KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — The Health Ministry has advised that all outdoor sports activities and gatherings be postponed if the Air Pollutant Index (API) exceeds 100 as stipulated in the National Haze Action Plan 2019.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement here today said the move was necessary to avoid the risk of getting haze-related illnesses.

He said doing extreme physical activities would increase the respiratory rate, thus resulting in more amount of air inhaled than usual.

"This will cause an amount of polluted air enters the respiratory system,” he explained.

Dr Noor Hisham said if organisers were continuing their events, the participants, as well as audiences, were advised to wear face masks to cover their mouth and nose.

However, he said, the use of face masks did not guarantee could reduce exposure to haze.

Dr Noor Hisham also advised people to shorten the time outside or stay indoors and avoid bringing children to watch outdoor activities.

Those suffering from symptoms and signs such as cough, colds, asthma, eye pain, lung infection should go to the clinic for examination and treatment, he said.

The public can refer to the Department of Environment’s website at http://apims.doe.gov.my for the latest updates on API readings. — Bernama