BANGKOK: Air pollution forced nearly 200 schools in Bangkok to close on Thursday (Jan 23), local authorities said, as officials urged people to work from home and restricted heavy vehicles in the city.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration urged people to work from home for the rest of the week if they can, with air pollution forecast to worsen after already forcing the temporary closure of more than a dozen schools.

The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand is urging people across the country to work from home after air pollution levels exceeded safe levels in almost every province on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

High PM2.5 pollution levels forced school closures in Bangkok, prompting online classes as officials address the air quality crisis.

A total of 103 public schools under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have cancelled classes for periods ranging from one to five days, depending on their locations, as the capital grapples with worsening PM2.5 air pollution. Some schools began cancelling classes on Monday, while many others are set to close starting Thursday.

Several schools in Bangkok were forced to close on Monday due to high levels of PM2.5, a harmful particulate matter, in the air.