thursday, two of Hong Kong’s 16 air-quality monitoring stations – in Yuen Long and Tuen Mun – reported the health risk from pollution as “serious”, the highest level on a five-point scale.
