NH Coronavirus Update: 16 Communities Have 20 Or More Cases

CONCORD, NH — Eighty-four more people in New Hampshire tested positive for the new coronavirus Thursday, including three children, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

The 84 new people infected bring the state to 1,670 cases identified during the past seven weeks — with 1,068 still infected. A number of the cases are still under investigation, with the State Joint Information Center stating, "additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates." Of those with completed information, three were children, 52 percent were women, and 48 percent were men. Thirty-five of the new cases live in Hillsborough, Manchester, or Nashua while 32 live in Rockingham County. Another three cases live in Merrimack County.

Five of the new cases were hospitalized bringing the total to 218 or 13 percent of all cases. Ninety-two are currently hospitalized.

"Fourteen of the new cases have no identified risk factors," the state reported. "Community-based transmission continues to increase in the state and has been identified in all counties with cases. Most of the remaining cases have either had travel to domestic or international locations or have had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis."

While the bulk of the positive tests have come from Manchester, with 348 cases, and Nashua, with 149 cases, 14 other communities in the state — Auburn, Bedford, Concord, Derry, Dover, Hampton, Hooksett, Hudson, Londonderry, Pelham, Portsmouth, Salem, Seabrook, and Windham — have more than 20 cases each. According to the data, about 83 percent of the state's cases are in Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Rockingham counties.

State officials also announced the deaths of three men, all 60 years of age or older. They lived in Hillsborough, Rockingham, and Strafford counties. While 51 people have died due to the coronavirus or complications due to COVID-19, 551 have recovered.

According to the state, 15,139 have tested negative for the virus at state and commercial labs — with 424 tests pending. It is unknown how many cases are in commercial labs waiting. The state has handled 7,532 of those specimens in its own labs.

Approximately 2,450 people are currently under public health monitoring.

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

NH: 8th Biggest Increase In Unemployment Last Week

WalletHub.com analyzed the latest unemployment claim figures and found that New Hampshire had the 8th highest increase in claims when compared to this time in 2019.

In previous surveys, the state was second and third.

Last week, 19,110 Granite Staters applied for unemployment compared to 474 claims the same week in 2019. It was 690 the first week of January of this year.

Since the pandemic officially started nationally, 144,342 people in the state have filed for unemployment compared to 2,401 people during the same time period in 2019 — the highest percentage increase in the United States.

Read the full WalletHub.com report here.

2nd Reopen NH Rally Held May 2

ReopenNH, a group of individuals interested in the state lifting the stay-at-home and nonessential business closure orders next month, with provisions for the safety of elderly and those who might be harmed by COVID-19, are holding another rally in Concord at noon on Saturday, May 2.

Unofficial attendance for last weekend's rally, where only around 50 to 100 people were expected, were as high as 400. Next Saturday, they are hoping to have more people show up. More than 4,300 people from New Hampshire have signed online petition calling on the state to be reopened.

JR Hoell, a former Republican state representative from Dunbarton who is helping to organize the effort, said many people were concerned the state was heading in the wrong direction while trying to fight the new coronavirus.

"We're not anti-science," he said, "we're also very rational … the virus is dangerous. But, as another study that was released today said, 13.9 percent in New York were infected and recovered and they didn't even know it. The reality is the virus is dangerous … but the fear of the virus is far worse."

Hoell said while the governor had set up a committee to look at the issue of reopening, no one was really looking at "the real economic consequences" — which were hurting families and businesses of the state. He pointed to the major layoffs at hospitals as an example — when one of the points of the stay-at-home order was not to harm hospitals.

"We're bankrupting our hospitals … when we were worried about destroying them due to a surge," he said. "This is all about being careful and being wise which is not currently the course of action. We have to open New Hampshire up."

For the next rally, organizers are again requesting supporters do what they are comfortable doing. If they want to stay in their vehicles, drive around and honk their horns, that's OK. If they want to wear masks and stand 6 feet apart, they should.

"It's your choice, but be mindful of public perception," the petition said. "The state and media will be watching. Let's make sure that we demonstrate that we can be responsible and free at the same time."

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.

Sununu Adds 2 To GOFERR Advisory Board

Gov. Chris Sununu issued Executive Order 2020-07, which includes technical amendments to Executive Order 2020-06, to allow for the appointment of additional members to the Governor's Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery Stakeholder Advisory Board (GOFERR).

After issuing the order, the governor added two more members to the GOFERR Stakeholder Advisory Board: Amy LaBelle, the owner of LaBelle Winery in Amherst, and Hollie Noveletsky, the CEO of Novel Iron Works of Greenland.

The board will be making recommendations to the governor and the Governor's Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery on how to spend $1.25 billion in CARES Act funds.

The GOFERR's next meeting will be at 1 p.m. on Friday. Call-in: 800-356-8278; PIN: 389388.

Feltes Calls For Public Hearings

In two news releases Thursday, one of the governor's 2020 opponents, called for public hearings about how to spend the CARES Act funds but also criticized the governor for helping big business.

State Sen. Dan Feltes, D-Concord, one of two Democrats challenging Sununu, said the public hearings were needed immediately to discuss how to spend the money — instead of the governor asserting unilateral control over the funds.

"These funds need to work for the people, not those at the top," he said. "Governor Sununu needs to hear from the people. The public — the people — have a right to provide input, and Governor Sununu owes the people of New Hampshire a voice in his process. I'm calling on Governor Sununu to immediately hold at least two remote, public hearings to give Granite Staters the opportunity to participate in this discussion and provide advice and input on his unilateral decision of these critical funds."

After the governor's news conference, Feltes' campaign issued another release accusing the governor of "again — putting corporate special interests above people" after Sununu requested the Legislature rescind a plan to raise business taxes if revenues dropped.

"When the economy is good, Governor Sununu wants to cut taxes for big corporations, when the economy is bad, Governor Sununu wants to cut taxes for big corporations," Feltes said. "The bailouts of the past need to be a thing of the past. We need real solutions for working families and small businesses that have fallen through the cracks. That includes making unemployment insurance a priority, including reducing wait times and dealing with system failures, not prioritizing photo ops, poll numbers, and press conferences."

GOP: No Business Tax Hikes

Republican leaders, however, said business tax rate hikes that would be triggered based on reductions in revenues, approved by Democrats controlling the Legislature, need to be rescinded — because they will hit already hard hit businesses even harder.

"Democrats in the Legislature insisted on establishing a trigger mechanism into the state budget so that if state revenues fell, business taxes would rise," said House Republican Leader Dick Hinch of Merrimack. "But in the midst of an economic catastrophe, that's the last thing our businesses need. House Republicans will unequivocally support and move to fast track legislation that would repeal this dangerous tax trigger mechanism to help us support our small business community, rather than tax them into failure. If the goal is to get our economy back on track, and get people back to work, we need these prospective tax increases off the table as soon as possible, and start working on tax relief."

NH SPCA Gets 3 Tons Of Pet Food

The New Hampshire SPCA will receive more than 3 tons of dog and cat food from GreaterGood.org.

The food is intended to assist shelters in feeding animals in-house but also to provide food statewide for those in need of assistance with feeding their pets.

"We have already begun receiving requests from individuals in the community that are having trouble feeding their pets," said Lisa Dennison, the executive director of the NHSPCA. "In fact, we have already exhausted much of our own supplies in order to help provide pet food to pantries, and individuals. We are honored to be able to help in this way."

Pet owners looking for support can email the NH SPCA at info@nhspca.org for more information.

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:

• NH Coronavirus: 5th Of Cases Come From Long-Term Care Facilities
• NH Coronavirus: 19,110 More Workers File For Unemployment
• Greater Salem Chamber Of Commerce Starts Gift Card Program
• NH Coronavirus: 6 New Deaths; 23 More Children Test Positive
• Concord Church To Host Sunday Services — Drive-In Style: Watch

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