Travel reduced to the essentials, schools and anti-Covid vaccination centers closed: already slowed down by the pandemic, the northeast of the United States was almost at a standstill on Monday due to a strong snowstorm, with some 50 cm expected especially in New York.
From Virginia to Maine, from Washington to Boston, tens of millions of residents were on alert for near-blizzard conditions announced by the National Weather Service (NWS), with winds of up to 80 km / h accompanying heavy snowfall.
About 13 cm of snow was already covering Central Park by early morning, and the snow was expected to continue to fall at least until the evening, or even until Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency state
For this second snowy episode of the season – the first, in mid-December, had deposited some 25 cm of snow – New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a local state of emergency in order to facilitate the clearance work and the intervention of the emergency services.
It closed until Tuesday including schools that remained open despite the pandemic – mainly preschools and elementary schools – and put all students on the online education regime.
Vaccinations canceled
The anti-Covid-19 vaccination centers, which operate only by appointment – an appointment that we tear up for lack of vaccines in sufficient number – were closed for the day.
The three airports that serve the region, John F. Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark, had canceled between 65% and 90% of their flights, according to the Flight Aware website. Across the country, more than 1,500 flights were canceled Monday morning.
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