Beijing has issued a yellow alert for heavy air pollution over the next three days.
The administration has advised children and the elderly to stay indoors, as Beijing, its neighbors Tianjin and Hebei province, as well as central and western Shandong province can expect heavy air pollution to linger for a week.
The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection reported that readings in those regions exceeded 115 micrograms per cubic meter on Thursday.
The reading is far above the 25 micrograms level considered safe by the World Health Organization.
According to the China Daily, the CMA expects the smog to last for a week as no cold front is in sight to help disperse it.
The yellow alert in Beijing is the first since the municipal government issued one last October.