NH to replace federal unemployment boost with work incentive

By Holly Ramer And Lisa Rathke
Associated Press
All U.S. adults are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. To register for a vaccine appointment in New Hampshire, please visit vaccines.nh.gov or call 2-1-1. To register for a vaccine appointment in Vermont, please visit healthvermont.gov or call (855) 722-7878.

Here are the latest developments regarding the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic throughout New England:

New HampshireNew Hampshire will end its participation in all pandemic-related federal unemployment compensation programs next month but will offer “summer stipends” totaling $10 million to encourage people to find jobs, Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday.

About 35,000 people are currently collecting unemployment benefits, all of whom are getting $300 per week supplemental payments either from the state or a federal program created during the pandemic. Those extra payments will end June 19 now that the unemployment rate has dropped and given the abundance of available jobs, Sununu said.

The state was among the first to expand eligibility for unemployment benefits when the pandemic first struck. Between March and April 2020, its unemployment rate jumped from 2.7% to over 16% but as of this month, was back down to 2.8%.

“We’re very proud of that, we have a very robust economy and a lot of workforce opportunity, and wages are far and away higher than anything we’ve ever seen,” Sununu said. “There are tens of thousands of jobs — high paying jobs — and they’re available today.”

Starting Tuesday, unemployed workers who find full-time jobs will get $1,000 bonuses after completing eight weeks of work, and part-time workers will get $500 until the $10 million fund is depleted. The stipends will be available for those earning $25 or less per hour.

Connecticut is offering a similar incentive, though it is maintaining the $300 supplemental payments for those who remain on employment.

Mask guidance: New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services isn’t completely on board with the latest federal mask guidelines.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that fully vaccinated people can skip face coverings and social distancing in virtually all situations, except crowded indoor locations such as airplanes, buses, hospitals and prisons.

Sununu lifted New Hampshire’s statewide mask mandate last month, though requirements remain in place in some communities and within individual businesses. And the latest state guidelines issued Tuesday continue to recommend mask use and social distancing indoors regardless of vaccination status unless gathering in small groups of fully vaccinated people.

“Frankly the CDC guidance was difficult, if not impossible, for businesses and organizations to figure out how to implement,” said Dr. Benjamin Chan.

“The CDC guidance is looking at the perspective of individual risk,” he said. “We have to take the population health perspective and taken into account our local context and local situation, what it means with our level of vaccination and our level of COVID19 in the community, to pull back on some of these restrictions.”

Substance use treatment: New Hampshire is getting nearly $10.7 million in federal grants through the American Rescue Plan to support efforts to combat substance use disorder and increase access to mental health services, the state’s congressional delegation said Tuesday.

The funding comes in addition to $16.3 million provided in the emergency COVID-19 relief package that was signed into law in December for substance use disorder treatment and mental health care.

The funds are coming from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The pandemic has placed an enormous strain on Granite Staters and underscored the urgent need to provide support for those grappling with mental health challenges and substance use disorders,” U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan said in a statement.

The numbers: More than 97,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, including 139 cases announced Tuesday. One new death was announced, bringing the total to 1,334.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has decreased over the past two weeks, going from 240 new cases per day on May 2 to 139 new cases per day on Sunday.

VermontVermont’s high vaccination rate, which leads the country in a number of metrics, continues to result in a decline in COVID-19 cases, hospitalization rates and deaths with the state’s seven-day average of cases plummeting 75% since April 1, a state official said Tuesday.

“Because of our vaccination rate and other factors, no state in the country is in a better and safer position than Vermont in beginning transitioning back to normal,” Gov. Phil Scott said during his bi-weekly virus briefing. “In fact, if Vermont was its own country, we’d have one of the highest vaccination rates in the entire world.”

Vermont leads the country in the percentage of people who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the number of vaccines administered per 100,000 people, and the percentage of people ages 65 and older who started or completed vaccinations, said Mike Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, who has been following the COVID-19 trends for Vermont. While the rate of new Vermonters starting vaccination fell this week, the state continues to have the highest rate in the country of people starting the vaccination process, he said.

“Our communities are getting safer by the day,” Pieciak said.

Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said while the work is not over it’s time to celebrate how far the state has come. But he and other officials urged Vermonters who have not gotten vaccinated to get the shots and said there will be numerous opportunities throughout the state, which will take walk-ins. Starting Thursday, Vermont will open up vaccines to out-of-staters.

Scott declared this week as EMS week and asked Vermonters to show their appreciation for emergency medical service workers by getting vaccinated. More than 30 walk-in EMS-led vaccination clinics are planned around Vermont this coming weekend, providing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to anyone at least 18 years old, according to the Health Department.

Conditions also continue to improve in the Northeast with a decrease in the number of cases, hospitalization rates and deaths. COVID-19 cases in the region have dropped by 70% over the last five weeks and the Northeast is leading the country in the uptake of the vaccine, Pieciak said.

Scott said he knows many people are still adjusting to his announcement on Friday that Vermont will comply with new federal guidance and eliminate the mask mandate for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The state has allowed municipalities and businesses to continue to have their own masking policies.

“I want to remind everyone, it’s OK. Just like it took some time to get used to wearing masks after asking Vermonters to do so over a year ago it’s natural that for some the adjustment back to normal won’t happen overnight,” he said. “But just remember the science-based CDC guidance was issued for the entire country.”

The city council in Vermont’s largest city on Monday decided not to remove Burlington’s mask mandate for fully vaccinated people. The council is expected to revisit the topic in early June, WCAX-TV reported.

The numbers: Vermont reported 34 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, for a statewide total since the pandemic began of more than 23,900.

A total of nine people were hospitalized with one in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 77.29 new cases a day on May 2 to 53.00 new cases a day on Sunday.