An emergency response plan has been approved to combat air pollution in Beijing. Just in time, says an editorial on Beijing News (excerpts below).

A yellow alert means that certain industrial corporations and construction will suspend work, while all fireworks will be prohibited and outdoor barbecues will be banned.

If a red alert is issued, an odd-even number ban on automobiles will be introduced, and kindergartens and school classes will be suspended.

These are some of the key measures of the new emergency response plan.

It comes just in time. Heavy air pollution is a disaster to public health, however, no single department or organization can deal with it alone.

Currently many policies focus on air quality in the downtown areas, but fail to implement the same standards on the areas outside the Fifth Ring Road, where there are more industrial plants and heavier traffic. Residents in both downtown and outside areas are equal victims of air pollution; the new program needs stricter standards on the latter.