NH Coronavirus: Governor Shutters Hotels, Bed And Breakfasts

CONCORD, NH — Gov. Chris Sununu announced Monday that the state would be closing all hotels, motels, online room rentals, and bed and breakfasts in New Hampshire that are not performing essential business like renting to first responders or medical workers. The decision, he said, came after speaking with business owners, members of the hospitality industry, and hearing the many concerns of Granite Staters in the North Country and Lakes Region about the influx of out-of-state visitors coming from areas of the country with high new coronavirus infection rates.

Last week, Sununu said he couldn't physically block people from coming to New Hampshire to visit parks and recreate during the COVID-19 pandemic. But this was one way to discourage people from coming, he said.

"We can't emphasis it enough," Sununu said. "You're safer in your own home."

Guests currently in New Hampshire will be allowed to stay until the end of their reservations. The closure includes AirBnbs, VRBO, Homeaway, hotels, motels, and other facilities. The order is active until May 4.

At this time, the order does not include campgrounds. Sununu said campgrounds were not included because, at most, there is safe social distancing between campers. At the same time, with stay-at-home orders in place, no one should be camping in New Hampshire.

When the new coronavirus pandemic ends, New Hampshire will be back open for business again, Sununu said, and visitors will be welcomed with open arms.

Sununu also commended Granite Staters for having a good time with his Home Hike Challenge initiated Friday as a way residents could enjoy the outdoors in their own communities instead of going to busy recreation areas around the state. He remarked on how many great notes and pictures he saw on social media as part of the initiative during the weekend.

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Patch asked Gov. Chris Sununu on April 6 about plans to help the homeless and his opinion on dangerous criminals being released from prison due to COVID-19.

Sununu said officials were working on a plan to address the state's homeless population — an issue many state agencies were working on before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor said most shelters were full but positive coronavirus cases within the homeless population were being self-isolated. Since the problem of homelessness is multifaceted, including issues around housing, public safety, crisis centers, mental health assistance, and other resources, there wasn't one policy the state could take to fix the problem. Sununu said officials were "monitoring the situation through the crisis." He added that federal funds, and possible future relief funds, would be available for community development block grants, and there would be opportunities in the future to address the housing issue.

"We have to get back to where we were before the crisis," Sununu said.

Sununu said officials were expecting a surge of cases in the state between mid-to-late April to early May. He said the surge may not be a single dip but longer, "at the back end of the curve," and it is unknown how broad the drop of the consistency will be. Sununu felt confident there would be a backend at the end of the curve but the surge was based on what was going on in "the high density areas and how those models play out" as well as different demographics of affected populations.

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When asked if he agreed with President Donald Trump's comment about the next two weeks being tragic, Sununu said it was an understatement — the next two weeks were going to be bad. The governor doesn't think people understand how different it was going to look in the coming weeks or the coming months.

"There's nothing that isn't impacted by this," Sununu said. "It's astounding, actually. I think the roughness of it comes in the speed that we have seen it. You don't have days and weeks to (react)."

The state is expected to release new infection models later this week.

Sununu said no hospital in the state was without personal protection equipment and officials were working to maintain levels by acquiring more than 300,000 pieces of equipment for hospitals and health centers.

Nearly 200 health care workers in the state have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Lori Shibinette, the commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

Those workers include doctors, nurses, home health care workers, and environmental workers. She said the health care workers became infected by the virus due to travel, being exposed to others with the virus, and exposure in the workplace. The state, she said, was expediting testing for health care workers at hospitals, medical care centers, and other facilities. Shibinette advised all hospitals to send specimens to the NH Public Health Laboratories which has a turnover time of hours not days. The state is receiving 15 of the new Abbott testing devices which return results in 5 minutes, she said.

"It's going to help keep our citizens safe," Shibinette said, "and help us keep our health care workforce safe."

Dr. Benjamin Chan, the state's epidemiologist, was asked about whether or not people should wear masks and he said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation was voluntary. He said the most vulnerable of the population — people 60 and older with immune deficiencies or health complications — needed to be protected from the virus. The best strategy, he said, was for people to stay at home and only go out for essential tasks like grocery shopping and when they are out, to practice social distancing.

Chan said 45 more people were infected with the new coronavirus bringing the count to 715 in the state with 103 needing hospitalization. More details will be released later Monday.

Stop The Spread Of COVID-19!

COVID-19, not unlike the flu and other respiratory illnesses, 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.
• Anybody who is told to self-quarantine and stay at home due to exposure to a person with confirmed or suspect COVID-19 needs to stay home and not go out into public places.
• If you are 60 years or older or have chronic medical conditions, you need to stay home and not go out.
• Avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.
• Employers need to move to telework as much as possible.
• There is increasing evidence that this virus can survive for hours or possibly even a few days on surfaces, so 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 when sick (i.e., social distancing).
• 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.

ALSO READ:

• NH Coronavirus: 48 New Cases; 91% Of Tests Come Back Negative
• NH Coronavirus Update: 9 Dead; Positive Count Reaches 621
• NH Coronavirus: Death Count Rises To 7; Nearly 7K Test Negative
• Governor To Transfer State Cash To NH Banks; Urges Local Hiking
• NH Attorney General: Beware Of Coronavirus Unemployment Scams

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