A Taste of things to come

Just in case you wondered how bad the smog really gets here in Shanghai, below is a an email a friend’s school sent to all parents yesterday.

 

Dear Parents,

This morning we have decided to activate the red level response of our air quality procedures. 
Please see below the Air Quality Procedures for YCIS Pudong.  

For your information, when deciding on what level of response to take as a school, we take into account: the official air quality index reading for China, the unofficial US consulate air quality reading from Puxi and our own observations of the air quality.   Please note that parents of children with respiratory problems can ask us at any time to keep their child inside or not allow them to participate in strenuous activities. We will monitor the air during the day and if the conditions improve, we will then allow the students to play outside.

 Regards,

 YCIS School Office

Air Quality Response Plan:

YCIS Pudong will use 3 levels of Air Quality Readings and the following chart shows the action that will be taken for each of the 3 levels of Air Pollution:

 

Air Quality Level	API Reading Range	School Response
Green Level	Less than 100	·           No restrictions required
Orange Level	From 100 – 150	·            PE lessons / activities held indoors ·           Recess / outdoor play go ahead as normal ·           Students with respiratory conditions are  encouraged to stay in designated indoor areas during breaks ·          Outdoor events and field trips may be postponed if the activities are considered to be strenuous (decision made by relevant school leader)
Red Level	150 and above	·          PE lessons / activities held indoors ·           Indoor recess and lunch breaks (same procedures as wet days) ·           Field trips may be postponed, depending on the activity (decision made by relevant school leader) ·           Any planned outdoor events are postponed