Fog, haze in China as New Year travellers brace for potential disruptions

Year-end holidaymakers across China were bracing for possible transport disruptions after the weather bureau on Friday warned that heavy fog and haze would shroud areas from Hebei province in the north to southern Shanghai for the next 24 hours. The Central Meteorological Observatory issued its first red alert for fog since 2017. Severe foggy conditions were expected in parts of northern province Hebei, central province Henan, eastern provinces Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shandong as well as in the municipalities Shanghai and Chongqing from Friday morning, the National Meteorological Centre said.