Extra holidays, traffic ban in more cities to ensure Beijing's blue sky during APEC

Beijing's neighboring cities have joined Beijing to offer extra holidays and impose an odd-even license plate traffic ban to reduce air pollution during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. [Special coverage]

Starting Friday, workers from government departments, institutions, and organizations in 10 county-level regions in the cities of Langfang and Baoding, Hebei Province, will enjoy a six-day holiday to reduce the impact of Beijing's nearby population on the air quality during the APEC period, according to the governments of the two cities.

However, these workers are required to work Nov. 2 (Sunday) and Nov. 15 (Saturday) instead. Shijiazhuang, Langfang, Baoding, Xingtai and Handan, where the air quality ranks among the worst in China, adopted a license plate traffic ban, allowing cars to drive on alternating days based on odd or even license plate numbers from Monday or Tuesday.

Tianjin Municipality and Hebei cities of Tangshan, Cangzhou and Hengshui have also announced to impose such traffic ban from Thursday.

Wang Xiaoli, director with Hebei provincial environmental emergency and heavy pollution alert center, said that from Thursday, the windless weather in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei will be a disadvantage for pollutant dispersal, posing pressure to the three regions on pollution control during APEC.

The APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Beijing from Nov. 10 to 11. During the APEC week, China will host a series of meetings from Thursday to Nov. 11.