Authorities have urged Bangkok residents to work from home and wear respirator masks outdoors as air pollution levels worsen in the capital.

Residents should work from home if possible, or switch from personal vehicles to public transport options if they need to commute, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said in a statement on Tuesday.

Authorities will seek to control activities causing dust particles such as outdoor burning, construction and combustion from truck engines, he added.

Air quality in the capital has been mostly at unhealthy levels since the weekend with authorities warning that the hazardous dust particles, known as PM2.5, may exceed safe levels again later this week. While the city’s air quality was moderate on Wednesday morning, it is set to slide to unhealthy levels from Thursday, according to the IQAir monitoring tool of AirVisual.  

Bangkok and other Thai cities have grappled with poor air quality in recent years, with pollution tending to get worse in the dry season around December to February.

Authorities will “intensively monitor” pollution levels in Bangkok from now until the end of February, Mr Chadchart said. For now, schools in the city should remain open as normal, he said.