CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire towns and cities are getting $40 million for costs associated with the coronavirus pandemic, and first responders are getting a temporary boost in pay, Gov. Chris Sununu said Monday.
Towns and cities have seen expenses such as overtime pay for police and welfare costs soar during the pandemic. The new grants can be used for those kinds of expenses, as well as costs associated with cleaning municipal buildings and moving services online.
Full-time firefighters, emergency medical technicians, corrections officers and police will be eligible for an extra $300 per week, while part-time first responders will get $150 for the next eight weeks.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that for those who are on the front lines and are putting themselves at risk throughout this COVID-19 crisis, we want to be there for them,” Sununu said.
Some Democrats had been calling for municipal aid and hazard pay for first responders for over a month.
“It’s good to see the governor adopt our idea and move one step closer to putting our proposal into practice,” said Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
Both the weekly stipends for first responders and the municipal grants will be paid for with the state’s $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid. Meanwhile, a legislative committee advising the governor on spending the money is expected to begin making its initial recommendations this week.
More developments in New Hampshire:
DIVIDED COSMETOLOGISTS
A task force on reopening New Hampshire’s economy may re-work some of the state’s guidance for hair salons and barbershops.
Hair stylists and barbers can head back to work May 11 with restrictions on the number of clients they can serve and with strict rules regarding cleaning and protective gear.
“There are just some people out there that just don’t feel safe and they don’t want to open,” said task force member Sen. Sharon Carson, a Republican from Londonderry. “And under the plan that we adopted they don’t have to. But many feel that if they don’t open, they’re going to lose their clientele.”
Concerns ranged from providing a better definition of “root touch-up” to making sure the businesses have enough protective equipment. Task force members said they might re-visit the guidance.
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THE NUMBERS
As of Monday, 2,588 people in New Hampshire have tested positive for the virus, an increase of 72 from the previous day. Eighty-six people have died.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
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UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE
More than $242 million has been paid in unemployment benefits in New Hampshire in the weeks since the pandemic started, including money from the federal CARES Act, Richard Lavers, deputy commissioner of the Department of Employment Security, said Monday. He said more than 150,000 new claims for unemployment have filed been since that time.
Lavers said the number of new claims in a week peaked at 39,000 in early April and has since been declining. New Hampshire saw an initial spike at a greater rate than surrounding states because it created expanded eligibility for benefits earlier, he said.
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LIBRARY TAKE-OUT
Many libraries are closed during the coronavirus pandemic, but some, like Laconia, are providing “take-out” service.
The Laconia Daily Sun reports patrons pick up books and other items in shopping bags outside the front door. When returned, the books are quarantined for a week and sanitized. Patrons are asked to wipe down any items they pick up and return.
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