Executive Order  No. 652: Ensuring Public Safety by Imposing a Temporary Ban on Motor Vehicle Travel in Certain Counties

WHEREAS, on February 22, 2026, I issued a proclamation declaring that a state of emergency exists within the Commonwealth; 

WHEREAS, an immediate ban on non-essential motor vehicle travel in Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties is necessary to meet this state of emergency;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Maura T. Healey, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution, Part II, c. 2, § I, Art. I and Chapter 639 of the Acts of 1950, do hereby order as follows:

Section 1.

Except as set out in Section 2, there shall be a ban on motor vehicle travel in Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties effective immediately on February 23, 2026 and continuing until further notice by the Highway Administrator of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Section 2.

The motor vehicle travel ban shall not apply to:

• Public safety vehicles, sworn and civilian public safety personnel, including those providing services at correctional facilities, and private sector security personnel
• Public works vehicles and public works personnel, including contract personnel supporting public works operations
• Public transportation vehicles and public transportation personnel, including contract personnel supporting public transportation operations
• Government personnel conducting official business
• Utility company vehicles and personnel, including contract personnel supporting utility response and restoration efforts
• Personnel directly supporting storm response operations, including but not limited to emergency shelter personnel
• Personnel supporting human services facilities, including but not limited to residential housing programs and human services shelter operations
• Healthcare personnel, including but not limited to home healthcare personnel and personal care assistants
• Personnel delivering or supporting services at healthcare facilities, including those that provide long term care and mental health care, as well as hospitals and other healthcare facilities
• Vehicles and personnel providing critical supplies to healthcare facilities, including those that provide long term care and mental health care, as well as hospitals and other healthcare facilities
• News media
• Private sector snow removal equipment engaged in, or traveling in connection with the removal or clearance of snow and ice from public or private sector facilities
• Patients traveling for the purpose of receiving urgent critical care, and persons traveling with those patients who are necessary to facilitate that urgent critical care
• Travel necessary to maintain critical private sector facilities, services and operations, and to deliver or support critical private sector services and supplies in critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, fuel, financial systems, and the provision of critical commodities
• Travel to support business operations that provide critical services to the public, including gasoline stations, pharmacies, food stores and hardware stores