Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim said appropriate action must be taken by the relevant ministries and agencies to protect students. (Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: All schools in areas that record an air pollutant index (API) reading of 150 and above should close immediately, says Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim.

The royal press office said the king expressed concern over the wellbeing and health of students amid the ongoing haze, with 38 areas across the country recording unhealthy API readings.

While the current SOP dictates that schools should only close when the air quality reaches "very unhealthy" levels (API readings of 200 and above), Sultan Ibrahim said schools in areas with "unhealthy" API readings of 150 and above should close.