Coronavirus Recoveries In New Hampshire Close In on 14,000: Data

CONCORD, NH — Another elderly resident of New Hampshire, a woman who was 60 years of age or older, died due to COVID-19, according to state officials.

The woman, who lived in Strafford County, was the 514th fatality in the state. About 3 percent of all cases die.

State officials also announced Wednesday another 402 new positive test results for the new coronavirus including 44 children. The cases with complete investigations were split between genders evenly. About 24 cases are still being investigated. The State Joint Information Center said 105 cases live in Rockingham County, 69 live in Manchester, 53 reside in Hillsborough County outside of Manchester and Nashua, 45 live in Merrimack, and 23 live in Nashua.

The cases were found after 9,820 polymerase chain reaction tests were performed Tuesday with 1,400 pending for a 3.2 positivity rate. The state has 18,776 active cases while 13,969 have recovered from the virus while 125 are hospitalized.

"Community-based transmission continues to occur in the state and has been identified in all counties," the state said. "Of those with complete risk information, most of the cases have either had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis or are associated with an outbreak setting."

More than 411,000 Granite Staters, about 28 percent of the state, have been tested via PCR tests with the state administering nearly 786,000 tests.

Approximately 6,850 people are under public health monitoring.

Attorney General Fines 2 Establishments

The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office leveled fines against two more establishments for violation of coronavirus emergency orders.

David Culhane of the White Mountain Tavern in Lincoln was fined after the state received a complaint in late October claiming that he and a waitress were not wearing masks while interacting with customers and a cook was wearing his mask around his neck, the state said. The police chief also made a compliance check on Nov. 4 and found only one small bottle of hand sanitizer in the entire restaurant. The tables were not spaced six feet apart either, the state said. Culhane, the report said, did have an "X" taped on every other table and follow-up inspections went well.

However, on Nov. 22, the state received another complaint about an online video performance of two guitarists playing indoors from the night before that showed customers seated near each other, mingling in the bar area, and standing. A photo on Facebook also showed Culhane not wearing a mask, too.

Culhane was fined $1,000 due to the violations.

Dan and Dawn Plourde of the Loudon Village Country Store were fined $2,000 for not complying with the state orders — including more than 10 warnings from the fire chief about violations during the summer and fall.

Later, the restaurant owners posted a sign on the store's door telling customers that the store was "privately owned," the owners and employees knew how to wash their hands and not sneeze on anyone else, and the owners were not requiring employees or patrons to wear masks.

"Please refer to the Constitution of the United States," the sign said.

The chief reported to the state that after "numerous in-person discussions" about the requirements, the owners refused to require staffers to wear face coverings. A letter was submitted to the attorney general about the violations and at a selectmen's meeting in October, the owners said they felt bullied and intimidated by the chief requiring compliance.

On Tuesday, the chief received another complaint about the store, visited it again, found employees not wearing masks, and the sign still on the door refusing to comply.

The store's owners were fined $2,000 for being in violation.

Bedford Bakery Owner To Challenge Fine

The owner of a Bedford bakery is fighting a $500 fine by the state for not following the emergency coronavirus order.

With the help of the Liberty Defense Fund of New Hampshire, Alexa Firman, the owner of Simply Delicious Baking Co. in Bedford, said this week she will not pay the fine. A Bedford native, she moved back home to open the bakery about a year ago to provide "a comfortable space for people to gather" and she appreciated the support she received from the community.

"We have taken a number of precautions to keep our space safe, including the recommended social distancing," she said. "We have also provided curbside takeout for those who may not feel comfortable entering the building with other people."

But the mask mandate, she said, went against her "inspiration for starting this business — to build a face-to-face community space and I believe people who make the choice to come in and enjoy that environment should have the right to do so."

Thomas McLeod, the chairman of the fund, said it was important to support people like Firman and if it cannot be resolved, they will take the fight to court. Supporters of Firman have also pointed to a Danish study that show that masks do not have a "statistically significant impact on the spread of the virus."

ALSO READ:

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• New Hampshire Has Another 445 Coronavirus Cases: Update
• Less Than $1M Left Of CARES Act's $1.25B; $0 For Food Stamps
• Manchester Bar Closes Due To Positive Employee COVID Tests
• Rayno: Mask Mandate Helps, But More Needed In New Hampshire

Stop The Spread Of COVID-19

The COVID-19 virus is spread through respiratory droplets, usually through coughing and sneezing, and exposure to others who are sick or might be showing symptoms.

Health officials emphasize residents should follow these recommendations:

• Avoid any domestic and international travel, especially on public transportation such as buses, trains, and airplanes.
• Practice social distancing. Stay at least 6 feet from other people, including distancing while in waiting areas or lines.
• When you can't practice 6 feet of social distancing, wear a face covering.
• Anyone who is told to self-quarantine and stay at home due to exposure to a person with confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 needs to stay home and not go out into public places.
• If you are 60 years or older or have chronic and underlying health conditions, you need to stay home and not go out.
• Avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.
• Employers should work from home as much as possible.
• There is increasing evidence that the virus can survive for hours or possibly days on surfaces. People should clean frequently touched surfaces, including door handles, grocery carts and grocery basket handles, etc.

Take the same precautions as you would if you were sick:

• Stay home and avoid public places.
• Wear a face covering.
• Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
• Wash hands frequently.
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

More information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services about coronavirus can be found here on the department's website.

• Guidance to schools can be found can be found here.
• Instructions for returning travelers to self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19 are available are available here.
• For more information on COVID-19 in NH, visit its site here.
• For the latest information from the CDC, visit its site here.
• To access the state's COVID-19 data dashboard, click on this link here.
• To access the state's COVID-19 Interactive Map Dashboard, click on this link here.

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