00:00You might want to wear a mask if you're spending time outdoors today.
00:02The thick, smoky haze blanketing our area is prompting an air quality alert.
00:07Elijah Westbrook joins us live from Brooklyn Heights with the latest.
00:10Elijah.
00:11That's right, Cindy. Good morning to you once again.
00:14Yes, unfortunately, that haze is still hovering over the tri-state area,
00:18particularly here in New York City.
00:19I want to step out of the way because I want to show you
00:21the perspective that we are seeing from the Brooklyn side.
00:25You're looking at lower Manhattan at this time,
00:27and you can see that the air quality is certainly not the best right now.
00:32It doesn't look as bad as yesterday,
00:33but you can still see a little bit of that haze lingering in this area.
00:37So in the meantime, you may want to throw on a mask
00:40if you plan to be outside for long periods of time.
00:43Smoke from those Canadian wildfires we've been telling you about
00:46continues drifting into our area, leaving behind hazy skies,
00:51a smoky smell, and another day of just unhealthy air.
00:55Officials say anyone with asthma, heart or lung disease,
00:59older adults and children should be especially careful.
01:03And if you have to be outside,
01:05experts recommend wearing an N95 or K-N95 mask.
01:10The city has also been handing out masks
01:13at transit hubs and libraries.
01:15Mayor Maldani says this isn't something people should brush off.
01:19And I think the point is for New Yorkers that this isn't just an annoyance.
01:24We're talking about a level of air quality that is frankly unhealthy.
01:27And at this time, anything you can postpone, I would encourage you to do so.
01:31We're generally telling New Yorkers to stay indoors,
01:33stay cool, stay with air conditioning.
01:37Now, officials also activated what's called Code Red and Code Gray,
01:41sending outreach teams to help people experiencing homelessness
01:45get indoors and into air-conditioned spaces.
01:48So the good news this morning, as we've been saying,
01:50conditions are expected to gradually improve later today.
01:54But New Jersey still under an air quality alert through tonight.
01:59So just keep that in mind.
02:00Back out here live, again, you're looking at the hazy conditions,
02:05specifically over in lower Manhattan.
02:08Of course, we will keep you posted on all this.
02:10But we are live right now from Brooklyn Heights,
02:12Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, New York.
02:15And be sure to stay with CBS News, New York,
02:17for continuing updates on this first alert weather day
02:20and the air quality alert.
Commentaires