Posts by Paula Tracy
Gov. Chris Sununu announced shortening COVID-19 quarantine time, criticized House Republican leaders for lack of transparency related to exposure to the virus Nov. 20, and outlined how the state will prioritize the first shipments of vaccine when they arrive in a matter of days.
The state has $991,120 left of its $1.25 billion CARES Act funds and is “squarely on track to spend these dollars down to the penny” by the end of the calendar year, Taylor Caswell, head of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery, told the Legislative Advisory Board on Monday.
The surprise announcement, which goes into effect Friday came, Sununu said, because of the dramatic increase in cases of COVID-19 statewide in the past two weeks, hospitalization rates which have doubled in that time, and a significant jump in the daily positivity rate.
On Monday, Gov. Chris Sununu reactivated New Hampshire’s Long-Term Care Stabilization Program, which will offer stipends to frontline health-care workers at Medicaid facilities until Dec. 31.
With a record 323 new COVID-19 infections Thursday, three new deaths, outbreaks at three nursing homes, and possible exposure at the polls in at least four different locations, the state announced it would not be able to do contact tracing every case now.
Reporting a record 252 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, two deaths, and outbreaks at three new locations, state leaders urged the public to re-up their efforts to protect themselves and others from the virus which has now killed 486 New Hampshire residents.
Secretary of State Bill Gardner said some results were still yet to come in but, he said UNH Pollster Andy Smith got it right in the last 10 days, using a formula that had him predicting Republican control of both chambers and the Executive Council.
Starting this Saturday, restaurants will ask patrons for contact information as the state continues to see an uptick in cases of COVID-19.
The restaurant industry is proposing a registry of customers be kept for 21 days to help in future contact tracing for COVID-19 if needed.
Tourist attraction owners in the White Mountains are facing continued business uncertainty with the pandemic and need another infusion of help from Washington to get their full-time staff through to spring, they told U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Wednesday.