In-person classes suspended anew in Cebu due to haze

CEBU CITY, Philippines — In-person classes have been suspended for Monday, Sept. 21, in several areas in Cebu as transboundary haze from ongoing forest fires in Indonesia worsened air quality on Sunday, Sept. 20.

Cebu City was the latest local government to announce the suspension.

Mayor Nestor Archival suspended face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools after air quality remained at acutely unhealthy levels Sunday afternoon.

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Atmospheric conditions were also expected to remain unhealthy on Monday, prompting the city to shift classes to modular, online or asynchronous learning.

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“City health and disaster risk management authorities will continue monitoring air quality conditions in close coordination with DENR EMB-7,” Archival said in a social media post.

READ: Iloilo air unhealthy for sensitive groups as haze persists 

Face-to-face classes in elementary and high schools were likewise suspended as a precaution in Talisay and Carcar cities and the towns of Minglanilla and San Fernando.

For Talisay City College and Cebu Technological University in San Fernando, their respective administrations were given discretion on whether to follow suit.

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Air pollution across Metro Cebu had already reached acutely unhealthy levels earlier Sunday, with the AQI hitting 248 as of 4 p.m., according to the Environmental Management Bureau of Central Visayas (EMB-7).

Residents, particularly children, senior citizens and people with respiratory conditions, were advised to stay indoors, keep windows closed and wear N95 or KN95 masks if going outside is unavoidable.

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“People should limit outdoor exertion. People with heart or respiratory disease, such as asthma, should stay indoors and rest as much as possible. Unnecessary trips should be postponed. Motor vehicle use may be restricted. Industrial activities may be curtailed,” EMB-7 said.

Metro Cebu had generally recorded fair air quality in the previous days until Sept. 19, when monitoring stations detected a spike in air pollutants.

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Air quality has since deteriorated, with experts pointing to meteorological factors such as wind direction and speed as major contributors to the worsening pollution over the weekend. /mcm