LAHORE: All activities in public and private schools in the smoggy district were ordered to be suspended immediately by the district education authority on Friday to reduce the impact of increasingly toxic air quality.

The authority, in a notification, also ordered all public school teachers to teach online from home during “smog holidays”.

According to the notice, parent-teacher meetings, school trips, sports activities and any other school assemblies or campus events will be suspended following the orders.

“In addition, public school teaching staff are expected to continue their duties online, working from home to ensure academic progress is maintained during this time,” it added.

However, the notification mentioned continuation of anti-dengue measures as per routine.

The development comes in light of the Punjab administration’s measures to reduce the impact of smog on the citizens of Lahore while ensuring the continuation of day-to-day activities, including non-disruption of students and their academic pursuits.

The city continued to top the air quality index (AQI) with levels topping 700 today, which falls below “hazardous” levels, followed by India’s capital New Delhi at 376 at around 9.57am this morning .

And on Thursday, the city topped the AQI rankings with levels exceeding 800, according to data from Swiss air quality monitor IQAir.

Last week, the city saw an unprecedented 1,900 in some areas, more than 120 times the recommended levels, prompting a ban on construction activities and work-from-home orders.

Lahore’s atmosphere has remained dangerous for its residents for weeks after its position as one of the cities with the highest IQA in the world, with levels consistently exceeding 1,000 due to winds carrying pollution from neighboring India, the minister noted on Wednesday principal of the Punjab, Marriyum Aurangzeb.

The provincial administration has ordered the closure of all private and government educational institutions up to the higher secondary level in the city as well as in other districts of Punjab till November 17, according to a notification.