New Hampshire expands testing; some Vermont trades resume work with limits

By Holly Ramer, Lisa Rathke and Patrick Whittle
Associated Press
A look at developments around New England related to the coronavirus pandemic:

New Hampshire

New Hampshire has set a new goal of testing 1,500 people a day for the coronavirus, and a task force studying how to reopen the economy is expected to start making recommendations by the end of the week.

More testing: New Hampshire is expanding its coronavirus testing eligibility and capabilities in hopes of reaching 1,500 people per day in coming weeks, state officials said Monday.

A program to test long-term care facility workers in two counties is expanding statewide, said Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette. And for the general public, new testing sites are being set up in Claremont, Lancaster, Plymouth, Tamworth and Rochester.

While a doctor’s referral will still be necessary, health care providers now are being advised to recommend testing for anyone with even slight symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, Shibinette said.

The numbers: As of Monday, 1,938 people in New Hampshire had tested positive for the virus and 60 had 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.

Among 2,000 nursing home workers tested so far, fewer than 50 tested positive, Shibinette said.

Task force: A task force on the reopening of New Hampshire’s economy will begin making recommendations by the end of the week, Gov. Chris Sununu said Monday.

“We won’t have every answer, don’t get me wrong, but I think we’ll have a couple of first steps, the low hanging fruit, where the guidance is most easily implemented,” he said.

On Monday, the group heard from Phil Bryce, director of the state Division of Parks and Recreation. He outlined goals for resuming operations, including requiring reservations to enter parks, halving the number of state campsites and opening beaches for “transitory use only.”

“No sitting on the beach. You can walk on the beach, you can run on the beach, you can even swim,” he said. “We’ll have lifeguards there, you just can’t hang out on the beach.”

Sununu has said public health will be paramount in making decisions about reopening businesses. He’s particularly concerned about exposing New Hampshire’s restaurants and tourism destinations to traffic from southern New England, where the outbreak has been exponentially larger.

“Even though those facilities might be 150 miles north of the border, the vast majority of people that would use those would be from Massachusetts, and Connecticut and Rhode Island and New York and New Jersey. That is traditionally 60% of their business and would probably be much higher given the dynamics of this crisis,” he said.

“To open those facilities even though they’re well off the border is enticing folks to come across the border and potentially create another COVID surge here.”

Mental health and disabilities: Lawmakers studying how New Hampshire will spend its $1.25 billion in coronavirus relief aid heard Monday from community mental health centers, home health agencies and an organization that serves seniors and people with disabilities.

The state’s 10 community mental health centers are on track to lose $18 million in revenue over six months, while facing $6.3 million in additional costs because of the pandemic, said Roland Lamy, director of the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association.

Jay Couture, director of the Seacoast Mental Health Center, said staff have been responding to increased demand in services from children and adolescents, older adults struggling with being isolated and frontline health care workers.

Providing protective equipment to staff has been challenging, said Gina Balkas, president of the Home Care, Hospice & Palliative Care Alliance of New Hampshire.

“We just have no way of knowing when a nurse or therapist enters a home, what the situation is there,” she said.

Surf’s up: Rye police are advising surfers to catch a wave elsewhere or face the prospective of a fine.

Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh said his officers are weary of chasing off surfers in groups as large as 10 who are ignoring beach closures.

Many are parking in church lots and on private property, so Walsh is seeking permission from these property owners to ticket and tow the vehicles. Police may also start issuing tickets to surfers for trespassing on the beach.

“Most certainly if they are in the water, it gives the impression that the beaches are open. People are going to come and ignore the closed signs,” Walsh said, adding that surfers are arguing the ocean is not part of the beach. “It’s a selfish thing. … They are not supporting the community.”

Vermont

A limited number of Vermonters are returning to work this week and must abide by safety measures after Republican Gov. Phil Scott eased some of the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, but he warned Monday that things are not back to normal and the stay-home order remains in effect.

The number of workers in construction and similar trades who may work at the same job site was expanded from two to five, as long as the workers stay at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart and wear face coverings. He also announced last week that manufacturing and distribution operations may resume operations with up to five workers.

Outdoor retail space that has been previously restricted to curbside or delivery service can now allow shoppers at the business with a maximum of 10 people, which includes both customers and employees.

“If we want more businesses to open back up and start to enjoy the things that we haven’t been able to do for a while we must stay vigilant,” he said, thanking Vermonters for their effort and sacrifice. “This unfortunately means staying home as much as possible. Restarting some businesses doesn’t mean things are back to normal.”

The state has created mandatory health and safety training for returning workers related to the virus. All operating businesses, nonprofits and government entities must complete and document the training by May 4.

Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said as states around the country and world take different approaches to reopening, ranging from “cautious to fairly reckless,” Vermont is looking to four criteria before reopening. Levine said the measures are: a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days; a health care system that can treat all patients without exceeding its capacity or resorting to crisis standards of care; the ability to test all people who have symptoms; and the ability to conduct monitoring of confirmed cases and their contacts.

Both social distancing and facial coverings are here to stay for a while, Levine said. He added that he prefers the term “physical distancing” to encourage people to stay socially connected.

Potential price gouging: A Vermont man accused selling surgical mask at inflated prices during the coronavirus pandemic has been barred from selling personal protective equipment.

A judge granted a preliminary injunction against Big Brother Security Program and its owner, Shelly Palmer, of Williston, on Monday.

“Selling crucial personal protective equipment (PPE) desperately needed to save lives during a health emergency at a 2400% markup is a unconscionable act in violation of public policy,” wrote Chittenden County Superior Court Judge Helen Toor.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan had accused Palmer of importing thousands of masks from China for 10 cents a piece and reselling them to Central Vermont Medical Center for $2.50 per mask. Palmer has said he did nothing wrong, disputed the price he paid for them and said he had other costs associated with the masks, including packaging. His lawyer on Monday did not want to comment on the injunction.

The numbers: The Vermont Department of Health reported a total of 855 coronavirus cases and 47 deaths as of Monday.

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 people with underlying health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

Food assistance: The Vermont National Guard will be distributing prepared meals to people in need at three sites around Vermont this week. The food distribution takes place Wednesday in North Springfield at the Hartness State Airport; Thursday in Bennington at the William H. Morse State Airport; and Friday in Newport at the Northeast Kingdom International Airport.

Guard members were at the Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport on Friday to distribute more than 140,000 meals ready-to-eat, mynbc5 reported. The Vermont Foodbank reports a significant increase in the amount of people in need of food assistance since the pandemic started.

Maine

Maine’s stay-at-home order will likely be extended, the state’s governor said Monday before imploring residents to continue to respect the order, which she said has been effective.

Maine, like New Hampshire and Vermont, has had far fewer cases of coronavirus than southern New England states. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, issued a stay-at-home order on March 31, and it is due to expire on Thursday.

Mills said the state is moving toward a phased-in reopening of its economy, but it’s likely still too soon.

“I know that for so many of you, these last few weeks have been extraordinarily tough,” Mills said. “Our efforts to beat this efforts are working, so hold on.”

Mills said she would issue a decision, and more details about a reopening plan, on Tuesday. She said priority for reopening would be given to businesses that can take steps to minimize spread of the virus.

Budget crisis: Mills also said Monday she asked two key advisory committees on economic forecasting and state revenues to meet earlier than normal as her administration plans for what’s expected to be a major budget crisis.

Many essential services funded by state government, from highways to schools to health care, face funding gaps because the coronavirus pandemic has left businesses closed and tens of thousands of Mainers out of work.

The Consensus Economic Forecasting Committee will be asked to meet in July, while the Legislature’s Revenue Forecasting Committee will meet in August. Both meetings are three months ahead of the normal schedule.

Mills said she instructed all state departments to freeze non-emergency spending and hiring. She also renewed a call for the federal government to provide flexibility for states to use federal funding for revenue shortfalls.

“There is no question that the virus is impacting the state revenues; the real question ultimately is by how much?” she said.

The governor and Maine’s congressional delegation have said states will need help from the federal government to shore up finances.

Another death: The Maine CDC said the state recorded eight new cases of coronavirus and another death. There have now been more than 1,000 confirmed cases and 51 deaths in the state.

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

State CDC reopens: The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s headquarters was reopened Monday after a coronavirus exposure briefly shuttered the office of the agency responsible for leading the state response to the pandemic.

The Maine CDC building was closed over the weekend for cleaning and disinfecting after officials learned that an outside vendor with the virus had entered the building.

The building closure didn’t impact coronavirus testing or distribution of personal protective equipment, which takes place in other facilities, a spokeswoman said. Epidemiological investigation of confirmed cases continued through the closure.