By IANS,
Beijing : Foggy weather and falling air quality, plaguing various regions and cities in China since Sunday, have led to a surge in the sale of masks.
Over 30,000 masks were sold over the weekend, more than 20,000 in the capital city Beijing alone, according to statistics from Taobao Mall, China’s largest online marketplace, Xinhua reported.
The poor weather conditions have also affected vegetable supplies, as fog has crippled traffic and led to closing down of expressways.
Visibility was reduced to less than 1,000 metres in north, central and east China, and less than 200 metres in a few areas, the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) reported Tuesday.
The Beijing Meteorological Centre Sunday afternoon issued a yellow alert, the second-lowest level in the country’s weather warning system, to warn about fog and smog in the capital, and said visibility would drop to less than 500 metres in most parts of the city.
Besides masks, prices of vegetables also were rising in many major cities as the thick smog forced about 10 expressways to be closed in Shouguang, the country’s largest vegetable production base, located in Shandong province, said local authorities.
The delay and difficulties in transporting vegetables shorten the preservation period, which contributes to higher prices, said Zhang Yanxiang, chairman with the Yanxiang Organic Vegetable Ltd.