New Hampshire’s statewide primaries aren’t until September, but officials have a message for voters: If the virus persists, absentee ballots will be available to all.
The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office and the Department of Justice announced Friday that all voters will be allowed to submit an absentee ballot to maintain social distancing in future elections.
“It is reasonable to anticipate that voters may feel apprehension about voting in person in the September 2020 Primary and November 2020 General Elections,” a detailed memorandum said. “Voters should not have to choose between their health and exercising their constitutional right to vote.”
That change can happen without any changes to the law, officials say.
Presently, a voter can vote absentee if they know they will be physically absent from their town, will have work obligations, are caring for children or infirm adults, have a religious commitment, or have a disability.
That latter category has been expanded to include those who are quarantined or self quarantined due to COVID-19, or anymore who is following “general medical advice issued to the public by health officials” to stay away from public places, the memo states.
Voters would make their ballot with “I am unable to vote due to a disability” in that case.
The guidance was distributed to town and municipal election officials in a letter Friday.
A number of New Hampshire towns postponed their voting for town officials last month, but it is up to towns to decide when to reschedule.
State officials announced one additional death as a result of COVID-19 from Hanover Hill Health Care in Manchester. So far, 22 people have died from the disease.
In addition, New Hampshire had 66 confirmed cases of the disease, bringing the total to 885 positive cases out of 9,608 tests.
The new cases reflect the results of a batch reporting process from the Massachusetts health lab, one of several labs in which New Hampshire processes its tests. That lab sends results on a weekly basis, accounting for 10 of the 66 new cases reported, officials said.
In his 28th executive order of the crisis – Gov. Chris Sununu directed state and local officials to direct their attention to the homeless.
The state should “identify an isolation site for COVID-19 positive individuals or those who have symptoms and who are experiencing homelessness,” the order says.
It does not specify the requirements for that space, or its potential location. But it contains an added directive for officials to partner with local communities to help shelters lower their populations and impose better social distancing, without details.
The order also calls for temporary housing for medical personnel and first responders worried about returning to their homes and infecting family members.
More than 250 child care programs have been designated “emergency providers” during the COVID-19 crisis – a sweeping majority of the 262 programs statewide, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday.
Those that get that designation can tap into $5 million in funding provided by the New Hampshire Child Care Collaborative. The goal is to keep child care centers’ doors opens to help frontline workers in New Hampshire, officials said.
To become an emergency provider, child care facilities must be a certain proximity to hospitals and surge centers, must keep certain hours, must prioritize a certain number of slots to children of essential workers, and must pay staff.
The funding – part of a collaborative from Department of Health and Human Services, the New Hampshire Department of Education and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation – allows facilities to pay any differentials to their staff and can even help cover child care for the child care workers themselves.
Beginning Monday, April 13, all patients and visitors entering Concord Hospital’s building will be provided a cloth mask to wear while in the building and asked to return the mask to the collection containers at exit doors for laundering.
Beginning on Tuesday, all patients and visitors entering the Memorial/Pillsbury Medical Office Buildings on the Hospital campus will be provided a cloth mask to wear while in the building and asked to return the mask when leaving.
New Hampshire’s child welfare agency is offering new resources to help children, parents and other caregivers during the COVID-19 crisis.
The state Division for Children, Youth, and Families has published a guide with advice and resources for financial assistance, food, housing, and more. It also includes tips on how to check in with families, and a list of questions to ask caregivers and children.
The division, along with the social service agency Waypoint, also has created the “Family Support Warm Line.” The free, confidential phone line will connect callers with professionals who can offer coping strategies and emotional support. The number is 1-800-640-6486.
DCYF Director Joseph Ribsam says new child abuse and neglect referrals have dropped during the pandemic, likely because children are away from school officials who often report suspected casts. He says the focus must remain on prevention.
New Hampshire lawmakers on Friday approved spending $1.2 million in federal money to deliver more meals to elderly residents during the coronavirus pandemic, but questions remain about who ultimately controls the purse strings for more than $1 billion the state expects to eventually receive.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has created a Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery with a “bipartisan legislative advisory board” to oversee the spending. But Democrats who control the Legislature argue that state law requires spending approval by the Legislature’s joint fiscal committee. The committee typically meets once a month, but at a meeting Friday, its chairwoman said it will meet as often as necessary and ensure that funds are spent wisely.
The committee voted 10-0 to spend $1.2 million from the Administration for Community Living to bolster meals-on-wheels programs that serve the population most at risk for negative outcomes from the virus.
“We have pushed and messaged very, very strongly that these folks need to stay home,” said Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette. “Because of that, the ability to provide more meals through home delivery ultimately keeps people safe.”
It was the first time a legislative committee met via phone conference call. When each lawmaker was asked to state who else was in the room with them, Rep. Lynn Ober quipped, “Three miscellaneous cats wandering in and out.”
The New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development has refreshed www.visitnh.gov to feature virtual tips and experiences around New Hampshire, including online theater and ballet performances, scenic nature video tours and live stream opportunities, audio and video museum tours, and online learning resources for kids. The site also features food takeout and delivery options to support the state’s restaurant industry.
“These virtual experiences offer visitors and residents alike the opportunity to experience the state from the comfort and safety of their own homes,” said Travel and Tourism Director Lori Harnois.
Among the options: experience the Currier Museum of Art through an audio/video tour, explore the M/S Mount Washington through a virtual exhibition, take in the live view from the summit at Gunstock Mountain Resort overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee, take a virtual yoga class at Evolve Mindful Movement, check out the online learning opportunities through the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire.
DTTD is also showcasing trip-planning resources to help visitors design future visits to the state. DTTD’s blog, Live Free With Kris, displays a wide variety of content.
N.H. health care providers are receiving $164.5 million from an initial installment of grants under the massive coronavirus relief package signed into law last month, the state’s congressional delegation said Friday.
“New Hampshire hospitals, physicians, nursing facilities, community health centers and other health care providers have been pleading for funding to keep the doors open and deal with increased expenses and revenue shortfalls due to COVID-19,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who helped negotiate the package. “The federal dollars dispersed today could not have come soon enough.”
(Staff writers Ethan DeWitt and David Brooks contributed to this report.)