Most Schools in Tehran Province Will Be Closed on Tuesday Due to Air Pollution

Air pollution, which led to the closure of elementary and preschool schools in Tehran Province on Sunday, December 17, continues, and as a result, many schools in various regions of Tehran Province will also be closed on Tuesday. According to ISNA, citing the Tehran Air Quality Control Company, Tehran experienced its sixtieth day of polluted air on Sunday, December 17. The severity of air pollution on this day was such that Tehran's emergency services stationed ambulances and rescue buses at eight main squares in the capital and announced that all hospitals in Tehran are prepared to accept respiratory patients. ISNA also reported that the operational deputy of Tehran's emergency services advised Tehran residents to "reduce unnecessary travel in the city and avoid exposing high-risk patients and the elderly to air pollution, and to definitely consume liquids like milk." On Sunday, the traffic control zone in central Tehran was expanded to include areas subject to the odd-even traffic plan. The odd-even traffic zone, where only vehicles with odd or even last digits can circulate depending on the day of the week, covers a large area in Tehran, bounded by Hemmat Highway to the north, Imam Ali Highway to the east, Chamran Highway to the west, and Bā'ath Highway to the south. While all elementary schools, preschools, and kindergartens in most parts of Tehran Province were closed on Sunday, the deputy for urban development of Tehran Province announced that schools in the province at all levels, except for the cities of Firuzkuh, Damavand, and Pardis, will be closed on Tuesday. Hassan Karimi, in an interview with ISNA, referred to the emergency air pollution committee meeting held on Sunday afternoon and stated that on Tuesday, in cooperation with traffic police, the odd-even traffic plan will be implemented from in front of homes, and the daily sale of traffic permits in the traffic zone will be prohibited until the end of the week. Thus, on Tuesday, only vehicles ending with an even number will be allowed to circulate in Tehran. According to this official from Tehran's provincial administration, all sports activities in open spaces will be banned on Tuesday, and the match between Esteghlal Tehran and Iranjavan Bushehr in the cup competitions will also not take place. It has also been announced that the activities of sand and gravel mines and construction activities of Tehran Municipality will also be suspended on Tuesday. Earlier on Friday, the head of the Tehran Environmental Protection Agency told ISNA that since May of this year, 204 pollution warnings have been issued for service and industrial units in Tehran. Mohammad Hossein Bazgir mentioned that 86 healthcare units in Tehran have also received pollution warnings.