Scott Sedlacek, who says he has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, wears a mask as he talks to reporters near the parking lot of the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., Wednesday, March 11, 2020, near Seattle after he visited his father, Chuck Sedlacek, 86, who is also positive for the virus and is a patient in the nursing home, which is at the center of the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Washington state. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness.(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

NASHUA – Given the rise in coronavirus cases and recent events resulting from the ongoing public health threat, Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess asked the Board of Aldermen to approve funding to help the city prepare for any precautions it may need to take to deal with the disease.

Donchess asked board members to suspend the rules to allow for a second reading of Resolution 20-022 and passage to provide funds for the city to deal with coronavirus, or COVID-19. Board members ultimately passed the resolution, which authorizes the transfer of $50,000 from General Contingency into the Risk Management Property and Casualty Fund to purchase cleaning supplies and services related to COVID-19.

“As we have seen events of the last few days, Harvard and MIT both closed, we’ve seen other changes made with respect to scheduling, a lot of cancelations,” Donchess said. “We are trying to foresee events that the city may have to deal with.”

First, the city needs to buy supplemental cleaning supplies to wipe down all surfaces in City Hall, and things of that nature. In addition, Donchess said officials need to think about the possibility that City Hall could be closed, or that a number of people are not at work and need to work remotely.

Donchess said Director of Emergency Management Justin Kates and other department division heads are defining the city’s essential services, some of which include payroll for example. In order to fulfill those essential functions, Donchess said the city may need to have people work remotely.

The city has a limited number of software licenses that enables someone to get onto the system remotely, and Donchess said the city may need to acquire more licenses. On top of that, the city also may need to acquire additional laptops for people to take home.

“This may not be enough. Hopefully, we won’t need it, but it at least will help us defray some of the expenses if some events that could happen do happen in the next few weeks,” Donchess said.

The rules were suspended to allow for the second reading of the resolution, and board members ultimately decided to pass the legislation. While locally, city officials are gearing up to combat this public health threat, federal funds also were announced on Wednesday in support of COVID-19 response.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and on Wednesday, the CDC contacted State Health Officers regarding awarding more than $560 million to states, localities, territories and tribes. Of that sum, New Hampshire is receiving $4,902,840.

“I’m pleased the CDC moved quickly to release these funds to New Hampshire to assist efforts to contain and mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus,” U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said in a statement. “This funding will provide a welcome boost to support state and local efforts to protect public health. I appreciate the bipartisan cooperation we’ve seen from every level of government to respond to this emergency and I hope that continues as we work together to confront this crisis. The public health of Granite Staters and the American people is my top priority and I’ll keep working across the aisle to ensure our state has the resources it needs to combat the full scope of this threat.”

“This federal funding is an important first step in supporting New Hampshire’s efforts to address the ever-evolving coronavirus outbreak,” U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan said in a statement. “I am glad that Congress came together on a bipartisan basis to provide this funding to New Hampshire and states across the country as one part of our efforts to support states’ work to contain and mitigate the spread of this virus. I will continue to work closely with New Hampshire public health officials and ensure that the needs of communities across our state are met.”

“The funds that were released today are important to supporting the state of New Hampshire’s response to coronavirus,” U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster said in a statement. “We must work together at all levels to stem the spread of COVID-19 and I’m hopeful that these resources will reach communities on the frontlines swiftly. I’m glad that we were able to work together across the aisle to get this much needed funding out to the states. I will continue to work with my colleagues to advance policy proposals, such as paid leave, that will support families and workers impacted by this public health crisis.”

According to the CDC, as of Wednesday morning, two individuals have been confirmed with COVID-19, with three individuals with presumptive positive, awaiting CDC confirmation, for a total of five individuals in the state affected by the disease. At that point, 254 individuals were being monitored in the Granite State.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.

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