Blue skies and clean air in Los Angeles after coronavirus lockdown By some estimates, the pandemic lockdown has taken about 80% of passenger cars off local roads, leading to a dramatic reduction in air pollution. Los Angeles, infamous for its smog, has seen some of the world's cleanest air in recent days, according to the CEO of a company that tracks global air quality. Jamie Yuccas takes a look at how major cities are getting cleaner due to coronavirus restrictions and how scientists hope some of it can be maintained after lockdowns are lifted for our series Eye on Earth.