Yuxiaoyu

Families in Beijing waited anxiously on Monday evening to hear whether schools would shut the next day, posing sudden child-care challenges, after the city issued its first-ever red alert for heavy smog about 6:30 p.m., advising school closures in an effort to protect students' health and reduce traffic on the roads, among other measures.

Families in Beijing waited anxiously on Monday evening to hear whether schools would shut the next day, posing sudden child-care challenges, after the city issued its first-ever red alert for heavy smog about 6:30 p.m., advising school closures in an effort to protect students' health and reduce traffic on the roads, among other measures.