Beijing implements work-from-home order during scorching heatwave

Beijing has issued an order for employers to halt outdoor work as the city experiences a scorching heatwave, with temperatures forecasted to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

The government has also issued a "red alert," the highest level of a warning system for extreme temperatures, instructing relevant departments to take emergency measures to ensure the well-being of the elderly and ill.

This decision comes as Beijing endures a 10-day streak of temperatures surpassing 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), the longest such streak since 1961.

Meanwhile, other regions in China have been grappling with severe weather conditions, including flooding that has displaced thousands of people in southern areas and alerts for possible flash flooding in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Tibet, and Sichuan.

Chinese weather agencies had previously warned of extreme weather and multiple natural disasters in July, including floods, severe convection weather, typhoons, and high temperatures. Beijing, along with a dozen other regions, has been advised to stay indoors due to an average of 4.1 days each month in the first half of the year where temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius in China.

In June alone, Beijing experienced a heatwave for a total of 14 days.

These high temperatures and heatwaves are not isolated incidents and reflect a worldwide phenomenon, as the Earth's average temperature remains at a record high. The planet has recently witnessed consecutive days of record-breaking temperatures.