- UPDATES AT A GLANCE
- Governor Sununu issues executive order closing all NH public schools March 16-April 3, transitioning to remote learning
- 13 confirmed COVID-19 cases in NH with 100 tests pending results
- Weekend remote testing by referral only has been established at the Armory in Manchester
- Unemployment benefits available for any parent who must stay home to care for children
- Temporary licensed daycares can be set up in workplaces
- 80-85 percent of those who contract COVID-19 will not have severe symptoms
MANCHESTER, NH – It was unnerving enough to be turned away from Dartmouth-Hitchcock on Sunday morning for treatment of a severe migraine. But when a line of questioning around recent travel and other symptoms led two people to the Manchester Armory, things started to feel like a scene from a movie.
“It was like a surreal ET moment,” said a person who had driven his parent to Dartmouth Hitchcock in Manchester Sunday for a COVID-19 test. He wanted to tell about his experience but asked that we not include identifying details.
RELATED STORY ⇒ 6 new cases of COVID-19 bring NH total to 13
The young man said he dropped his parent off to get checked out for a migraine, then left to go get coffee. A few minutes later he got a call to return to the hospital, as his parent was not permitted inside.
“We weren’t even thinking about COVID-19 but after they asked some questions and found out there had been some recent travel outside the country that included coming through Boston, we were handed a slip of paper with a number and an address on it,” he said.
The address led them to the Manchester Armory where two red medical tents were set up behind a fence. There were vehicles with government license plates surrounding the fence, armed guards and an efficient process for driving-through for a swab test.
They were told not to disclose the location to anyone.
“We stayed in the car and drove through the gate, they took a photo of (my parent’s) license and asked for some data, then we pulled through to another red tent where they administered a swab test. They said we’d get a call within 24 hours with results. It was very organized and fast, but it also felt surreal.”
Sununu orders public schools to close
The medical tents were part of a statewide team deployed to train localities to administer remote testing away from hospitals, to avoid a crush of people coming into emergency departments, according to State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan, who addressed questions about the Armory set-up during a Sunday afternoon statewide news conference. At that time Gov. Chris Sununu announced that as part of New Hampshire’s state of emergency declaration, schools across the state would be closed and operating remotely.
Manchester School District on Saturday had already announced plans to close for two weeks, following news that a worker at the Manchester Department of Motor Vehicles on South Willow Street had tested positive for COVID-19.
A person with knowledge of that situation, who asked that they not be identified, said that the woman who has COVID-19 was the driving examiner. According to a former driving examiner, up to 19 people could be given driving tests during a full day, although the average is 10-12 tests per day, including high school students. Given that the state released information detailing five days in particular that the woman was working and likely contagious, that would indicate between 50 and 95 individuals, not including fellow employees, could have had direct exposure to the disease.
Attempts Sunday by Manchester Ink Link to reach NH DMV Director Elizabeth Bielecki for comment regarding an update on operations at the Manchester DMV going forward were unsuccessful.
In Friday’s press release, the state DHHS said the person from the DMV notified her healthcare provider after developing symptoms. The state was in the midst of identifying and contacting any person who had been identified as a close contact over the following dates and times:
- Monday, March 2, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 3, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 4, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Thursday, March 5, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 10, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Manchester DMV was closed Saturday for enhanced cleaning and to allow DHHS to conduct the contact investigation. Any persons who were in the Manchester DMV on those days and have developed symptoms should stay home, limit their contact with others, and immediately contact their healthcare provider. Any individual who is symptomatic but does not have a healthcare provider should contact DHHS at (603) 271-4496.
During Sunday’s press conference Chan said the number of confirmed cases in New Hampshire had risen to 13, nearly double Friday’s announcement of 7 confirmed cases. He also said 379 people have been tested in New Hampshire, with 275 negative results and about 95 test results still pending, he said.
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report (updated March 15, 2020, 9:00 a.m.)
| NH Persons with COVID-191 | 13 |
| Persons with Test Pending at NH PHL2 | 95 |
| Total Persons Tested at NH PHL3 | 379 |
| Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) | 450 |
He cautioned that as more cases emerge, and more testing is done, the numbers are expected to rise exponentially in New Hampshire. Self-quarantine is the recommended procedure. So far none of the state’s 13 cases have required hospitalization, and all are isolating themselves at home.
Remote learning for NH students
NH Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said that all public schools would transition to remote learning, noting that some districts would need more time than others to get up to speed. Sununu said that the state would exercise flexibility in allowing temporary licensed daycare centers to be established to accommodate workers in need of child care. In a clarification from the Department of Education following the news conference, Edelblut clarified that the shift to remote instruction does not apply to nonpublic schools. Families of children attending private schools should be in touch with school administrators for next steps.
