If all travel is banned in so many places in the path of this blizzard,

[SheilaT]

are hospitals just going to cheerfully close their doors? How do they expect nurses and doctors to get to work if they can't drive? How about police and fire fighters?

I'm quite interested in finding this out.

I'm sure I've simply missed some important piece of information here.

[NutmegYankee]

1. Probably pre-positioned people.

My forecast is for 10-14 inches tonight, and another 10-14 tomorrow. You can't drive in that.

[Avalux]

2. Non-essential vehicles are banned.

So - ambulances, police, fire trucks, even cabs are allowed to be on the roads.

But if it gets bad enough, even those will have a hard time getting around. I hope that doesn't happen.

[jwirr]

3. ALL travel was not banned. Every speech I heard made it clear that no one should travel unless

it was vital. One speaker said that doctors and nurses should call in and the police would come to help escort them to the hospital. All emergency personnel were exempted from the travel ban. They just wanted most non essential persons to stay home and off the roads. Makes sense to me.

Here in NE MN when we get a bad storm many of the workers stay at the hospital and take a second shift or just sleep there. Too dangerous to travel.

[NightWatcher]

4. Elective surgery is cancelled and they try to release any they can

Most hospitals will let staff stay in vacant rooms while they attend to the critical patients. Around here, they'd put staff up ahead of hurricanes in vacant rooms just like that. They try to release those who can go home ahead of the storms.

[TorchTheWitch]

5. Since this happens frequently where I live

It's all non-essential travel that's banned. Police, ambulance service, firefighters, etc. and all hospital or clinic workers are exempt as well as other workers like the electric or gas company, commercial vehicles, etc. And of course, snow removal and salt/brine vehicles are exempt along with the workers driving their personal cars too and from work. Garbage collection is suspended since the garbage trucks are fitted out with plows to add to the snow removal teams. Private snow removal vehicles and their workers getting to and from there businesses are also exempt.

Anyone with any sort of emergency like needing to take someone to the hospital or to get a necessary prescription, etc. are also exempt though may be pulled over to find out why they're on the road. It's just non-essential travel that's banned. It also really helps to get businesses to close shop and not risk their workers trying to get to and from their jobs. I've never had any problem needing to tell an employer in an area not under a travel ban that I am where I live and thus can't get to work.

[SheilaT]

6. I have been a hospital employee myself,

although not medical staff.

I've also been an airline employee and we were always expected to make it to work, regardless of the weather. I can almost guarantee you that tomorrow people will make it to airports in the northeast, through the miserable conditions, and be completely astonished to learn their flight has been cancelled.

[Little Star]

7. My husband was a cop &.....

I remember one really bad storm the plow truck came and brought him down to the station. They can get pretty creative making sure cops get to work & back home.

[jberryhill]

8. Ever see a sign that says "no dogs allowed"

Sometimes they say:

"...except guide dogs for the blind"

The footnote is unnecessary, because (a) guide dogs are always allowed by law and (b) the audience for the written exception can't read the sign anyway.

No, EMS workers, highway workers, utility workers, etc., know they are SUPPOSED to be out in bad weather.

[magical thyme]

9. travel bans refer to nonessential people. medical staff, police, plowers, fire dept.,

electrical power workers, plumbers, etc. will all be working extra hard. The states literally make a list of who is "allowed" to travel.

Here in Maine, doctors offices are closed, elective surgeries and procedures are being rescheduled, and the hospital labs are closed (to the public). But the ED will be running, in-patients still cared for 4x7, in-house lab still running, etc. But the administrative people won't be in. Just healthcare workers and skeletal kitchen staff.

[shenmue]

10. Emergency vehicles are allowed.

Regular non-essential vehicles are not.

[fishwax]

11. there are all sorts of exemptions to the travel ban

emergency vehicles, medical personnel, security personnel (including private security workers), patients in need of urgent care, public works folk, travel to support businesses providing critical services (gas, pharmacies, food, etc.), the news media, and more.

Here's an example of one of the declarations (from Christie in NJ): https://readynj.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/january-26-2015-travel-restrictions.pdf

[SheilaT]

12. Thanks, everyone.

Appreciate all the information.

[newfie11]

13. When I was working during a situation like this

We stayed at the hospital round the clock. If people could make it in that was great but if not the place was still covered.
I was a radiographer but the same held true for all staff.

[bigwillq]

14. Essential workers, like nurses, police, can travel

The ban is for non-essential workers.