By Kathy Mccormack
Associated Press
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic throughout New England:
New Hampshire
A group of New Hampshire notables has recorded public service announcements to get the word out to residents that they can vote absentee in the state primary and general election during the coronavirus pandemic.
Filmmaker Ken Burns, comedian Seth Meyers, and Granite State Challenge host Jon Cannon put out messages. In another, Republican Judd Gregg, a former U.S. senator and governor, and Democrat John Lynch, another former governor, team up to encourage people to vote.
“I am acutely aware of the benefits of coming from a state with high voter turnout, as I was elected treasurer of Manchester West High class of ‘92, a job I conducted with such brazen incompetence that our faculty adviser suggested — or rather insisted — I go into comedy,” Meyers said in his message.
The “NH Votes Safe” announcements emphasize that residents can visit the secretary of state office website at sos.nh.gov to learn about getting an absentee ballot or register by mail. They also can visit their town or city clerk website. The messages note that residents who still plan to vote at the polls must wear masks and expect changes for social distancing and safety.
COVID cards for schools: The New Hampshire Department of Education has published infographic cards showing five steps school and public health officials will take in the event of a positive COVID-19 test.
They are case interview; identification of close contacts; isolation for people with COVID-19; quarantine of close contacts; and return to school.
The department is providing copies of the card to all schools, and through social media and on its website.
Non-sanctioned hockey: New Hampshire is investigating after the New York State Amateur Hockey Association posted a letter online saying some of its players tested positive for COVID-19 after playing in non-sanctioned tournaments.
The letter dated Tuesday from the board of directors said the players who tested positive played in Exeter, New Hampshire, and in Connecticut.
Gov. Chris Sununu told WMUR that public health officials are conducting contact investigations.
“Any breach of public health guidance that puts individuals at risk will not be tolerated. End of story,” Sununu said.
Propane-fueled buses: The city of Manchester, New Hampshire, is replacing older school buses with 14 propane-fueled ones to help improve air quality.
The city has a total of 81 school buses. Officials say tests show the propane buses can cut emissions from diesel buses by 96%, New Hampshire Public Radio reported.
Manchester Transit Authority Executive Director Mike Whitten said the city paid for the buses with more than $1.5 million from the state’s cut of a Volkswagen emission tampering settlement. He said that pool of money still has about $9 million available for electric school bus projects.
Jessica Wilcox of the Department of Environmental Services said recently that no one applied to use that money in the first round of grants.
“We’ve got time now to be looking at how to put something together to move New Hampshire forward in this capacity,” Wilcox said. “Certainly with COVID-19 being a respiratory pandemic here in our nation, now is the best time to be looking at zero-emissions options for New Hampshire.”
The numbers: As of Thursday, 6,921 people had tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, an increase of 34 from the previous day. There were two new deaths, for a total of 422. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire decreased over the past two weeks from 34 cases per day on July 29 to 28 per day on Aug. 12.
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.
Vermont
Gov. Phil Scott on Friday extended Vermont’s State of Emergency during the coronavirus pandemic for another month, allowing cities and towns with colleges the ability to lower the limits on gatherings and hours to sell alcohol.
Scott said at a news conference those actions mean “they could set a curfew for bars and clubs.”
“Looking at case growth in other states, and hearing from other governors about what they saw, it appears uncontrolled parties and crowds at bars and clubs are a big part of the problem,” Scott added. “So, I believe giving our towns, especially the college towns, some additional mitigation measures to work with is the right thing to do.”
Scott said as of Friday, Vermont has the lowest number of COVID-19 cases per capita in the country. It also has the lowest total case count in the U.S.
A slight increase is expected in the next few weeks as college students return to the state.
Health Commissioner Mark Levin said testing has already begun for students “at entry,” with many hundreds of results so far.
A few students have tested positive for the virus. He said at least one positive result came back before the student left their home state, delaying their intended arrival. He said “there are thousands more tests” to be done at home.
“The combined early testing and quarantine protocols that the colleges have all put into place will enable them to protect the health and safety of students, staff and community as the fall semester gets underway,” he said.
Winooski virus outbreak over: The Vermont Health Department says an outbreak of COVID-19 that began in the city of Winooski is over.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said Wednesday the outbreak is considered over because 28 days have passed since any new infections connected to it have been reported.
“Now keep in mind this isn’t really a celebration,” Levine said during an online briefing with local officials. “The pandemic is far from over.”
The outbreak was first identified in June, primarily in the immigrant community in the densely packed city of Winooski.
The outbreak included 117 infections — 77 in Winooski, 22 in Burlington and 18 in other towns in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. Two people were hospitalized, but there were no deaths.
Statistics showed that 65% of the cases were among adults and 35% were among children. The health department says 60% of the people who tested positive didn’t report symptoms.
To help confront the outbreak, between June 8 and the end of July, the Vermont Health Department conducted about 10,000 tests at pop-up sites in Burlington and Winooski.
Free masks: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott says the state is going to be distributing 300,000 free cloth face coverings this month to the public, emergency responders and selected agencies.
On Aug. 1 it became mandatory for people in Vermont to wear face coverings in public.
Vermonters may access the masks through their towns.
The State Emergency Operations Center procured the masks from those donated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
A list of distributors is on the website of Vermont Emergency Management.
The numbers: The Vermont Health Department reported six new cases across the state Thursday of the virus that causes COVID-19. Three of the new cases were in Chittenden County and in each in Rutland, Bennington and Orange counties.
Two people are hospitalized.
The number of deaths remains at 58.
Maine
Maine has spent more than $33 million on masks, gowns and other supplies meant to keep health care workers safe during the pandemic.
With funds provided through federal coronavirus relief legislation, Maine has been working to acquire everything from disposable gloves. to jugs of hand sanitizer, to the custom-fitting respirator masks, the Bangor Daily News reported.
The personal protective equipment has been distributed to health care providers, nursing homes, schools, state employees and other groups.
The pandemic has caused wild price swings with per-unit prices ranging from 35 cents to $6.29 for N-95 respirator masks. All told, the state ordered more than a million of them between March and July, the newspaper reported.
The $33.8 million figure from Maine’s Department of Administrative and Financial Services doesn’t include personal protective equipment the state received from the federal stockpile or independent purchases by the state’s health care organizations.
The largest portion of Maine’s PPE funding — $20.7 million — has gone to protective clothing such as gowns and isolation suits, according to state procurement data.
Green light: The Maine Department of Education continues to give a green light to school reopenings this fall in all 16 counties, officials said Friday.
The state is using a three-tiered system for recommendations about how schools should function as they reopen. The state is rating each county as “green,” “yellow” or “red.” The “green” rating, unchanged from the first ranking two weeks ago, signifies low risk and means in-person instruction is appropriate.
The Mills administration said the health advisory system that categorizes the schools by color is based on data such as case rates and positivity rates.
Regardless of the rating, schools are still on the hook for meeting protocols for ensuring the safety of students, faculty and staff when schools begin reopening around Labor Day.
The numbers: More than two dozen Mainers tested positive for the coronavirus but there were no new deaths, the Maine Center for Disease Control reported Friday.
The number of deaths remained unchanged at 126 while the number of people who’ve tested positive has topped 4,100.
The true number of cases is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
For most people, the 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 and death.
Out-of-state travel: The University of Maine System is proposing travel restrictions to limit exposure to the coronavirus by students and faculty.
UMS says it’s discouraging personal travel by students, staff or faculty outside of Maine during the fall semester and will require a quarantine or test upon return, unless the state is exempted from the requirement.
The academic calendar eliminates the traditional fall and spring breaks to discourage out-of-state travel.
“College and campus life will have to be different this year because COVID is still in charge, but with our screening strategies and sensible travel and schedule accommodations we can better protect one another and our Maine communities,” UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy said in a statement.
Survey says: Most Maine teachers intend to return to classrooms this fall, but they’re concerned about their health during the pandemic. They also don’t have much faith in their students following safety protocols.
The survey provided by the Maine Department of Education to families, educators, support staff and school leaders last month indicates both teachers and parents share concerns about how well students will adhere to safety requirements necessary for schools to reopen.
Only 35% of parents said they believe students will be able to avoid physical contact and maintain social distancing, and only 38% said they believe students will wear masks, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Among educators, only 14% agreed or strongly agreed that students would be able to avoid physical contact and only 22% agreed or strongly agreed with the ability of students to wear masks, it said.
More than 45,000 people responded to the surveys, including 32,426 families, 9,733 teachers, 1,155 school or district leaders, and 1,823 school support staff. There are about 182,500 pre-K-12 students in Maine and about 50,100 people work in public schools.
Student athletes: Two students who participated in Foxcroft Academy’s preseason athletic workouts tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.
The coronavirus case count grew from four to six between Tuesday and Wednesday in Picataquis County, which has the lowest infection rate in the state, according to state statistics.
Administrators at the Dover-Foxcroft school called off the preseason workouts on Tuesday.
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