13 areas suspend in-person classes anew as haze returns to unhealthy levels in Cebu

Local

AT LEAST 13 cities and municipalities in Cebu suspended face-to-face classes again on Monday, Sept. 21, as worsening air pollution pushed air quality in Metro Cebu to "acutely unhealthy" levels.

The suspension covered public and private schools at all levels in Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, Carcar City, Toledo City, Naga City, and the municipalities of Minglanilla, Consolacion, Liloan, and San Fernando.

In Talisay, Carcar, and San Fernando, colleges were also given discretion to decide whether to suspend in-person classes.

The latest monitoring from the Environmental Management Bureau-Central Visayas (EMB-7) showed that Metro Cebu's air quality index (AQI) reached 207 on Monday, placing it within the “acutely unhealthy” category.

The agency advised the public to take precautions as exposure to polluted air continued.

“People should limit outdoors 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.

Air pollution in Metro Cebu deteriorated over the weekend as meteorological conditions, including wind direction and speed, carried transboundary haze from ongoing forest and peat fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan region.

On September 19, AQI readings in Metro Cebu reached as high as 296, just four points below the threshold for an emergency-level classification.

The worsening air quality prompted local governments to reinstate class suspensions as a precautionary measure to protect students and school personnel from exposure to unhealthy air.(RBE)