Covidap

NH schools shut for academic year; new unemployment claims dip

By HOLLY RAMER and DAVID SHARP
Associated Press
A look at developments around New England related to the coronavirus pandemic:

New Hampshire

New Hampshire schools will remain closed and continue remote learning for the rest of the academic year, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu announced Thursday.

Sununu’s initial order transitioning education to remote learning was issued March 15. It was originally set to expire April 3, then was extended to May 4. But he said the severity of the coronavirus pandemic warranted extending the closure through the end of the academic year, which is typically the second or third week of June.

“Public health has to be a preeminent variable in our decision-making and in this case, it absolutely was,” he said. “We’re hoping to get back to a new model, within the classroom, in September, but we’ll have to see where we are.”

In a letter to school officials, state Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut thanked educators and said he knows they are up to the challenge.

“Knowing they won’t be back in the school building, it will be tempting for some students to think that their summer vacation has started,” he said. “It’s important that we keep them engaged in their learning. School is still in session.”

Blown budget: Sununu said he expects the state to lose several hundred million dollars in revenue because of the pandemic by the end of the fiscal year that ends June 30, and up to $500 million in the next.

“None of the CARES Act money is designed right now to come in and replace any of those revenues. There will be massive budget cuts across the state,” he said.

Unemployment claims: Nearly 24,000 initial unemployment claims were filed in New Hampshire last week, down more than 15,000 from the previous week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The latest number covers new claims through April 11.

The numbers: As of Thursday, 1,211 people in New Hampshire have tested positive for the virus, and 34 have died.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

Facility outbreaks: Residents of long-term care facilities make up nearly half of the state’s deaths caused by the virus. Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette announced three additional outbreaks Thursday.

At the Institute for Professional Practice in Concord, one client died, and a second client tested positive for the virus. Six staffers at the facility, which serves individuals with autism, also tested positive, Shibinette said.

The other outbreaks were at assisted living facilities in Salem and Dover. Twenty-one residents and four staffers have tested positive at the Residence at Salem Woods, and five residents and five staffers at Bellamy Fields have tested positive.

Stakeholders speak up: The impact of the coronavirus in housing, transportation, agriculture and more will be explored by a new subcommittee of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery.

A stakeholder advisory board met by phone Thursday to begin discussing recommendations on relief efforts across New Hampshire’s communities and private industries. The group’s initial members include those representing farms, hospitals, community action programs, ski areas and other industries.

Jim Jalbert, of C&J Trailways, said the group should look into funding to increase testing for the virus and other efforts that might ease public concerns once the stay-at-home order is lifted and businesses start to reopen.

“If we don’t figure out how to test people and how to give the citizens of New Hampshire some measure of reassurance that it’s OK to go back out into the marketplace, we will be throwing money at this forever,” he said.

Meanwhile, a hearing is scheduled Monday in a lawsuit filed by Democratic lawmakers who insist the Legislature’s fiscal committee must approve how the state spends $1.25 billion in federal aid.

Vermont

The Vermont State College system may need to take drastic steps including closing campuses because of the coronavirus outbreak, Chancellor Jeb Spaulding told lawmakers this week.

The system was already projecting a $4 million deficit before the outbreak hit and now is having to refund room and board fees to students studying at home and provide paid leave to employees, Spaulding told the Senate Education Committee on a conference call, Vermont Public Radio reported. Enrollment is expected to drop in the fall.

“We are looking at a reconfiguration,” Spaulding said. “How do we get smaller? Do we get smaller everywhere? Or do we reconfigure campuses? Or consolidate campuses? Those things are on the table. We will need to make a decision pretty soon about which direction we’re going to go.”

He said he wanted to protect the Community College of Vermont and pointed out that Vermont Technical College provides “in-demand and high-need programs.”

He asked Gov. Phil Scott to give some of the state’s federal stimulus money for education to the state college system and asked senators whether higher education could get some of the $1.25 billion in federal stimulus funds coming to Vermont, he said.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

Health insurance regulations: Commercial health insurance providers cannot charge COVID-19 patients copayments, deductibles or other fees, the state of Vermont said.

The emergency regulation announced Wednesday and promulgated by the Department of Financial Regulation is retroactive to March 13, the day Gov. Phil Scott declared an emergency to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During this unprecedented emergency, Vermonters deserve access to the care they need to stay safe and healthy,” Scott said in a news release. “As we work to expand testing to more Vermonters with symptoms of COVID-19, it is critical that our efforts to help control the spread of the virus are not affected by insurance costs.”

Prisons: The Vermont Department of Corrections says none of the 32 COVID-19 positive inmates who were moved to the St. Johnsbury prison from the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans are showing any symptoms of the disease. One COVID-19 positive inmate remains at Northwest in a negative pressure room with its own air supply. A small number of tests are outstanding.

Two inmates were released to a COVID-19 rehabilitation center with medical plans, said interim Corrections Commissioner Jim Baker.

The department is developing plans to return inmates who have recovered from COVID-19 to their original facility, Baker said during a call-in briefing with reporters.

“It’s not pleasant for them being in quarantine like they are, locked into a section where there is a very little movement,” Baker said.

The department has created an online portal for relatives and friends of inmates to ask the department questions and get answers quickly amid the outbreak and afterward, the department said Thursday.

Questions can be submitted to the department on the family and friends page of its website.

“In this high-stress time, it’s more important than ever for the Department to quickly and compassionately address the many concerns people have about the safety of their loved ones,” Baker said in a written statement prior to the press briefing.

Airport grants: Vermont’s congressional delegation says Vermont’s 10 airports will share more than $9 million in grants to support them during the COVID-19 outbreak.

U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, and Bernie Sanders, an independent, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Peter Welch say the flight cancellations caused by COVID-19 are having a severe impact on the state’s airports.

The bulk of the money, $8.7 million, will go to the Burlington International Airport in South Burlington. Other grants range from $20,000 to $69,000 and will help the airports to meet operating expenses, continue current construction projects and fulfill ongoing needs.

The numbers: The Vermont Health Department reported Thursday that nearly 770 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the state. There have been 35 deaths as of Thursday, an increase of five from the day before.

Maine

Gov. Janet Mills took several actions Thursday aimed at limiting evictions during the conoravirus pandemic that has roiled the economy and left tens of thousands of Mainers jobless.

An executive order signed, combined with a previous order by the court system, will prevent the immediate eviction of tenants except those who engage in dangerous conduct, she said.

In partnership with MaineHousing, Mills also announced a $5 million relief program for Mainers who cannot pay their rent. The rent relief program allows households that meet certain criteria to receive a one-time payment of $500 paid directly to a landlord, she said.

“It is my hope that these actions that we’ve taken today will provide some sense of relief, both financially and emotionally, to Maine people struggling to make ends meet. These actions will also help mitigate the spread of the virus by allowing Maine people to stay healthy at home,” she said.

In addition, Mills said she sent letters to financial institutions urging them to pause foreclosure proceedings and urged them not to initiate other residential and commercial foreclosures during the pandemic.

Senate President Troy Jackson praised the governor’s actions. “Making sure that Mainers are able to stay safe in their homes is key to stopping the spread of this virus and saving lives,” he said.

Unemployment: Unemployment claims dropped to over 13,400 last week in Maine, roughly half the number from the week before, state officials said.

About 89,500 Mainers have filed for unemployment benefits since the week ending March 15, more than double initial claims for all of 2019, according to the Maine Department of Labor.

The coronavirus has caused significant economic hardship for Maine people and job losses across the state.

All told, about 13% of Maine workers have claimed benefits in the past month. State officials anticipate another spike when Maine’s unemployment office expands eligibility to include contractors and the self-employed.

The numbers: Three more people died from COVID-19, bringing the total to 27, and the number of people who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus approached 800, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control.

The increase comes as the state deals with outbreaks at long-term care facilities in Augusta, Scarborough, Belfast, Falmouth and Portland.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with other health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

Prescription warning: Two licensing boards that govern Maine doctors are warning that prescribing drugs touted by President Donald Trump for themselves or for family members is considered “unprofessional conduct.”

The boards also warned that the combination of one of two malaria drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, along with the antibiotic azithromycin, should not be prescribed as a preventative measure.

For weeks, Trump and others have touted the benefits of the drugs to treat symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. There have been anecdotal reports that the drugs are helpful, but there are also serious side effects, officials say.

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