Record-high air pollution in Pakistan’s Punjab province prompted authorities to keep government employees at home and close additional schools, as doctors reported an increase in people seeking treatment for smog-related ailments.

Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, was ranked as the world’s most polluted city last week, with a record-high pollution reading of 1,900 near the Pakistan-India border. Now, Pakistan’s Punjab gov

Pakistan's second city of Lahore will close primary schools for a week over record pollution, government authorities said Sunday, to avoid exposing millions of children to smog several times above levels deemed dangerous.

In light of the worsening pollution crisis, Lahore's administration has also taken a few emergency steps. Primary schools in several cities have been closed for a week, with parents advised to make their children wear masks.