As the pollution levels in Punjab continue to rise, the government has mandated that half of its employees work from home.

Punjab Director General of Environment Dr. Imran Hamid issued the decision, which is applicable to all autonomous, semi-autonomous, and government institutions in the province. All department heads and secretaries have received the notification from the DG.

Just half of government employees will be forced to work on-site under the new criteria; the other employees must work from home. To further reduce automobile emissions that contribute to smog, all interdepartmental meetings must be conducted virtually, and staff who commute to work must carpool.

A separate notification outlines steps for private office staff in four divisions of Punjab, even though similar recommendations are applicable to government employees throughout the province.

50% of employees in all private offices, franchises, and non-governmental organizations across Punjab’s four divisions will be required to work from home, according to the law. Around half the employees in the following divisions—Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Multan—will be required to work from home.

The ruling states it was made in light of the rise in smog-related illnesses and applies to private offices from November 13 to December 31.

The notification claims that pollution levels are rising as a result of transport vehicles’ emissions of dangerous compounds. In light of the rise in smog-related illnesses, this action attempts to reduce traffic and the discharge of dangerous pollutants from moving vehicles.

In order to alleviate the extreme smog that is affecting Lahore and other Punjabi cities, the Environment Department has mandated that these measures be put into effect immediately.

Since the province’s air pollution levels are dangerously high, the Punjab administration has announced that schools and institutions in five more divisions will be closing.

The directive, which was issued by Imran Hamid Sheikh, the director general of environment, lists schools in the divisions of Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, and Sahiwal. From November 13 to 17, all schools, including academies and tuition centers, will be closed, ranging from kindergarten to grade 12.

With the province still struggling with extreme smog, this action extends the first closures currently in place in Lahore and the neighboring areas. According to the environment department, the closures are intended to shield the general public’s health—especially that of young students—from the harmful consequences of the polluting air quality.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of 268 in Islamabad was alarming, exceeding by 38.7% the WHO’s recommended air quality standards.

In an effort to protect people with respiratory disorders from the dangerous air quality, authorities have recommended mask use.

The Met Department says that while smog and fog could potentially engulf the city, dry weather is predicted to continue in Islamabad and the adjacent areas.

Smog and fog are expected in Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sialkot, Hafizabad, and Toba Tek Singh in Punjab throughout the mornings and nights. Similar circumstances are probably present in Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Jhang, Narowal, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Mangla, Gujrat, and Gujranwala.