CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday extended New Hampshire’s state of emergency declaration for another three weeks, while retailers began outlining their goals in reopening the economy.

Developments in how the coronavirus is affecting New Hampshire:

EMERGENCY DECLARATION

Sununu, a Republican, initially declared a state of emergency on March 13 and has continued to extend it as it expires every 21 days. Further extension is necessary given that the pandemic has caused an unprecedented public health emergency and economic devastation, he wrote.

Among other things, the order continues expansion of unemployment benefit eligibility and protections against housing evictions and utility shutoffs. Separate orders, including a stay-at-home order, business closures and restaurant restrictions, are due to expire May 4 but Sununu has said extensions are likely.

NONPROFITS

Demand is up and revenues are down for New Hampshire’s critical nonprofit sector, officials told lawmakers Friday.

“There’s a fundamental paradox with nonprofits. When your ‘business’ is up, when more and more clients need you, your revenues almost by definition are down because you’re in a down economy,” Dick Ober, president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, told the legislative advisory board for the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery.

Martha Stone, executive director of the Crossroads House in Portsmouth, said the homeless shelter already was operating above capacity before the pandemic. Half of her annual $2 million budget comes from fundraising, but she’s had to cancel a major event that typically brings in $400,000. At the same time, expenses are rising, including spending $12,000 to house the most vulnerable residents in hotels. And she fears there will be a surge in homeless residents once the current prohibition on evictions is lifted.

Nonprofit organizations employ 83,000 people in New Hampshire, according to the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits. In a survey this week, the average nonprofit reported losing a third of its annual budget because of the pandemic.

HIGHER EDUCATION

The only way to get college students back on campus this fall is through robust virus testing, the head of the University System of New Hampshire said Friday.

Chancellor Todd Leach told lawmakers that it would cost about $6 million to conduct such testing. He also said the university system needs $6 million to upgrade classrooms for remote learning, in case some student aren’t comfortable returning or there is another wave of the virus.

Colleges and universities are hoping to reopen in the fall, but haven’t made final decisions. The university system has already refunded $41.6 million in room and board for the current semester.

Michele Perkins, president of New England College, is chairwoman of the New Hampshire College and University Council. The group’s 21 members report having lost more than $185 million because of the pandemic.

“This crisis has the potential to cause the demise of many great institutions across this country, and those states that can preserve their institutions will be at an advantage in terms of workforce development when this crisis is over,” said Perkins.

MORE AID

New Hampshire is set to receive at least $17 million for coronavirus testing in the latest emergency relief package, the state’s congressional delegation said.

President Donald Trump signed the measure into law Friday. It provides nearly $500 billion in funding for businesses, hospitals, and a nationwide testing program.

Health officials said Thursday that the state is testing nearly twice as many people each day as it was a week ago.

“This new law will help small businesses, including those who don’t have relationships with big banks, assist our hospitals as they fight this pandemic and help ramp-up testing nationwide which is absolutely critical to re-opening our economy,” said U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat.

THE NUMBERS

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced two more deaths from COVID-19 on Friday bringing the total to 53.

They were both men older than 60, one from Strafford County, the other from Rockingham County.

The state also announced 53 new positive test results for COVID-19. There have now been 1,720 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire. Several cases are still under investigation. Additional information from ongoing investigations will be incorporated into future COVID-19 updates. Of those with complete information, all are adults with 52% being female and 48% being male.

The new cases reside in Rockingham (15), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (9), Strafford (3), Merrimack (2), Belknap (2), Grafton (1), and Sullivan (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (15) and Nashua (5).

Six new hospitalized cases were identified for a total of 224 (13%) of 1,720 cases. Five of the new cases have no identified risk factors. Community-based transmission continues to increase in the State and has been identified in all counties with cases. Most of the remaining cases have either had travel to domestic or international locations or have had close contact with a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This content is being provided for free as a public service to our community during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Telegraph at https://home.nashuatelegraph.com/clickshare/checkDelivery.do;jsessionid=40C089D96583CD7318C1C1D9317B6162.

Newsletter