Tianjin, 4 Hebei cities follow Beijing red alert

Tianjin issued its first red alert for smog on Tuesday, following Beijing and some cities in Hebei province that had already raised the highest-level warning. It is the first time that jurisdictions in the three areas have taken this step.

Under the red alert, Tianjin has introduced emergency measures that include restricting traffic and suspending industrial production to curb air pollution. The measures will be in effect from Wednesday until 6 am on Thursday.

The move was taken after four cities in Hebei - Baoding, Handan, Langfang and Xingtai - had already been placed under a red alert, which lasts until Friday. Beijing's second red alert, issued on Friday, was due to end at midnight on Tuesday.