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Nashua Board of Health Weighing Curfew in Response to COVID-19 Surge in N.H.

Nashua City Hall
Dan Tuohy / NHPR

The city of Nashua is weighing a potential 9:30 p.m. curfew as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in New Hampshire continue to surge.

At a Board of Health meeting Wednesday, city officials said the current recommendations like mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing are no longer enough to slow the spread of the virus.

Bobbie Bagley, director of Public Health and Community Services in Nashua, said the city is also seeing an impact after Massachusetts rolled back its reopening process this week.

"We need to do something to protect the vulnerable populations in our community," Bagley said. "Nashua is right on the border of Massachusetts, so when things shut down in Massachusetts, we do see an increase in activities in our state."

While the board hasn't yet made a recommendation, some business owners say they're concerned.

That includes Kurt Mathias, owner of the Boston Billiards Club and Casino, which reopened last month after being identified by the city health department as a potential source of COVID-19 exposure. Mathias says a curfew would negatively affect his business.

"We are not the problem. Everybody blames the restaurants and the bars," Mathias said, "and I think it's grossly unfair that we now are going to have another restriction of being closed at 9:30 p.m. It just makes no sense whatsoever."

If the Board of Health recommends the curfew, it will have to go to the Nashua Board of Aldermen for a vote.

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