CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Struggling restaurant owners asked a state task force Thursday to both reduce restrictions aimed at controlling the coronavirus and increase efforts to educate the public about them.
John Dunn, director of operations at Michael Timothy’s Dining Group, told the governor’s Economic Reopening Task Force that state officials need to do more to explain to the public why masks are required when entering, exiting and moving about restaurants.
“All of the enforcement of this is being placed on our hospitality workers. We have some young workers who are coming against some people who are very adamant about not wearing a mask and are abusive to staff,” he said.
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Dunn’s company operates five restaurants in Nashua, Merrimack and Portsmouth. And while they’ve been thankful for this summer’s dry, warm weather, it won’t last long, he warned, and the end of outdoor dining will cut business in half. Currently, restaurants in Rockingham, Hillsborough, Merrimack and Strafford counties are limited to 50% of their capacity indoors.
“We need to start looking at how we can improve our seating capacity within the restaurants safely,” he said.
Both points were echoed by Jay Bolduc, managing operator of the T-Bones and Cactus Jack’s restaurants.
“We’re hoping the leadership of the state of New Hampshire is open to helping us survive this fall and winter,” he said. “And that might mean allowing a better balance with capacity restrictions or barriers, or other safety initiatives that are available in our restaurants, like expanded (ventilation systems) that continuously pump air in.”
Later, several of the task force members expressed frustration that restrictions on many businesses haven’t been lifted despite favorable trends in the number of people testing positive for the virus, hospitalizations and deaths. They unsuccessfully pressed public health officials to describe specific metrics that would trigger the lifting of restrictions.
“What is an acceptable mortality rate? Obviously zero is what we desire. What is an acceptable infection rate?” said state Sen. Bob Guida, R-Warren. “What do we use and who’s making the call on when release businesses from these restrictions that are harming them?”
“There is no magic number that releases us from all restrictions,” said Patricia Tilley, deputy director of the state Division of Public Health.
State Rep. Jeffrey Salloway, D-Lee, suggested waiting a few weeks to see how the return of college students to campuses affects the state’s virus numbers. Being too cautious harms businesses, he said, but rushing to reopen costs lives.
“We on this task force walk on a knife edge,” he said.
In other coronavirus-related developments:
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ELECTION SAFETY
Communities can require that both voters and poll workers wear face coverings on Election Day to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to state officials.
Attorney General Gordon MacDonald and Secretary of State Bill Gardner released a 10-page document Wednesday with guidance for the Sept. 8 primary and Nov. 3 general election. They said they agreed with town moderators that decisions about mask requirements should be made locally given the wide variation in the size of polling places, expected volume of voters and other factors.
Communities that require face coverings for voters must, however, provide alternatives for those who can’t or won’t comply, the officials said.
While the officials said they believe towns likewise have the right to require poll workers to wear masks, they also highlighted the “risk of a legal challenge” and urged local officials to consult their attorneys. They noted that some voters may feel uncomfortable encountering unmasked poll workers, and that it may be hard to attract sufficient workers without a mandate.
The guidance also clarifies issues around absentee voting, which has been temporarily expanded to allow the coronavirus pandemic as a reason for voting absentee. Municipalities can set up dropboxes to collect absentee ballots from those who don’t mail their ballots - both before Election Day and on Election Day - but the boxes must be staffed by election workers.
Towns and cities can not use the “drive-up” voting method that some towns used to adopt their town and school budgets this spring and summer.
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THE NUMBERS
As of Thursday, 7,050 have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, an increase of 14 from the previous day. One new death was announced, for a total of 428. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire decreased over the past two weeks from 28 new cases per day on Aug. 5 to 21 new cases per day on Aug. 19.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia or death.
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