NH Coronavirus: State Of Emergency Extended 21 More Days

CONCORD, NH — Gov. Chris Sununu issued a number of new executive orders Friday and also extended the state of emergency in New Hampshire for another 21 days.

The state of emergency, first issued on March 15, and extended again earlier this month, will run through May 15. The governor may or may not issue another 21 day extension at that time.

Three other emergency orders as well as an exhibit to a previous order were also issued Friday.

The governor issued new guidelines in a previous health coverage order allowing for carriers to approve of in-patient prescriptions without a signature. Carriers are also now prohibited from performing pharmacy audits that could "consume considerable pharmacist or pharmacy staff time" as well as requiring health carriers with group plans to continue employee health plans for furloughed or temporary layoffs.

Sununu also directed the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission to suspend all rate increases or future rate increases filed by electric companies and ban the collections of increased rates and charges for between six and 18 months.

Don't miss updates about coronavirus precautions and information in New Hampshire as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

A temporary waiver was also put on the 28-day separation period between when a retired public employee can return to work for the state part-time and another order ensured worker's compensation coverage for first responders in the state who might be exposed to COVID-19.

The latest new coronavirus map released by the state on April 24.

2 More Deaths; 53 More Positive

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced the death of two more men related to COVID-19 Friday.

Both men were 60 years or older with one living in Rockingham County and the other in Strafford County. The new deaths bring the count to 53 in the state or 3 percent of patients.

The state also announced 53 more positive patients bringing the total number of people infected with the virus since early March to 1,720.

Many of the cases are still under investigation but from what information is available, 52 percent were women and 48 percent men. Twenty-nine of the patients live in Hillsborough County, 15 in Rockingham County, and two in Merrimack County.

Six of the new cases required hospitalization bringing the count to 224 in the state or about 13 percent of the cases.

Of the new cases, five had no identified risk factors — meaning they haven't traveled recently or were not in contact with someone who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Most of the remaining cases had been, the state said.

Patch takes community journalism seriously and we want to be as much service to our readers as possible at this very uncertain time. If you are a public health worker, medical provider, elected official, patient, or other coronavirus expert — or you simply have a news tip you'd like to share — please fill out this form. We'll keep names and personal information private.

The state announced that 578 people have recovered from the infection or about 34 percent of New Hampshire's cases. There are nearly 1,100 active cases and 89 are currently hospitalized.

Approximately 2,250 people are under public health monitoring while 16,007 or 90 percent of people tested were negative for the new coronavirus at the NH Public Health Laboratories, LabCorp, Quest, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and those sent to CDC prior to state lab testing capacity. Of the nearly 18,125 people tested, 7,854 were tested at the state labs.

ReopenNH: Governor, 'Restore Reason And Balance'

Not long after Sununu issued an emergency order extension, the organization calling on the governor to reopen the state, again affirmed the need "to restore reason and balance in our society and get New Hampshire back to work."

Andrew Manuse, the chairman of ReopenNH, said top-down government planning "has never worked to solve problems" and wouldn't work in this case. He said many attendees of the previous rally last week raised relevant points about the hypocrisy of some businesses being called essential while others weren't — instead of allowing employers and employees to make their own decisions, especially when the outbreak was most prevalent in two or three counties and not the entire state.

The group is hosting another rally at noon on Saturday, May 2, at the Statehouse.

"Following the prevailing scientific guidance that is quite evidently true, we believe that coronavirus is a deadly contagion that poses a substantial risk to people who have underlying diseases and who fall into older age categories, and we are urging all people in New Hampshire to take precautions to protect the most vulnerable," he said. "At the same time, we believe the people of New Hampshire are best equipped to solve serious problems like coronavirus, and their individual enterprise and ingenuity need to be unleashed so society can properly function … What we’ve seen in the last two months is centralized planning creating an unfathomable economic crisis that we may not even recover from long after this virus has fizzled out. Every job is essential, and every human person plays a role in fulfilling society’s needs."

Economic Reopening Task Force Meetings Booked

The Governor's Economic Reopening Task Force, the group in charge with developing a plan and overseeing the state and private sector actions needed to reopen New Hampshire's economy — while minimizing the adverse impact of COVID-19 on public health — has booked a number of remote meetings next week.

The task force is using North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes to enable similar industries and sectors to phase forward together, according to officials.

From 2 to 5 p.m. on April 27, presentations about outdoor recreation (NAICS: 71) and hospitals (NAICS: 62) will be discussed.

From 3 to 5 p.m. on April 28, educational (NAICS: 61) and other services (NAICS: 81) will be discussed.

There will be a meeting from 3 to 5 p.m. on April 29 but the topic has yet to be decided.

Comments from the public will be taken from 1 to 3 p.m. on April 30, and 9 to 11 a.m. on May 1. The task force will also meet again from 3 to 5 p.m. on May 1.

The meetings are all open to the public by calling 1-800-356-8278; pin 194499 or 600744. Anyone encountering difficulties should call 603-573-8615 or email hilary.ryan@livefree.nh.gov.

Bipartisan Legislative Advisory Board Meets Monday

The Governor’s Office For Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) will hold a meeting of the Bipartisan Legislative Advisory Board at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 27.

The meeting will be held remotely. The call-in number is 800-356-8278; the pin number is 389388.

All members of the GOFERR Legislative Advisory Board have been invited to participate in Monday's call, according to the governor's office.

Feltes Critical Of CARES Act Guidance

This week, the state of New Hampshire received guidance on how and how not the state can spend its $1.25 billion COVID-19 relief funds.

State Sen. Dan Feltes, D-Concord, a 2020 gubernatorial candidate, called the guidelines "highly restricted" and prohibited states from "using their funds to protect critical services that have taken on even greater importance during this crisis" because it was not allowing cities and towns to tap into the resources in order to save the jobs of municipal employees, critical services, and rising property taxes.

"The Trump Administration’s guidance on the CARES Act stimulus funds is devastating for New Hampshire," Feltes said. "Our economy has effectively been shut down for several weeks, leaving major revenue shortfalls across all sectors, but according to the Trump Administration, the only flexibility in the use of stimulus funds is for business interests, not for our state and not for our cities and towns that will be forced to lay off teachers, firefighters, and police officers. The federal government might be able to run up trillions of dollars of debt, but here in New Hampshire our state and our communities need to balance our budgets. The Trump Administration’s rewrite of the CARES Act isn’t right and isn’t good for New Hampshire."

Nashua E-ZPass Walk-In Center Closing

Nashua E-ZPass walk-in Center will close on April 27. Walk-in centers in Concord and Portsmouth will continue operating from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., only on Mondays and Fridays.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation announced the closure Friday and said it was "in support of health and safety as well as operations during the COVID-19 pandemic."

The change in operations will be in effect until further notice, the state said.

"We recognize that many of our customers use these facilities to conduct cash-only transactions and we will continue to offer walk-in services two days per week at Concord and Portsmouth for that purpose," the DOT stated.

All other non-cash transactions can be completed by contacting the E-ZPass Call Center at Toll Free Number at 877-643-9727. The call center hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

E-ZPass transactions may also be conducted online.

Stopping 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.
• 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:

• Great NH Restaurants Keeps Workers Employed — By Helping Others
• NH Coronavirus Update: 16 Communities Have 20 Or More Cases
• Landscaping Company Gives Thanks To Seacoast Health Care Workers
• NH Coronavirus: 5th Of Cases Come From Long-Term Care Facilities
• NH Coronavirus: 19,110 More Workers File For Unemployment

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube channel.