CONCORD (AP) — The New Hampshire Legislature has suspended all legislative activities until at least March 20 to help curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
State officials said late Saturday the State House will be closed to legislative members, staff and visitors. However, it will remain open for governmental operations until further notice, officials said.
New Hampshire Senate President Donna Soucy and Speaker of the House Steve Shurtleff, who are both Democrats, said in a joint statement that move is about “protecting the health and wellbeing of our members, staff and the public.”
New Hampshire’s total number of presumptive positive test results of the new coronavirus rose to seven because of a case involving a woman who was at a Division of Motor Vehicles office in Manchester, public health authorities in the state said late Friday. Officials said the state is working to identify people who had close contact with the woman before she went into self isolation.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu was expected to provide an update of the state’s handling of the outbreak on Sunday afternoon.
MORE SCHOOL CLOSURES
More schools in the state announced at least temporary closures. Pembroke, Allenstown, Chichester and Epsom all joined a growing number of districts that will close down for two weeks, the Concord Monitor reported.
Districts said they would work with families and students on remote learning plans.
ABOUT THE VIRUS
For most people, the coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, results in only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
The vast majority of people recover. People with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover, according to the World Health Organization.
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
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