There was another spare the air alert for Thursday as smoke from wildfires continues to blanket the Bay Area.
While the alert meant people should stay inside, some had no choice but to work out in the smoke.
At the Clarke Memorial Swim Center in Walnut Creek, swimmers were back at the pool. On Wednesday, it was closed until 4 p.m., the first air quality closure of the year.
“150 is typically. We have a lot of factors that go into it. Like I said, that trigger number is 150,” said Karen Heaston-Martin program director with the Clarke Memorial Swim Center.
Employees monitor the air quality index several times a day starting at 4:30 a.m. When they open, employees have some options to help navigate the haze.
“They are able to come in from the elements and break for at least a half an hour. So, we do have N95, KN95 masks available to them we monitor them. We make sure that they’re comfortable,” said Heaston-Martin.
While the air quality improved from Wednesday, along Highway 24 there were still smoky skies in the distance, an effect of the wildfires burning to the north.
“Caltrans is monitoring the smoke levels so we do have crews working in the field. Today, the levels were moderate,” said Vince Jacala with Caltrans.
Caltrans had maintenance staff out picking up litter and doing some landscape work near the Caldecott Tunnel.
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They agency says If things get really bad, they also have an option to move crews to all indoor work.
It’s all part of planning for what's become a common problem in California over the past few years, summer and fall wildfires.
