LAHORE – A thick blanket of smog enveloped Pakistan's cultural capital of Lahore on Wednesday, prompting officials to warn that tens of thousands of the city's residents risk respiratory disease and eye-related problems while doctors urged people to stay at home.The air quality in Lahore deteriorated to hazardous levels, putting an additional burden on the fragile healthcare system amid a surge in coronavirus deaths and new infections.
The Air Quality Index at one point rose to 750 in the city's poorer areas — about 12 times the recommended level.Earlier in the day, Switzerland-based air quality information platform IQair declared Lahore the second most polluted city, after New Delhi, India's capital.