LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Dangerously poor air quality forced Pakistani authorities in the cultural capital Lahore on Monday to close primary schools for a week, government officials said, after the air quality index hit a record over the weekend.

The measures in Lahore were part of a larger effort to protect children in the city of 14 million from respiratory and other illnesses. The government said everyone in Lahore was required to wear a face mask.

Fifty percent of employees will also have to work from home as part of a “green lockdown” in the city, the government said, adding that grilling food without filters will be banned and motorized rickshaws will be restricted. Wedding halls will have to close at 10pm and artificial rain is likely to be used to combat pollution.

The air quality index in Lahore exceeded 1,000 over the weekend, a record high in Pakistan.

The toxic gray smog has sickened tens of thousands of people, especially children and the elderly, since air quality began deteriorating last month in Lahore, the capital of the eastern Punjab province on the border with India.

The government has also banned construction work in certain areas and fined owners of vehicles that emit smoke. According to a government statement, schools will be closed for a week due to pollution.

The concentration of PM 2.5, or tiny particles, in the air approached 450, which is considered dangerous, the Punjab Pollution Control Board said.

Lahore was once known as the city of gardens, which were ubiquitous during the Mughal era from the 16th to 19th centuries. But rapid urbanization and rapid population growth have left little room for greenery.