It turns out Concord pools won’t open for the summer after all.
After advertising online for lifeguards and contacting last year’s staff, city officials said they were unable to hire enough employees to open any pools this year.
In early June, the city announced pools would be closed due to social distancing restrictions and coronavirus concerns. Following the drowning of two Concord residents and the guidance from the state on how to safely open public pools, the City Council asked city staff to explore opening a few pools to keep residents cool and safe.
“Unfortunately, despite all these efforts, we were unable to recruit enough certified staff to open any pools this summer,” the city said in a statement Friday. “The most significant challenge with recruiting certified lifeguards has been the lack of certification classes due to COVID-19.”
However, the city did purchase two “misting stations,” which will help children cool off on hot summer days.
The locations and hours for the misting stations will be on the city’s website and Facebook page later this month, city officials said.
Public health officials are closely monitoring an increase in the number of children and young adults testing positive for the coronavirus in New Hampshire.
From June 8 to July 8, the number of positive tests among people under age 30 increased 22% from 1,030 to 1,255, compared to a 16% increase among older residents, according to daily data posted on the Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 dashboard.
“We are watching this very carefully as we see the trends that are happening in the rest of the country,” Patricia Tilley, deputy director of the state Division of Public Health, told the governor’s Economic Reopening Task Force on Thursday.
In recent weeks, college towns across America have seen clusters of cases that have been traced back to bars, and several states have reported outbreaks at summer camps.
The task force guiding the reopening of New Hampshire’s economy during the coronavirus pandemic continues to hear from residents eager to dust off their reusable shopping bags.
Gov. Chris Sununu issued an executive order in March requiring retailers to use single-use paper or plastic bags. But opponents have repeatedly questioned whether scientific evidence supports that move.
Gail Page, of Concord, questioned whether state officials had been influenced by lobbyists for the plastics industry.
“Whenever I go shopping I carry things in my arms rather than take a plastic bag, and then go to my car and bag them,” she said. “I am hoping you’ll drop this ban on using your own personal bags.”
The session was the 10th public input session hosted by the task force, but it lasted only half an hour because only seven people called in. Two voiced concerns about President Donald Trump’s planned rally in Portsmouth on Saturday while the others spoke about the plastic bags.
New Hampshire’s Catholic schools will reopen this fall to classroom-based instruction, the Diocese of Manchester said.
About 5,200 students attend Catholic schools around the state, according to December 2019 enrollment figures. David Thibault, the diocese’s superintendent of schools, said each school has developed plans to reopen carefully and with appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the health of students, faculty, staff and the community at large.
The diocese also is offering a new incentive program called “See You in Class!” for transfer students. Those in grades 1-8 who transfer to a Catholic school from a non-Catholic school will receive a $1,000 grant toward tuition, while those transferring in grades 9-12 will get $2,000 tuition grants.