"Very Unhealthy": Mass School Closures in the Air Forces of the Bay Area

The already foul air of the Washington Bay area reached very unhealthy particle levels throughout the region on Thursday, prompting public health warnings and the massive closure of schools, universities and businesses – even San Francisco's famous funiculars were ripped off.

Firefighters have made progress in the fight against the deadly fire in Butte County, but it has become clear that the sickly haze has settled in the area in the foreseeable future.

Data from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District showed air quality levels in the "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" range. The Air Quality Monitoring Network, Purple Air, announced Thursday that fire – ravaged northern California had the dirtiest air in the world, leading cities notoriously misty in India and China.

The National Weather Service predicted that smoke will continue in the region next week. "The winds are light and off, so there is nothing that can move the smoke," said Suzanne Sims, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "He's here, and he's not going anywhere."

Fine particles of forest fire smoke can be deposited in the lungs and irritate the respiratory tract. Children, older adults, and people with heart or lung problems are at particular risk when air quality declines. But the air became so bad Thursday that it was considered dangerous for everyone, regardless of the medical condition.

Public health officials urged residents to stay indoors and keep N95 masks when they are outside. Some municipal governments and independent organizations give facial masks to those who need them.

The city has created a map of filtered air shelters, including branches of the San Francisco Public Library and Westfield San Francisco Center.

The workers returned home along the sidewalks of San Francisco Thursday afternoon. They have wheezing, coughing and gasping breath. Filtration masks were hard to find, as were air purifiers. Downtown workers and residents looking for masks lined up at the Cole hardware store on Fourth Street. At lunchtime, the line had 75 people and the clients were limited to four masks, a number reduced to two while the offer decreased.

Michael Costa, a salesman at Cole Hardware, estimated that more than 3,000 masks had been sold at 5 pm A cargo of air purifiers that arrived Thursday morning left in minutes. A sign at the front of the store said, "We apologize for selling N95 masks."

All public schools in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Marin counties canceled Friday classes due to poor air quality. Schools in Santa Clara County intended to stay open, but they canceled outdoor activities or moved them indoors. In Napa County, the unified school district of Napa Valley and the unified school district of St. Helena were closing. In San Mateo County, the decision to close schools was taken school by school. In Sonoma County, the decision to close on Friday would be made at 5 am

Colleges and universities in the region, including the State University of San Francisco, the State University of San Jose and the UC Berkeley, also canceled their courses on Friday. .

San Francisco officials closed the cable car service on Thursday afternoon and said Muni would be free on Friday to help people avoid bad weather while traveling in the city. Mayor of London Breed urged residents to stay indoors until conditions improve.

A few disappointed tourists showed up on Thursday night when the cable car turned over in Powell and Market Streets. Cleveland resident Cyrus Rai, in town for a week with his wife and three children, planned trips to Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead, he started the day at the hardware store by buying masks.

"We canceled all our plans," he said. "We are going to the mall for shopping or something like that."

Some residents of the Bay Area made the spontaneous decision to go looking for clearer air. Micha Oliver, a Berkeley resident, whose 5-year-old son, Sammy, suffers from asthma, spent most of the day researching the latest air quality data to determine where to go . She has three air purifiers in her house, but even with all three lifted, the air in her house was unhealthy. She considered San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara before settling on Incline Village in Tahoe.

"We load our car and go out," she said. "The air is getting worse and worse. I would not want an ordinary 5-year-old boy breathing that air, let alone a severe asthmatic. "

Marin's residents, Priya and Alex Clemens, also made the spontaneous decision to escape the smoke after their two sons were kicked out of school with a bloody nose. At 5 pm, they were preparing the car and going to their grandparents' home in Yorba Linda (Orange County). "It was a quick decision," said Alex Clemens, lobbyist at City Hall. "We are lucky to be in a position where we can go – this is not true for many people."

Parker Gibbs, a partner of the Light Rail Studios music production company in San Francisco, said the air quality was mediocre and residents of the Bay Area should not lose sight of the view # 39; together. "This smoke that stings our eyes, it's the retirement home of someone, it's the hopes and dreams of someone," he said. "We may have a problem, but these people have lost everything."