Vulnerable New Yorkers ordered to wear masks as northeastern US states shrouded in smoke

Pedestrians walk past the New York World Trade Center amid acrid smoke from wildfires in Quebec, Canada. Photo: Julie Jacobson. /AP

Vulnerable New Yorkers have been ordered to wear masks as the city was shrouded in smoke from wildfires in Canada.

New York City recorded the worst air pollution in the world on Tuesday after as the smoke moved south from Quebec. Air quality was “very unhealthy” according to the US Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index.

City Mayor Eric Adams urged New Yorkers to stay at home whenever possible and encouraged them to wear high-quality clothing. outdoor masks for at-risk citizens.

People wearing masks after the publication of recommendations on air quality. Photo: Andrés Kudacki/HotPoint

A statement from his office says: “If you are an elderly person or have heart or breathing problems and need to be outside, wear a high-quality mask.”

” We are currently taking precautions, taking great care to protect the health of New Yorkers until we can better understand future air quality reports.” jpg” />A man speaks on the phone while looking through the haze at the George Washington Bridge from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Credit: Seth Wenig/AP

The air quality was later recorded as the world's second-best air quality after New Delhi in India, but still over Doha, the capital of Qatar, Baghdad in Iraq and Lahore in Pakistan. Ten school districts in New York State have canceled outdoor activities, including sports events.

The New York Yankees baseball team canceled a game against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night due to poor air quality caused by smoke from wildfires in Canada. The game has been postponed until Thursday.

Meanwhile, northern Quebec's largest city has been evacuated as firefighters battled the threat of an out-of-control blaze.

More than 150 wildfires have broken out, according to the province's Wildfire Prevention Agency. of wildfires, including more than 110 declared uncontrollable.

Intense wildfires in Canada are shrouding the northeastern United States and parts of eastern Canada in a haze, turning the air acrid and the sky yellowish gray.

< img src="/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2d7b4093fe8344b2fa037791411b751e.jpg" /> Traffic on the Ed Koch Bridge in Queensboro, smoke from wildfires in Canada haze. Photo: Eduardo Muñoz Alvarez/Getty Images.

Smoke from fires has been hovering over the northeastern United States for several weeks, but in most places it has only become noticeable recently.

Foggy weather and smoke from fires Wildfires have been reported in the Great Lakes region from Cleveland, Ohio to Buffalo, New York.