No legal grounds for government to order closure of restaurants

THE GOVERNMENT OF SHANGQIU in Central China's Henan province issued an order to close most of the small- and medium-sized restaurants in its urban areas "to curb air pollution". That's an absurd move that has brought inconvenience to people's lives, says Southern Metropolis Daily:

With most of the restaurants in Shangqiu closed, there is as yet no data about whether the air quality has improved. However, one thing is certain, those working and residing in Shangqiu have few places to go for a meal.

Worse, many shops and markets were closed, too, as a result of which people had to travel to suburban areas to buy bread or vegetables.