According to Tesnim News Agency, Gulam Rıza Şefik, the Crisis Director of North Khorasan Province, provided information on the matter.
Şefik stated, "State institutions in Bojnurd have been closed following 10:00 am today, because of the air pollution exceeding 300 micrograms per cubic meter."
In Mashhad, state institutions and schools were also closed due to the increase in air pollution.
Mehdi İlahipur, the Environmental Director of Razavi Khorasan Province, stated that the air pollution in Mashhad had reached 236 micrograms per cubic meter because of a dust storm.
The Iranian official called on the public, especially those with heart and respiratory conditions, to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
The Emergency Working Group for Air Pollution in Mashhad also announced the closure of state institutions and schools in the city.
The values determined in the air quality index based on the particulate matter (PM10) in one cubic meter of air are as follows:
0-50: Clean air (green), 51-100: Moderate (yellow), 101-150: Sensitive (orange), 151-200: Unhealthy (red), 201-300: Very unhealthy (purple), 301-500: Hazardous (brown).
