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Primary schools in India's capital city will remain closed until Nov 10 due to high pollution levels, a Delhi government minister said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
"As pollution levels continue to remain high, primary schools in Delhi will stay closed till Nov 10th," said Delhi Education Minister Atishi Marlena.
For Grade 6 to 12, schools are being given the option of shifting to online classes, she added.
New Delhi stands on top of a real-time list of the world's most polluted cities compiled by Swiss group IQAir.
The city's air quality index (AQI) on Sunday (Nov 5) was 471, putting it in the "hazardous" category. It was followed by Lahore in Pakistan at a "very unhealthy" of 261.
The toxic air on Saturday had forced Sri Lanka to cancel their training session. The team was practising for a World Cup clash on Monday against Bangladesh in the heavily-polluted Indian capital.
An AQI of 0 to 50 is considered good, while levels 400 to 500 impacts healthy people and is dangerous to those with existing diseases.
ALSO READ: Air pollution in India's New Delhi turns 'severe', some schools shut
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