Vietnam Eyes Remote Work, Online Classes as Air Quality Worsens

Vietnam has proposed new measures to combat severe air pollution, including work-from-home arrangements for government employees and online classes for students when the highest-level red alert is issued, as it braces for another winter of worsening air quality.

(Bloomberg) -- Vietnam has proposed new measures to combat severe air pollution, including work-from-home arrangements for government employees and online classes for students when the highest-level red alert is issued, as it braces for another winter of worsening air quality.

The new steps would apply in eight northern cities and provinces, including Hanoi, when a red alert is issued for an air quality index of 301 or higher, state media reports, citing a proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. 

Private motorbikes would be limited, while fares for public transport could be waived. Authorities would issue pollution alerts at least three times a day and provide protective equipment to outdoor workers and people in need. All classes would be switched online until the alert level is downgraded or lifted.

Hanoi regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities during the winter months when traffic emissions, industrial and construction dust and agricultural burning trap pollutants. It creates thick smog and dangerously high PM2.5 levels that pose serious health risks to residents.

Across the region, air quality has also suffered this year due to months of wildfires in Indonesia, with smoke drifting as far as Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. 

In Vietnam, air pollution is on the rise with daily average PM2.5 frequently exceeding the national limit at monitoring stations across the eight northern localities, which also includes the port city Haiphong and industrial hub of Bac Ninh province, according to the ministry. 

Hanoi authorities have encouraged citizens to submit photos or videos of vehicles dumping soil or causing heavy dust in a bid to track down offenders. Last year, city officials urged residents with respiratory conditions to stay indoors and implemented urgent measures, including remote monitoring systems to tackle air pollution.