The arguments have raged on at stores, in parks and on the streets. Now, New Hampshire House Democrats are pressing Gov. Chris Sununu to settle the debate over whether to wear a face mask into law.
In a letter to the governor Thursday, 178 Democratic representatives urged Sununu to issue a new executive order that would require the use of personal face masks “when someone is unable to socially distance in public.”
The masks are necessary, the letter argues, to allow “the successful reopening of New Hampshire’s economy.” Making the order mandatory would increase public confidence in shopping as retail stores begin a phased reopening, lawmakers argued.
“We will only have one opportunity to bring New Hampshire’s economy back to full strength, so we must get it right the first time,” the letter states. “If reopening New Hampshire results in a new wave of infection, the public health and economic damage will likely be too strong for many small businesses and institutions to overcome.”
But Sununu has opposed putting in place a mandate, and on Thursday, his spokesman pushed back at the idea.
“The governor recommends wearing a mask in scenarios where social distancing cannot be practiced, like when he goes grocery shopping, but does not believe a mandate is needed at this time,” the spokesman, Ben Vihstadt, said.
The Democrats’ proposal took on Republican legislative opposition too Thursday. In his own statement, House Republican Leader Dick Hinch called it a step too far.
“It does not seem to be the New Hampshire way to stop people on the street who choose not to wear a mask,” Hinch said, adding that the measure “is unenforceable, and it would create more chaos.”
The Republican leader argued that citizens were already being responsible, and said that municipalities had the authority to impose their own mask requirements if they think it necessary.
“Business and individuals can currently make choices to avoid unnecessary contact with people, with or without masks, and to make this a government mandate goes too far.”
Mask use has been broadly encouraged by public health experts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the use of masks or cloth coverings in public as a way of containing additional spread of the disease in public.
And one independent study has suggested that if 80% of citizens wore masks when out in public, the virus would diminish dramatically.
But the actual usage rate of masks New Hampshire and elsewhere has been sporadic. Many independent Main Street stores and restaurants have required masks to be used by patrons, but big box retailers and grocery stores have left it up to customers.
Proponents of a mask mandate in New Hampshire have drawn comparisons to Maine and Massachusetts, both of which have similar measures. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has not issued an order, however, arguing that making masks mandatory would push some people away from them.
The letter came after pressure from “a number of members” said House Majority Leader Doug Ley, a Jaffrey Democrat whose name topped the letter.
“We’ve recognized the need to begin reopening portions of the economy, but we want to make sure it’s done in a safe manner,” Ley said in an interview. “We would like to avoid spikes that would lead to having to tighten things back up again.”
Ley said that he had personally not observed consistent mask usage in the state. “I’d say right now it’s maybe 50/50,” he said.
But he disagreed that making the measure mandatory would backfire and lead to fewer people complying.
“I think that if you just simply continue to suggest it, you’re going to have plenty of people who ignore the guidelines,” he said. And he added that stores are put in a difficult decision of whether to mandate masks themselves when there is no state requirement.
“My guess is they’ve been afraid on the impact on customers at this point,” Ley said. “They’re in a competitive situation. Store A does not want to necessarily require what Store B does not do. And that is sometimes the problem with not having a consistent message across the board.”
The letter comes two months after a similar letter from House Democrats urged Sununu to follow nearby states and shut down large portions of the New Hampshire’s economy. He did so days later.
But while the majority of the 232-member House Democratic caucus signed the letter, several dozen did not.
Rep. Josh Adjutant, of Ashland, is among them. Adjutant signed onto the first letter urging the stay at home order. But he said he disagrees with adding more mandates onto residents if the state is not also planning to add more rent and mortgage assistance to mitigate it.
“My philosophy in governing is that the state can’t tell you to do anything unless they’re willing to hold up their end of the bargain too,” he said. “I would love to see more people wearing mask. I want the state to step up in more economic ways instead of telling what to do.”
The number of deaths from COVID-19 has hit 150 since reporting began, as the number of daily tests administered in New Hampshire tops the 1,900 mark for the first time.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 8 more deaths have been attributed to the novel coronavirus and like almost all deaths so far, they are in people aged 60 and over. Of all the 150 deaths, 102 have occurred in assisted-living facilities or nursing homes.
Another 63 new cases were reported in the state, bringing the total to 3,299. The number of new cases has been steady or even slightly lower every day over the past week.
About 10% of cases have been hospitalized.
New Hampshire voters who want to change their party affiliation by the June 2 deadline will not need to do so in person anymore.
An emergency executive order issued by Sununu Thursday allows the Secretary of State’s office to create an application that voters may download, print and give back to their town offices to carry out the change. The voters must have an adult witness sign to the form as well.
The June 2 deadline is important for New Hampshire’s Sept. 8 state primary.
Any voter wishing to vote in a particular party’s primary must be registered for that party by June 2. If the voter is undeclared, they must declare a party affiliation by June 2; if they want to switch parties, that must be done before that date too, according to RSA 654:34.
New Hampshire’s 2020 primary will determine the Democratic nominee for governor and the Republican nominees challenging Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and the state’s two U.S. Representatives.
In non-emergency times, the party affiliation change would need to be carried out in person to the town or city supervisor of the checklist. Sununu’s executive order overrides that, and allows a voter to either mail the application in to a town or drop it off in a town deposit box if possible. All applications must be received by 5 p.m. June 2.
Sununu’s order empowers the Secretary of State’s office to make an application, put it online, and distribute it to cities and towns.
That application was set to be available on the Secretary of State’s website as of 6 p.m. Thursday, according to Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan.
