Masks, air conditioners and closed shops: Australian capital shadowed by smoke

The smoke from bushfires has been affecting the lives of Canberrans, who are beginning to take measures for their health.

The Australian capital has been blanketed in bushfire smoke since the end of last year, and the air quality was, at some point, ranked as the worst in all world’s major cities.

A Ms. Xu, who has two children aged at six and eight, said the air was chocking.
“I am considering going back to China for the Spring Festival,” she said. She talked about a friend, whose 17-month-old baby died of asthma.

According to local media, an elderly woman has died of respiratory distress in Canberra after disembarking from a plane from Brisbane.

On Sunday when the sky in Canberra turned yellow even orange with the air pollution, Xinhua reporters saw salespeople in Costco, one of the largest supermarkets in Canberra, wore masks.

Many stores in the Canberra Center shopping mall closed before noon for security concern, including the outlet of Australian telecommunications company Telstra, which closed at about 11 a.m. local time Sunday morning.

According to the Canberra Times, all Qantas flights at Canberra Airport were cancelled on Sunday due to the smoke, and the Department of Home Affairs told staff to stay at home on Monday.

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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Australian National University and the University of Canberra both closed their campuses, citing hazardous air concerns.

Caroline Hussey is in her 70s. “I haven’t seen the air quality this bad,” she said. “It is extraordinarily.”

At home she used air conditioners with filter to clean the air and an electric fan for air circulation.