Coronavirus Coverage - Business and Economy

People of color and women have experienced higher unemployment than whites and men during the COVID-19 pandemic, and women of color and Latina immigrants have the highest jobless rates, according to new research by UNH’s Carsey School of Public Policy.

New Hampshire hospitals have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue due to COVID-19. Now, they may have to make cuts.

In our second virtual event for The Exchange: Live From Home, we talked with economists about how our personal financial stability has changed in the short term... and what that means for the long term health of our economy.

This is the second of four virtual events as part of "The Exchange Live From Home." It happened live on Tuesday, August 4th at 7 p.m. Find information about other events here. 

Air date: Thursday, August 6, 2020. 

As New Hampshire housing advocates fret over a potential flood of evictions next month, a key state aid program for tenants has been slow to roll out.

New Hampshire’s Housing Relief Program, launched June 30, is a $35 million program meant to help assist tenants who are no longer protected by an eviction moratorium as of July 1.

But a month later, the program is still working its way through hundreds of applications and relatively few awards.

El estado empieza el programa GAP mientras los programas federales terminan 

Originalmente escrito en inglés por Bob Sanders el 22 de julio del 2020

Traducido al español por María Aguirre

El estado abrió las aplicaciones para su programa New Hampshire General Assistance & Preservation (GAP) el martes 21 de julio, una última oportunidad para dueños de negocios antes de que terminen la mayoría de programas federales CARES. La aplicación cierra el 4 de agosto. 

Reusable shopping bags will be allowed again at New Hampshire grocery stores, after Gov. Chris Sununu lifted the state’s COVID-19 ban on reusable bags Monday.

The New Hampshire Judicial Branch has released  court filings related to landlords and tenants. The data, released weekly, shows that eviction cases are on rise in New Hampshire since the state's coronavirus-related ban on evictions ended on July 1.

The state’s unemployment rate fell to 11.8% in June as more residents returned to work following the coronavirus shutdown.

New figures released Tuesday by N.H. Employment Security show that approximately 25,000 residents who lost their jobs earlier this year were back to work in June. 

Still, there are nearly 100,000 fewer people working right now than there were last year at this time. Retail, restaurant, and hotel jobs are still heavily impacted, as are white-color positions and those in education and health care.

New Hampshire state regulators have agreed to hold a virtual public hearing next week on plans to resume utility service disconnections.

The state recently ended its pandemic-related moratorium on shutoffs for overdue payments. Now, the Public Utilities Commission is deciding how utilities should resume the shutoffs, as well as late payment fees.

Rural hospitals, a software vendor and a demolition contractor in Salem were among the largest New Hampshire recipients of Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government, according to new data released Monday by the Small Business Administration.

Applications are now open for the Self Employed Livelihood Fund Program, or S.E.L.F. Governor Chris Sununu set up the fund under the federal CARES Act to provide economic relief to people who are self-employed. The maximum award amount a business can receive is $50,000.  

Applicants have until July 17, 2020 at 4 p.m. to submit their applications.

Governor Sununu has set aside $35 million from the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund to provide housing assistance for individuals who have trouble paying their rent and utilities as a result of the pandemic.

New Hampshire’s utility consumer advocate wants more transparency and public input on plans to lift the state's ban on utility shutoffs this month.

In a new emergency petition, ratepayer advocate Don Kreis says the state's electric, water and gas utilities are reporting large swaths of customers who've held off paying their bills in the past few months.

New Hampshire’s ban on evictions lifts on Wednesday, July 1, removing protections imposed early on in the COVID-19 emergency to prevent renters from losing their homes.

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The ban did not require landlords to forgive rent, creating a backlog of unpaid rent which many still might not be able to pay.

In early May, as New Hampshire officials began to lift restrictions on some corners of the economy, Gov. Chris Sununu announced that the state would distribute its stockpile of disposable masks to businesses and nonprofits for free.

Now, thanks to newly provided public records, we can see where those masks ended up — and which businesses were the biggest beneficiaries.

Ninety-five percent of New Hampshire sleepaway camps will remain closed this summer.

The governor’s guidelines for reopening allow overnight camps to reopen this Monday, June 29.

But Ken Robbins, president of the New Hampshire Camp Directors Association, says late notice and strict guidelines have forced most camps to stay closed.

What happens when a restaurant doesn’t follow social distancing guidelines? Or when restaurant employees who interact with customers don’t wear their required face masks?

Violations of coronavirus guidelines usually end up in the hands of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office by way of the phone number and email established for concerns regarding executive orders and guidelines.

Seacoast beaches have been crowded this weekend with people trying to beat the heat, though some coronavirus restrictions remain in effect. Parts of the shoulders of Route 1A have reopened for parking, but the state beach lots are only accepting 50 percent of their normal capacity to encourage physical distancing.

Homes would be selling briskly in New Hampshire if there was anything to sell. It’s a lack of inventory, inventory, inventory.

This article is being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.