COVID-19

New Hampshire identified its first case of COVID-19 on March 2. NHPR has been tracking new developments since then, as the number of confirmed cases and testing capacity — at public and private labs — has expanded.

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner has assembled a six-person "select committee" to advise his office on how to spend the $3.2 million in emergency election funding the state has received as part of a recent federal COVID-19 relief package. 

Gov. Chris Sununu has formed a task force to advise him on a potential phased reopening of the state’s economy. The task force includes state economic and tourism officials, chamber of commerce members, a chief of police, and leaders of industry groups representing retail merchants, restaurants and hospitals, as well as several lawmakers.

The number of new coronavirus tests being processed each day in New Hampshire has remained relatively flat for about a month, according to an analysis by NHPR. This comes even as state health officials say they want to see more testing here.

This story originally published when the state issued its first memo on COVID-19 election rules, on April 10. It was updated April 17 with additional information state election officials provided on the state's absentee voter registration process.

Gov. Chris Sununu and State Epidemiologist Dr. Ben Chan said Thursday that recent data show restrictions designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus in New Hampshire are working, but they also acknowledged the limitations of any effort to predict the precise impact and timeline of the pandemic at a time when conditions are widely expected to worsen before they improve.

After initially resisting the idea, last week Gov. Chris Sununu implemented a historic “stay-at-home” order aimed at curbing the threat of the coronavirus, which, as of April 2, has sickened 479 in New Hampshire, and been blamed for five deaths.

A Merrimack County corrections officer has tested positive for COVID-19 and is being quarantined, as are two other employees.

An investigation by the Divsion of Public Health Services found that no inmates were exposed to the virus. Jail officials used security camera footage to identify all locations the worker had visited and who he interacted with.

The Merrimack County Department of Corrections said in a press statement that the employee who tested positive had been at the county jail only once for a few hours within the past few weeks.

As the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases rise in New Hampshire, we've heard from a lot of listeners.

As a station, we've tried our best to keep pace with the breaking news of the virus, including a live coronavirus blog, a story on finding connection while social distancing, and reporting on how schools are responding to the outbreak.

Most Fridays, between 300 and 400 people gather to pray at the Islamic Society of New Hampshire's mosque in Manchester. But starting Friday, the doors will be locked -- and there won’t be any more gatherings until further notice.

State health officials said Sunday evening that a person in New Hampshire who recently traveled to Italy is being tested for coronavirus.