BEIJING - Thick fog continued to blanket China's northern and eastern regions on Monday morning, the National Meteorological Center said, warning of increasing safety risks on roads and docks, as well as at airports.

The country's top meteorological authority issued a yellow alert at 6 am, urging people in fog-affected areas to be aware of the air quality which will be worsened by the fog and to reduce driving speeds to ensure safety.

Fog and haze will decrease visibility to within 1,000 meters in some parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, and as low as 200 meters in some areas, the center said.

The fog will disperse on Tuesday as rains move into north China, the center said.