By Holly Ramer
Associated Press
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic throughout New England
New Hampshire
The New Hampshire House responded to the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday with bills targeting everything from employment and elections to housing and health care.
One of the five bills sent to Gov. Chris Sununu would permanently implement changes made to the state’s unemployment system during the state of emergency and would allow workers to take unpaid time off for virus-related reasons. It also would require paid leave for virus testing and state-provided personal protective equipment for small businesses.
“This is a bill about getting people back to work, but back to work in safe conditions,” said House Majority Leader Rep. Doug Ley, D-Jaffrey.
The House also passed a bill to streamline the absentee voting process amid concerns about the coronavirus. Based on the recommendations of a recent task force, the bill would create a new box to check that specifies the virus as the reason for not voting in person. It also would allow voters to use one application to receive absentee ballots for both the Sept. 8 state primary and Nov. 3 general election.
“Voters should not be forced to risk their physical health to participate in the most fundamental right of a U.S. citizen, the right to vote,” Ley said.
Opponents argued that the bill would violate the state constitution, which allows absentee ballots only for those who are absent from their home towns or cities on Election Day or who can’t vote in person “by reason of physical disability.”
“Getting scared because you may catch COVID-19 does not constitute a disability,” said Rep. Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry.
Another bill would spent $25 million of the state’s federal virus relief aid on nursing homes and would mandate an independent review of such facilities. The House also passed bills aimed at helping homeowners and renters once emergency moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures are lifted and one that would permanently allow all health care providers to offer services remotely and require insurers to cover them. Such provisions have been allowed on a temporary basis during the pandemic.
Sununu said he supports the absentee ballot and telehealth bills but has concerns about the others because those areas already are being addressed.
The numbers: As of Tuesday, 5,782 people in New Hampshire had tested positive for the virus, an increase of 22 from the previous day. Four new deaths were announced, bringing the total to 371.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness and can lead to death.
Housing and utility help: Families and individuals struggling with housing and utility costs during the coronavirus pandemic will get additional state help after emergency protections expire, Sununu said Tuesday.
A moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expires Wednesday, and a similar prohibition on cutting off utilities such as electricity and heat ends July 15. But the state will use $35 million of its federal coronavirus relief funding to provide grants for those who are having trouble paying their mortgage or rent, or need help with past-due utility bills, Sununu said.
“We want to provide an off-ramp to those who need it,” he said.
The relief fund will be administered through community action program offices around the state.
Budget hole: New Hampshire looks to be facing a revenue shortfall of nearly $540 million, Sununu said.
While officials hope Congress will provide some relief later this summer, Sununu called the shortfall severe. Department heads have been instructed to eliminate discretionary spending and put capital projects on hold. Increasing taxes is not an option, he said.
“This is a big hill to climb, but it’s something we can absolutely manage,” he said.
Vermont
The head of the Vermont Senate is calling on the Agency of Education to create a task force to study the best ways to re-open in-person schools this fall.
Vermont schools closed in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterward all instruction was done remotely.
In a Monday statement, Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe said he’s worried that any further delay in developing reopening plans will make it more difficult for local school leaders and increase the anxiety levels of students and families.
“Working parents have struggled to take on the partial role of educating their kids, all while doing their normal jobs,” said Ashe, a Democrat and Progressive.
Rebecca Kelley, a spokeswoman for Gov. Phil Scott, said state education officials are already studying the issue.
“This group continues to meet weekly on how to implement the guidance this fall so we can safely reopen schools for in-person instruction,” she told the Rutland Herald. “While it may not be called a ‘task force,’ it’s a broadly representative group, which is tackling the different tasks associated with the planning for school reopening this fall.”
The numbers: The Vermont Health Department reported no new cases Tuesday of the virus that causes COVID-19, keeping the total just below 1,210. No additional deaths have been reported, keeping the total at 56.
Currently there are two people hospitalized in Vermont with COVID-19 and 14 people who are hospitalized under investigation for the disease.
Maine
The University of Maine System entered into partnerships with the nonprofit biomedical research institution The Jackson Laboratory and ConvenientMD to provide comprehensive coronavirus testing.
Under the agreement, ConvenientMD will establish testing sites on each campus, and samples will be tested by The Jackson Laboratory, Chancellor Dannel Malloy and University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy announced Tuesday.
The laboratory at Jackson Lab focused on complex tumor profiling assays to help cancer patients and their clinicians learn but has adapted during the pandemic to handle testing for COVID-19.
While a vaccine may be months away, the university system can take scientifically proven steps to protect campus communities, said UMaine professor Melissa Maginnis, a virologist who leads the UMS Scientific Advisory Board.
“Proactively identifying infected, asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus and isolating them while they are contagious is an important part of our university community health strategy,” she said.
Maine has had more than 3,200 cases of the virus.
Bates College: Bates College announced Tuesday that students will be returning in the fall for classes.
President Clayton Spencer said the college will open for students in early September and will send them home before Thanksgiving. They’ll take finals remotely, then return in January.
The fall semester will be divided into two mini-semesters to limit disruptions if the virus causes another closure. Students who cannot return to the campus in Lewiston will have an opportunity to take classes remotely.
“We have adapted our academic calendar, our daily schedules, our teaching strategies, and every aspect of our operations to reduce the potential for spreading infection,” she wrote.
Masks in jail: All inmates and staff at the Cumberland County Jail will wear masks until further notice because an inmate tested positive for the coronavirus.
The inmate, who was jailed Saturday, was taken to a medical unit and tested because of possible exposure to the virus. The positive test result was returned Monday night, officials said.
The inmate was being housed in a negative-pressure jail cell that’s intended to protect others, and was expected to be released Tuesday, said Chief Deputy Naldo Gagnon. The inmate was arrested by Westbrook police for criminal threatening and disorderly conduct, he said.
It’s the latest coronavirus case involving a detention center.
Prisoners and staff were tested at the Maine Correctional Center after an inmate tested positive, and the same is happening at Long Creek Youth Development center in response to a confirmed case.
National defense: Independent Sen. Angus King said the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act represents a chance to combat coronavirus. The legislation would offer hazardous duty pay for service members who perform duties during the pandemic, he said. The legislation also authorizes $44 million for vaccine research.
King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted Monday to move the authorization act to Senate debate.
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