CONCORD – Starting this Saturday, restaurants will ask patrons for contact information as the state continues to see an uptick in cases of COVID-19.

Announcing four new deaths and 131 new cases at Thursday’s news conference, State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said the information that is collected by restaurants will allow contact tracers to get information quickly to possibly exposed individuals and gain a leg up on the virus, potentially protecting others from contracting it.

Gov. Chris Sununu said the idea came from the restaurant industry and he applauded their efforts to begin helping the state with data collection.

Lori Shibinette, commissioner for the state Department of Health and Human Services, said the problem contact tracers have in 40 percent of their initial calls is having people pick up the phone. But once they do, she said they find them quite cooperative providing information on individuals they have had recent contact with who may have also been exposed to the virus.

Shibinette said there were no new outbreaks at long-term care facilities to report but that three remain at Bedford Hills, Pine Rock Manor in Warner, and St. Theresa’s nursing home.

While the state has the fourth-lowest positivity rate of transmission of the virus in the country, the state is still seeing an uptick in the number of cases with currently 1,106 infected, an increase in the 14-day average rate which has gone from about 53 to 96 people per 100,000 in a matter of three weeks.

Still, the percent positivity rate remains low and no new hospitalizations were reported, officials said.

All four of the deaths reported Thursday from COVID-19 were residents of long-term care facilities, bringing the death toll to 482 individuals since March in New Hampshire.

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