Air pollution: the White House calls on Americans to protect themselves

BET À DAY

The White House on Wednesday called on Americans in fragile health to “take precautions” in the face of deteriorating air quality on the East Coast of the United States, the result of violent fires in Canada.

“We urge everyone in affected areas to be mindful of local conditions. Make sure your neighbours, your friends, your family are well. Take precautions, especially if you have health problems,” said Karine-Jean Pierre, spokesperson for the US executive.

She considered this situation to be “another worrying sign of how the climate crisis is affecting our lives.”

As a grayish haze veils the skies of Washington, Joe Biden's spokeswoman clarified that the 80-year-old president was not, however, wearing mask to protect against it.

Asked about the planned Thursday of a large reception in the gardens of the White House, she indicated that she had no change to announce but specified that the services of the president “continued to monitor the situation”.

< p>According to her, Mr. Biden is informed of the evolution of the fires in Canada and his teams are in contact with the Canadian authorities.

American firefighters and equipment have been sent to Canada, a- she said.

Quebec, which has become the epicenter of the forest fires that are engulfing much of Canada, expects to have to evacuate thousands more people over the next few hours.

Canada as a whole is experiencing an unprecedented year: 2,293 forest fires have been recorded and approximately 3.8 million hectares burned, a total well above the average of recent decades.

In addition to some Canadian cities, several areas in the United States, including New York, were on Wednesday on alert because of air pollution, and many schools, for example, gave up recess or sports in outdoors.