By Lisa Rathke And Holly Ramer
Associated Press
In New Hampshire, any person 16 years of age or older can register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at vaccines.nh.gov or by telephone at 2-1-1. In Vermont, any person 16 years of age can register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at healthvermont.gov or by telephone at (855) 722-7878.
Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic throughout New England:
New HampshireNew Hampshire’s statewide mask mandate has been lifted, but local ordinances requiring the use of face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus remain in place in several communities.
Nashua was the first city to enact an ordinance requiring masks in May. The rules remain in place while the city’s board of health develops criteria for removing them, according to the city’s website.
Similar ordinances were enacted in Concord, Portsmouth, Keene and Durham. Concord’s ordinance is set to expire June 1, Durham’s expires June 5 and Portsmouth’s on June 30, though they could be renewed.
Dartmouth vaccination: Dartmouth College students will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the fall term, according to campus officials.
Currently, New Hampshire resident age 16 and older are eligible for the vaccine. The state will lift the residency requirement on Monday, making college students from other states eligible.
At this point, the college is not requiring employees to be vaccinated, but it is “strongly encouraging” it, Helble said.
The numbers: Nearly 91,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, including 423 cases announced Friday. Two new deaths were announced, bringing the total to 1,266.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has risen over the past two weeks from 357 on March 31 to 441 on Wednesday.
VermontThe Vermont court system plans to use nearly $13.6 million in federal money to ease a significant backlog of cases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Court Administrator Patricia Gabel said eliminating the backlog of cases, particularly jury trials, requires an investment in personnel and technology.
She presented the judiciary’s recovery plan to the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Select courthouses have been identified to start holding trials, but no trials have been scheduled yet. Gabel’s plan calls for using the money from the American Rescue Plan Act over three-and-a-half-years.
The numbers: Vermont reported 141 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, for a statewide total since the pandemic began of more than 21,800. Two new deaths were announced, bringing the total to 242.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 186.86 on March 31 to 142.14 on April 14.
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