LAHORE: Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab on Wednesday (November 6) ordered the closure of schools in major smog-hit cities, shifting them to online learning until November 17, as the country struggles against record air pollution.

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

On Wednesday, he ordered the closure of all schools in several major cities shrouded in smog, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter chill.

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

The move will affect millions of children in some of Pakistan’s largest cities, including Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab.

The minister said on Wednesday that the Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures a range of pollutants, rose above 1,000 – well above the 300 level considered “dangerous” – according to IQAir data.

“This morning, the AQI crossed 1,100,” Aurangzeb said.

“I appeal to citizens not to leave their homes, for the love of God,” she said, adding that wearing masks was made compulsory in affected towns.

She also announced that half of the staff in public and private offices would work remotely.

“It’s like a slow horror movie, constantly following you,” said Ayishm Ahmed Khan Burki, a 22-year-old student who transferred her classes from Lahore to the capital Islamabad after suffering from allergies and asthma.

“Everyone has the right to clean air,” she told AFP.