RESPONSE.
LET'S LISTEN IN.
GOVERNOR SUNUNU: THIS IS MY PUN FOR THE DAY.
I GOT ONE LAUGH OUT OF THERE.
LOOK, LET'S START WITH THIS.
AS MANY FOLKS KNOW, TODAY IS THE FIRST -- THE FIRST DAY THAT DIFFERENT BUSINESSES, BUSINESS SECTORS ACROSS THE STATE, WE'RE ALLOWING THEM TO FLEX OPEN UNDER NEW GUIDANCE WITH ADDITIONAL
SERVICES.
BARBERS AND HAIR SALONS MAY OPEN STARTING TODAY AND BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.
RETAIL STORES ACROSS NEW HAMPSHIRE NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO EXPAND BEYOND CURBSIDE PICKUP AND DELIVERY TO OFFER IN-PERSON SERVICES WITH A 50% OCCUPANCY OF THOSE.
GOLF COURSES WERE ABLE TO OPEN THIS MORNING TO NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENTS AND NAEBS OF THOSE MEM -- AND MEMBERS OF THOSE CLUBS.
AND ALL AREAS AND INDUSTRIES WHERE STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN HAVE BEEN SIGNED OFF BY OUR PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM.
THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF EVERYTHING WE DO BEING HAND IN HAND WITH DR. CHAN AND HIS ENTIRE TEAM AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
OF COURSE, MANY STORES AND BARBERSHOPS MAY CHOOSE NOT TO OPEN YET AND THAT IS JUST FINE.
WE UNDERSTAND THESE GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS WE PREPARED MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE.
WE WANT TO PROVIDE THE FLEXIBILITY FOR THOSE THAT CHOOSE TO DO SO.
THOSE THAT CHOOSE TO REOPEN MAY CONTINUE TO REQUEST FACE COVERINGS FROM THE STATES AND WE'RE SENDING OUT THOUSANDS OF ORDERS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
YOU CAN REQUEST SOME OF THOSE FACE COVERINGS FOR YOUR BUSINESS AT NHECONOMY.COM/COVID-19.
THAT'S NHECONOMY.COM/COVID-19.
THE REOPENING TASK FORCE IS CONTINUING TO EXPLORE ADDITIONAL AREAS THAT MAY BE ABLE TO OPEN IN THE COMING WEEKS.
AS WE CONTINUE TO EVALUATE AND SOLICIT INPUT FROM THE REOPENING TASK FORCE ON WHAT AREAS AND STEPS WE MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE NEXT WE WANT TO ENSURE WE HAVE A CONTINUOUS ANDRO BUST TESTING
PROGRAM.
THAT'S OBVIOUSLY AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF EVERYTHING WE DO HERE, A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DRASTICALLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF TESTS IN THE STATE AND THE AVAILABILITY.
IN A LITTLE BIT WE'LL HAVE THE COMMISSIONER COME UP AND GIVE AN UPDATE ON TESTING.
FIRST, LET'S START OFF WITH A PUBLIC HEALTH UPDATE FROM DR.
CHAN.
DR. CHAN: GOOD AFTERNOON.
THANK YOU, GOVERNOR.
JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK UPDATES.
BOTH THE NUMBERS AS WELL AS THE STRESS THE NEED FOR ONGOING SOCIAL DISTANCING DESPITE STAY-AT-HOME 2.0.
GLOBALLY THERE'S NOW 4.1 MILLION CASES OF COVID-19, INCLUDING MORE THAN 1.3 MILLION CASES IN ALL OF THE UNITED STATES.
WE HAVE TESTED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE MORE THAN 34,000 PEOPLE FOR COVID-19.
MORE THAN 34,000 NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENTS.
AND IN THE LAST WEEK, WE HAVE AVERAGED OVER 1200 TESTS PER DAY AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON INCREASING TESTING.
TO DATE WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A TOTAL OF 3,160 PEOPLE DIAGNOSED AND CONFIRMED WITH COVID-19.
THAT'S AN INCREASE OF 89 PEOPLE FROM WHAT WE ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY.
318 OF THOSE HAVE REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATION AT SOME POINT IN THEIR ILLNESS.
THAT'S AN INCREASE OF THREE INDIVIDUALS FROM WHAT WE REPORTED YESTERDAY.
AND WE HAVE 133 PEOPLE WHO HAVE SADLY DIED FROM COVID-19, EITHER DIRECTLY OR RELATED TO COVID-19 COMPLICATIONS.
THAT'S AN INCREASE OF ZERO INDIVIDUALS FROM WHAT WE REPORTED YESTERDAY.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DEATHS THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDERGOING INVESTIGATION.
SO WE CAN EXPECT THIS NUMBER TO INCREASE IN THE COMING DAYS.
SO I THINK AS WE EXPERIENCE AND GO THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC, THIS OUTBREAK IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, IT'S BECOMING CLEAR THAT COVID-19 WILL LIKELY BE WITH US FOR MANY MORE WEEKS, IF NOT MONTHS.
WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT LIMITING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 WITH OUR COMMUNITY MITIGATION AND SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES.
BUT THERE ARE LIKELY A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE STILL IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE NOT BEEN EXPOSED AND MAY NOT HAVE SOME EVIDENCE OF IMMUNITY AND THEREFORE, AS WE BEGIN TO TALK
ABOUT REOPENING VARIOUS BUSINESSES AND SECTORS IN OUR SOCIETY, WE HAVE DEVELOPED GUIDANCE TO BUILD PROTECTION INTO THOSE REOPENING PROCESSES AND ESPECIALLY BUSINESSES THAT
MAY EVEN INCREASE OPERATIONS.
WE ARE TRYING TO BUILD PROTECTION INTO THOSE PROCESSES TO PREVENT SPREAD OF COVID-19.
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESSES TO COMPLY WITH THAT GUIDANCE TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, BUT AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL, I WANT TO STRESS, AGAIN, THAT PEOPLE STILL NEED TO STAY AT HOME AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE.
THERE'S A NEED WHEN PEOPLE ARE OUT TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, SO PLEASE, WHEN YOU'RE OUT IN PUBLIC SETTINGS, MAINTAIN A DISTANCE, A SAFE DISTANCE OF AT LEAST SIX FEET
FROM OTHER PEOPLE AT ALL TIMES TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE AND, PLEASE, WE RECOMMEND AND STRONGLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO WEAR A CLOTH FACEMASK IF THEY'RE IN PUBLIC SETTINGS WHERE SOCIAL
DISTANCING MAY BE IMPOSSIBLE OR DIFFICULT.
AS ALWAYS, PLEASE PRACTICE GOOD HAND HYGIENE.
THIS IS IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY FOR OLDER ADULTS AND PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY IN WHOM INFECTION IS MORE LIKELY TO LEAD TO COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS
HOSPITALIZATION AND POTENTIALLY EVEN DEATH.
WE COLLECTIVELY AS A SOCIETY NEED TO PROTECT THE MORE VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
PARTICULARLY BY NOT VISITING PEOPLE THAT MAY BE MORE VULNERABLE.
THIS CAN BE DIFFICULT.
ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE BEEN UNDERGOING SOCIAL ISOLATION, POTENTIALLY, FOR WEEKS, IF NOT MONTHS.
BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT THOSE IN OUR SOCIETY WHO ARE MORE VULNERABLE.
THIS INCLUDES NOT VISITING FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO MAY BE IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES OR ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES.
WE'VE BEEN GETTING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT STAY-AT-HOME 2.0 MEANS FOR PEOPLE THAT MAY HAVE FAMILY OR FRIENDS IN CONGREGATE LIVING SETTINGS LIKE NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED LIVING
FACILITIES.
I JUST WANT TO STRESS THE GUIDANCE AND RESTRICTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE IN THESE LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES STILL VERY MUCH REMAINS IN PLACE.
WE STILL VERY MUCH NEED TO PROTECT THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHO ARE MORE VULNERABLE WHERE, AGAIN, COVID-19 INFECTION COULD LEAD TO HOSPITALIZATION AND POTENTIALLY EVEN DEATH.
AND SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH FACILITIES TO RAPIDLY IDENTIFY AND TRY AND CONTAIN OUTBREAKS IN THESE FACILITIES.
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR EVERYBODY IN OUR SOCIETY TO CONTINUE WITH THE SOCIAL DISTANCING TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE.
MAINTAIN A SAFE DISTANCE FROM OTHER PEOPLE WHEN OUT IN PUBLIC, PLEASE WEAR CLOTH FACEMASKS AND PRACTICE GOOD HAND HYGIENE.
LET ME GO TO THE COMMISSIONER FOR SOME ADDITIONAL UPDATES.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
SO TESTING UPDATE FOR TODAY -- OVERALL WE'RE STILL AVERAGING ABOUT 1,200 TESTS A DAY.
OVER THE WEEKEND AND LATE LAST WEEK, AFTER ANNOUNCING OUR FIVE FIXED SITES AND OUR MOBILE TESTING, BETWEEN THURSDAY AND SUNDAY, THE STATE TEAMS DID ALMOST 2,200 TESTS AT THOSE
SITES.
WE OPENED A NEW SITE IN MILFORD LATE LAST WEEK AND WE WILL BE ANNOUNCING A NEW SITE IN CONCORD LATER THIS WEEK.
CLEAR CHOICE M.D. FROM FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE TIME THROUGH END OF DAY LAST NIGHT SAW ABOUT 975 PATIENTS FOR A COMBINATION OF BOTH P.C.R. TESTING OR ACTIVE INFESTING TESTING AND ANTIBODY
TESTING WITH THE MAJORITY BEING A COMBINED TESTING SAMPLE.
SO THAT'S MY TESTING UPDATE.
LONG-TERM CARE, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF OUTBREAKS TO REPORT ON.
TODAY, WE ARE REPORTING TWO NEW OUTBREAKS.
ONE AT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY NURSING HOME WITH 12 RESIDENTS AFFECTED AND TWO STAFF FOR A TOTAL OF 15.
AND ONE AT COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR JUSTICE, WHICH IS A TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM FOR ADULTS WITH 11 RESIDENTS AFFECTED AND THREE STAFF.
ADDITIONALLY, ON FRIDAY, I ANNOUNCED THAT IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE REPORTS THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED ABOUT LONG-TERM CARE DATA THAT WE WERE GOING TO PULL, DIFFERENT DATA FROM DIFFERENT
SOURCES AND TAKE A LOOK AT HOW NEW HAMPSHIRE WAS DOING AND FIGHTING THE COVID FIGHT IN OUR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES.
SO WE PULLED DATA FROM OUR STATE'S LICENSING DATA BANK.
OTHER STATES DATABASES AND THE KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION TO LOOK AT HOW WE WERE DOING WITH OUR STRATEGY AND OUR VISION ON FIGHTING COVID-19 IN LONG-TERM CARE.
WHAT WE FOUND A COUPLE DATA POINTS WE PULLED, FOR EXAMPLE, LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES, THE PERCENTAGE OF LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES WITH ACTIVE COVID CASES IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE
LOOKED AT.
HOW ARE WE DOING WITH PREVENTING IT FROM GETTING IN THE FRONT DOOR, WHICH IS WHAT I SAID ALL ALONG IS THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO, SO CURRENTLY FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
WITH EVEN ONE CASE OF COVID, WE'RE AT ABOUT 21%.
RHODE ISLAND IS AT 33%.
MAINE IS AT 45% -- 43% AND MASSACHUSETTS IS AT 49%.
THE OTHER DATA POINT WE LOOKED AT IS WHEN IT COMES TO LONG-TERM CARE DEATH, THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR LONG-TERM CARE RESIDENTS THAT WE'VE LOST TO COVID-19.
AS A COMPARISON, RHODE ISLAND HAS LOST 5% OF THEIR LONG-TERM CARE POPULATION AS COMPARED TO LICENSED BEDS.
MASSACHUSETTS 4.6%.
CONNECTICUT 3.2%.
NEW YORK, 3%.
AND NEW HAMPSHIRE .7%.
SO WHAT'S IMPORTANT HERE IS THAT THE DEPARTMENT DEVELOP AND USE RELEVANT DATA TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE.
IT'S NOT WHETHER NEW HAMPSHIRE IS THE WORST OR THE BEST WHEN IT COMES TO THE NUMBER AND THE DEGREE OF LONG-TERM CARE DEATH.
IT'S THAT EVERY DEATH IS UNACCEPTABLE.
EVERY DEATH REPRESENTS A GRIEVING FAMILY AND A DEVASTATED FAMILY AND IT REALLY NEEDS TO INFORM HOW WE STRATEGIZE AND HOW WE DEVELOP SOLUTIONS TO THE LONG-TERM CARE COVID-19 CRISIS
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
SO, YOU KNOW, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF COVID-19, WE'VE REALLY WORKED HARD AT DEVELOPING AN AGGRESSIVE TESTING STRATEGY, AN AGGRESSIVE CONTAINMENT STRATEGY.
STOP IT AT THE DOOR.
SCREEN EVERYBODY THAT COMES IN.
TEST THE ENTIRE UNIT WHEN SOMEONE COMES BACK POSITIVE.
AND I THINK THAT THAT TESTING STRATEGY IS WORKING OUT, BUT IT'S NEVER GOOD.
LIKE I SAID, EVERY SINGLE DEATH IS A TRAGEDY FOR OUR RESIDENTS, SO WE NEED TO KEEP ON DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN.
AND I KNOW THAT ALL OF OUR HEALTH CARE PARTNERS, WHETHER IT'S OUR PHYSICIANS, OUR LONG-TERM CARE CENTERS, STATE DHHS, EVERYBODY THAT WORKS IN LONG-TERM CARE IS WORKING VERY
HARD TO PREVENT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THO