NH Gubernatorial Candidate: iPad, Golf Not Worth Coronavirus Risk

CONCORD, NH — Four more children and 85 other people have tested positive for the new coronavirus in the state of New Hampshire, according to the latest health department figures.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said Monday the new cases brings the total to 3,160 accumulative cases in the state during the past 11 weeks of the pandemic. The new cases were evenly split between genders with most of the new cases, 57, residing in Hillsborough County. Rockingham County reported 16 new cases while Merrimack had six new cases.

Investigations are still being held on several cases with residency for seven still undetermined and four with no identified risk factors. Most of the remaining cases have either been exposed to a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or traveled recently.

Of the new cases, three required hospitalization bringing the total in the state to 318 cases needing care or about 10 percent of all positive diagnoses. There are currently 117 patients hospitalized.

According to the state, 1,231 people have recovered from the virus, about 39 percent, with 1,796 active cases. Approximately 3,025 people are under public health monitoring with 32,401 testing negative for the new coronavirus. A little more than 54 tests are pending with about 1,200 tests being performed each day at state and commercial labs.

Currently, 12 communities have more than 50 accumulative cases: Bedford, Concord, Derry, Dover, Franklin, Hudson, Londonderry, Manchester, Milford, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Salem. Fifteen other communities — Auburn, Barrington, Goffstown, Hampstead, Hampton, Hooksett, Litchfield, Merrimack, Pelham, Plaistow, Raymond, Rochester, Sandown, Seabrook, and Windham — have between 20 and 49 accumulative cases.

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NH DOE Forms Reopening, Redesign Task Force

Frank Edelblut, the commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, announced the formation of the School Transition Reopening and Redesign Taskforce (STRRT).

The structure of the task force is similar to the Governor’s School Safety Preparedness Task Force and hopes to bring together "stakeholders from across New Hampshire education system to provide recommendations on bringing students back into school buildings this fall." The task force plans to issue preliminary recommendations by June 30, with follow-up recommendations within 30 days.

"This has been an unprecedented challenge for everyone and will give a new meaning to 'back to school' this fall," Edelblut said. "We want to provide schools with the best guidance possible on how to protect student safety and to apply the lessons we have learned from remote instruction."

STRRT documents that were sent to the press, including goals, articles, theories, and thoughts about reconceptualizing school and instruction models, as well as members of the task force, had not been posted to the department's website at post time.

'No iPad Or Golf Clubs Are Worth The Risk'

A few days after making political hay about transparency and accountability, one of Gov. Chris Sununu's opponents is turning up the heat on Stay-at-home 2.0.

District 2 Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky, a Concord Democrat, called the plan, which led to malls reopening Monday, a "foolhardy gamble," especially since so many shoppers come to the state from Massachusetts.

"We all want our economy back on track as soon as possible but it must be driven by science and protecting public health," Volinsky said. "Unfortunately, Massachusetts is still not showing much of a slowdown in COVID-19 cases and has suffered over 5,000 deaths. If Governor Sununu is going to recklessly endanger our essential workers, the malls should require, not just offer, masks for all shoppers to limit community transmission as much as possible. It is inevitable that Massachusetts shoppers will be crossing the border to take advantage of our open commerce. No iPad or golf clubs are worth the risk to Granite Staters' lives."

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New Emergency Order, Other Stuff

Sununu issued Emergency Order #42 authorizing temporary health partners to assist in responding to the COVID-19 in long-term care facilities, to increase employment opportunities with temporary workers.

On Tuesday, May 12, Joseph Doiron, Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office For Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR), will hold a meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Board at 1 p.m. Call-in: 800-356-8278; PIN: 194655.

All members of the GOFERR Stakeholder Advisory Board were invited to participate on the call.

Pursuant to RSA 91-A:2, the meeting is open to the public.

Learn More About 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:

• Golfers Out In Force After State Allows Reopening
• NH Focuses On Preventing Coronavirus Surge As Reopening Begins
• Concord Seamstress: Making Cloth Coverings The Right Thing To Do
• Malls Open In New Hampshire With Small Number Of Shoppers
• NH County Nursing Home Boasts 'Well-Coordinated Team'
• Distant Dome: 'Follow The Money' — But Impossible To Say Exactly Where $1.25B Is Going

Editor's note: I was director of communications for the New Hampshire Department of Education between April 13, 2018, and April 16, 2019.

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