Covid-19 update | As of October 26 | As of November 2 |
---|---|---|
Total cases statewide | 10,397 | 11,320 |
Total current infections statewide | 1,002 | 1,407 |
Total deaths statewide | 475 | 483 |
New cases | 651 (Oct. 20 to Oct. 26) | 923 (Oct. 27 to Nov. 2) |
Covid-19 news
On Oct. 25, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Exhibits V and W to Emergency Order No. 29, which had been issued on April 9. Emergency Order No. 29 requires state agencies, boards and commissions to submit recommendations to Sununu if any regulatory deadlines should be adjusted in response to the state of emergency. Per Exhibit V, in order to mitigate staffing concerns in police departments across the state, part-time officers who have not attended the full-time police academy will continue to be allowed to work during the pandemic. Per Exhibit W, in accordance with Emergency Order No. 12, the state’s Current Use Advisory Board will hold one public forum via phone and Webex in lieu of three in-person meetings. The forum will take place Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m.
On Oct. 27, Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 71, an order temporarily suspending the penalty for a school’s failure to file a financial report showing receipts and expenditures to the state Department of Education.
On Oct. 30, Sununu issued Executive Order 2020-21, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the Covid-19 pandemic for another three weeks through at least Nov. 20. It’s the 11th extension he has issued since originally declaring a state of emergency on March 13.
In the last week, the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services announced two additional potential community exposures linked to positive cases of Covid-19, both at the Atkinson Resort & Country Club. The first one was announced on Oct. 27, with potential community exposure dates inside both Merrill’s Tavern and the Stagecoach Grille on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from noon to 7:30 p.m., and on Thursday, Oct. 22, from noon to 11:30 p.m. A second notice was issued on Oct. 30 in the same location, with more possible exposures, on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Monday, Oct. 26, from 4 to 9:45 p.m. Anyone who was there on any of those dates and times should monitor for symptoms and seek testing.
State health officials also announced 205 new positive infections on Oct. 31, the most reported in New Hampshire in a single day since the start of the pandemic in March. In a statement addressing this, Sununu said he expects cases to rise as community transmission increases. “As we enter these winter months, it will be more important than ever to wear your mask, practice social distancing, and maintain proper hand hygiene,” he said.
Details of all of Sununu’s Emergency Orders, Executive Orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.
Inferior food
The New Hampshire congressional delegation has sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue regarding concerns that the products the New Hampshire Food Bank has been receiving do not meet nutritional standards, according to a press release. The USDA contracts with farms to provide food to state food banks through its Farmers Families Food Box Program; New Hampshire’s current distributor is Delaware-based Vincent Farms. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas said in the letter that the distributor for the program from the previous round, Costa Fruit & Produce, provided high-quality products for families in need, while the product provided by Vincent Farms was of “enormously inferior nutritional quality.” The letter also alleged that the USDA is paying more than the food boxes being provided by Vincent Farms have been estimated to be worth. “We understand that the USDA is paying $40 – $60 per box under the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. However, the cost per box of food provided to the New Hampshire Food Bank by the round three distributor has been estimated to equal $10 – $12. This significant discrepancy in value indicates a large potential profit opportunity for this distributor,” the letter reads. The delegation has asked the USDA to investigate the matter before it awards the fourth round of contracts for the program.
PFAS report
Last week, the Commission on the Environmental and Public Health Impacts of Perfluorinated Chemicals released its first Interim Report to highlight its initial assessments on the impacts of PFAS in the air, soil and groundwater in Merrimack, Bedford and Litchfield. The report includes recommendations such as extending the statute of limitations on chemical and PFAS-related injury, establishing a policy related to the identification of any PFAS chemicals that pose a concern to public health and/or the environment, create and implement educational standards and practices related to health implications of PFAS chemicals for all health care personnel, and require any source company responsible for water and soil contamination to be responsible for the costs of medical monitoring over a long-term basis for those exposed. The full report with all recommendations and findings can be seen at gencourt.state.nh.us/statstudcomm/committees/1495.
At-home-school tool
Parents have a new resource to help them support their children’s at-home learning. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Education, the Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide will help parents use digital tools and resources, and it outlines the benefits and challenges of remote learning. “As New Hampshire families adjust to remote and hybrid instruction, parents remain essential in supporting students, and keeping them on track,” New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said in the release. “This new Digital Learning Guide is a great tool for parents and caregivers to meet this challenge.” Access the guide at nhlearnsremotely.com.
EnVision Center
Harbor Care in Nashua has been designated as the first EnVision Center in New Hampshire, creating a centralized hub to provide resources to people in need, according to a press release. The EnVision Center program is run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides services for HUD-assisted families. Harbor Care is one of more than 60 EnVision Centers in the country, but only the third in New England. The center supports four key pillars of self-sufficiency, according to the release: economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness and character and leadership. “Harbor Care’s designation as an EnVision Center provides those chances for success for low-income residents,” Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess said in the release. “It makes even stronger Nashua’s existing support network for individuals and families in need of not just housing and financial support, but actual tools to guide them on a brighter path.”
Tons of drugs
During National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 26, New Hampshire collected nearly 17,000 pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs, as well as electronic vaping devices and cartridges, according to a press release. Throughout New England, the Drug Enforcement Administration collected more than 57 tons at 586 collection sites. This is in comparison to the first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in September 2010, when the division collected 25,810 pounds of unwanted drugs. Massachusetts and Maine had the highest tallies (40,284 pounds and 40,100 pounds, respectively). New Hampshire collected 16,840 pounds, while Connecticut collected 8,002 pounds, Rhode Island collected 6,218 pounds and Vermont collected 4,498 pounds, according to the release.
Concord’s fall leaf collection started Monday with bulk leaf collection and bagged collection will start Nov. 23 for residents with curbside trash collection, continuing (weather permitting) through Dec. 11, according to a press release. For more details about how this year’s process will work, visit concordnh.gov.
Several roads will be closed for the Manchester City Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 a.m., according to a press release. Starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, Elm Street from Pleasant Street to Merrimack Street will be closed until 5 p.m. Sunday. Starting at 6 a.m. Sunday, Elm Street between Granite and Bridge streets will be closed, and portions of the following roads will be closed: Hanover, Merrimack, Central, Spring, McGregor and Granite streets, and the Bridge Street Bridge. All roads will be reopened by 5 p.m.
The Hopkinton and Warner Historical Societies will present a virtual discussion about the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. The Zoom talk is free; for login information, email director@hopkintonhistory.org or info@warnerhistorical.org.
Nashua will hold its final Household Hazardous Waste Collection of 2020 on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Nashua City Park & Ride, 25 Crown St. Residents from Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, Pelham and Windham can participate, according to a press release. The cost is a $15 user fee per vehicle, with extra charges for waste that exceeds 10 gallons or 20 pounds. Latex paint, electronics and medications will not be accepted.