The Chinese capital Beijing has been blanketed by smog so dense it led to the announcement of the first ever red alert and the warning will stay till the 10th of December.

The smog has brought the entire city to a city to a standstill. The city, which has a population of over 23 million people, witnessed roads which were half empty. The air is so impure that people have been forced to stay indoors. Schools, construction sites and factories have been shut.

Beijing's vehicle restriction of odd and even number plates will last until tomorrow afternoon.

In the midst of this hazardous scenario, the sale of face masks skyrocketed so much so that several outlets went completely out of stock. But the sale of air purifiers was overtaken by condoms and sportswear.

According to a study by China's largest online shopping platform, Taobao.com, the searches for condoms is associated with good child bearing and most try to avoid conceiving on smoggy days. Part of the reason could also be boredom from staying indoors.

The cities with greater problems of serious haze recorded higher search for sports wear as the people are keen on exercising outside once the air is clear.

Parents were not amused with the closure of schools as they had to stay back and look after their children. A resident said parents had raised funds to set up air purifiers in schools, she says children are safer in schools than at home.

A major cause for the rise in smog in most areas is the widespread use of coal for heating in smog affected rural areas of the northern province.



