Severe smog in northern China worsened late on Monday, disrupting the lives of hundreds of millions of people. By 13:24 local time on Tuesday, 256 flights to and from Beijing Capital International Airport had been canceled, and six of the highways around Beijing were completely closed to traffic because of the smog. Three highways within the city were also temporarily shut down. The Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau has introduced a series of pollution reduction measures, including license plate restrictions, to alleviate the smog.