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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 11 March 2020

As previously predicted, George Bailey and Jim Saccoccia have won three-year terms on the Select Board. Patricia Gingrich won a three-year term as Trustee of Trust Funds. Rick Walker won a three-year term as Cemetery Trustee. Karolina Bodney and Lindsey Maziarz won three-year terms as Library Trustees, and Karen Lee Towne won a one-year term as a Library Trustee. Ronald St. Jean won a two-year term for Town Moderator, and Nilda T. Janelle won a six-year term in the Supervisors of the Checklist.

The biggest news of these election results was that the Library (Article 03) didn’t pass. It required a 60% majority vote, and it only received 49.5% of the vote with 1144 votes. Article 02, Zoning – Solar Ordinance passed, as did the Stormwater Asset Management Grant (Article 04), the Operating Budget (Article 05), the Greenhill Road Bridge Replacement (Article 06), the Highway Heavy Equipment Capital Reserve (Article 07), and the Bridge and Culvert Capital Reserve (Article 08).

The Fire Truck Capital Reserve also passed (Article 09), as did the Emergency Communications Upgrades Capital Reserve (Article 10), and the Fire and Rescue Equipment Capital Reserve (Article 11). The Tricentennial Celebration Expendable Trust passed (Article 12), in addition to the Cemetery Capital Reserve (Article 13), the Library Technology Capital Reserve (Article 14), and the Solar Energy Exemption – 100% of Value (Article 15). The Elderly Exemption passed overwhelmingly (Article 16), as did both the By Petition: Service Connected-Disability Credit and the Service-Connected Disability Credit (Articles 17 and 19).

Allow Keno in Barrington failed to pass in a narrow dissent (Article 18). The By Petition: Prevent Nuclear War passed with 1137 votes (Article 20), as did the By Petition: Resolution, Act on Climate Pollution with 1303 votes (Article 21). Also, the By Petition: Resolution for Fair Redistricting submitted by Rep. Matt Towne passed with 1487 votes (Article 22).

For the Annual School District Election, Annmarie Cummings won a one-year term as School District Clerk with 1953 votes. Cindy Taylor won a one-year term as School District Treasurer with 56 votes. Ronald St. Jean won a one-year term as School District Moderator with 1967 votes. Also, Garth Svenson won a three-year term on the School Board with 1233 votes.

The school district’s budget passed with 1477 votes (Article 02). A Paraprofessional 3-year Collective Bargaining Agreement passed with 1522 votes (Article 03), and To add money from fund balance to Facilities Capital Reserve Fund passed with 1642 votes (Article 05), as well as Article 06: To add money from fund balance to High School Tuition Capital Reserve Fund with 1487 votes.

There were 7336 registered voters in Barrington, and 2328 turned out for this election, or 31.78%. For more information, please see the official results here.

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 10 March 2020

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announces the fifth presumptive positive test result in New Hampshire for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This person is an adult male from Rockingham County and is self-isolated at home. Any household contacts are self-quarantining. 

This person was identified as a contact to a case of COVID-19 in another state. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health tested and notified NH DHHS of the presumptive positive case.

DHHS is conducting an investigation into this person’s activities and has determined they remained at home while ill except to seek healthcare. NH DHHS will notify any persons who may have been in close contact with this person while infectious.

Despite increased testing in our communities, the NH DHHS has not yet identified any widespread transmission in NH nor individuals who test positive without clearly identified risk factors (e.g. travel or contact to a confirmed COVID-19 case). Any person who develops a fever or respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) should stay home away from others and seek health advice by phone from a healthcare provider to discuss symptoms and any risk factors for COVID-19. Given the increasing numbers of infections globally and around the United States, all persons should:

·  Stay home and avoid public places when sick (i.e. social distancing)

·  Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing

·  Wash hands frequently

·  Avoid being within 6 feet (close contact) of a person who is sick

·  Avoid sharing drinks, smoking/vaping devices, or other utensils or objects that may transmit saliva

·  Disinfect frequently touched surfaces

For more information, please visit the DHHS COVID-19 webpage at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/2019-ncov.htm.

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 10 March 2020

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued the following update for March 10, 2020, on the new coronavirus, COVID-19. DHHS will continue to issue COVID-19 updates each day to provide media and the public with current information about the State’s efforts.

What’s New

DHHS is closely monitoring the global COVID-19 outbreak and emerging science in order to minimize the impact to the health of our population, including rapid identification, isolation, and testing of people with suspect COVID-19. DHHS is issuing the following updated guidance for our communities.

·  DHHS Announces Fifth Presumptive Positive Case of COVID-19

DHHS has announced a fifth presumptive positive test result for COVID-19. The patient is an adult male from Rockingham County who was tested in Massachusetts. 

·  DHHS and DOE Address School Concerns Surrounding Educational Trips

DHHS and the NH Department of Education (DOE) continue to work collaboratively to help school districts protect their school communities and address COVID-19 concerns, particularly for school districts who have school trips scheduled. Updated guidance for educational trips can be found at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/documents/school-trip-guidance.pdf.

Because of the rapidly changing situation, DHHS and DOE recommend that schools closely scrutinize the purpose and destination of any planned travel and consider postponing any out-of-state travel for the time being. Because of travel restrictions in place in other countries, anybody who travels internationally risks difficulty returning and could potentially face quarantine in another country (e.g. Italy) and/or quarantine upon returning to New Hampshire based on the progression of the global COVID-19 outbreak.

·  First round of self-monitoring and self-quarantine process has been completed

A number of individuals have completed their quarantines and currently show no signs of illness, including those who participated in school trips to impacted areas. The cooperation and compliance of these individuals and their families have prevented the potential spread of COVID-19. We thank them for exercising these important preventive measures that protect the health of their neighbors and communities. 

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(updated March 10, 2020, 9:00 AM)

Number of Persons Confirmed 1	2
Number of Persons Presumptive Positive, awaiting CDC confirmation 2	3
Number of Persons with Test Pending in PHL 3	10
Number of Persons Tested (closed, tested negative)	53
Total Number of Persons Provided Specimens	68
Number of Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time)	228

1Includes specimens confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2Includes specimens tested at NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL) and other reference laboratories.
3Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL).

DHHS continues to test for COVID-19 in the NH Public Health Laboratories. DHHS is updating its website Monday through Friday to include a current summary of testing actions.

Previous Updates

·  Travel Guidance for Individuals at Increased Risk for Health Complications from COVID-19

·  DHHS and DOE Working to Address School Concerns and Avoid Unnecessary School Closures

·  Precautionary Guidance for Town Meeting Locations 

NH DHHS Daily Update on COVID-19 Archive

Because COVID-19, and all respiratory illnesses are most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, residents should take the same precautions as those recommended to prevent the spread of influenza:

·  Stay home and avoid public places when sick (i.e. social distancing)

·  Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing

·  Wash hands frequently

·  Avoid being within 6 feet (close contact) of a person who is sick

·  Avoid sharing drinks, smoking/vaping devices, or other utensils or objects that may transmit saliva

·  Disinfect frequently touched surfaces

For more information, please visit the DHHS COVID-19 webpage at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/2019-ncov.htm.

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 09 March 2020

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued the following update for March 9, 2020, on the new coronavirus, COVID-19. DHHS will continue to issue COVID-19 updates each day to provide media and the public with current information about the State’s efforts.

What’s New

DHHS is closely monitoring the global COVID-19 outbreak and emerging science in order to minimize the impact to the health of our population, including rapid identification, isolation, and testing of people with suspect COVID-19. DHHS is issuing the following updated guidance for our communities.

·  Travel Guidance for Individuals at Increased Risk for Health Complications from COVID-19

Emerging data from China show that people with medical conditions and those older than 60 years are at increased risk of serious health complications and even dying if they become ill with COVID-19. Everyone should monitor the CDC’s Travel Health Notices and avoid travel to any country with a level 3 travel notice (China, Iran, Italy, South Korea). Older adults and those with other medical conditions should talk with their healthcare providers before any domestic or international travel and consider postponing travel to minimize their risk from COVID-19.

·  DHHS and DOE Working to Address School Concerns and Avoid Unnecessary School Closures

DHHS and the NH Department of Education (DOE) continue to work collaboratively to help school districts protect students and communities, and address COVID-19 concerns. We offer and update many resources available both through the DOE and DHHS. The most recent school guidance from DHHS can be found here. As the global COVID-19 epidemic unfolds, there are likely to be more people in NH identified with COVID-19, and close contacts will be asked to stay home and self-quarantine, which may directly affect students and school staff.

NH DHHS will continue to have a scientifically-based and collaborative response that balances reducing risk of disease transmission with school continuity. When DHHS identifies risk from COVID-19 to a school community that warrants closure, DOE and DHHS will collaboratively alert and advise the impacted SAU. Currently, there is no recommendation for any school to close over COVID-19 concerns. We continue to work with the NH DOE to keep school communities updated. It is critical that school districts coordinate their COVID-19 response with DHHS and DOE to make informed decisions to protect their communities.

·  Precautionary Guidance for Town Meeting Locations

Tuesday, March 10, 2020 is Town Meeting Day in New Hampshire. To help prevent potential spread of COVID-19 at town meeting locations, the New Hampshire Secretary of State has provided the most recent CDC polling location guidance to town election officials. The above public health recommendations apply to all polling workers and attendees. In addition, the CDC recommends election officials implement the following COVID-19 precautions for town meeting locations:

·  Stay at home if you have fever, respiratory symptoms, or believe you are sick

·  Practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces

·  Disinfect surfaces that may be contaminated with germs after cleaning

·  Practice hand hygiene frequently

·  Clean and disinfect voting associated electronics (e.g., voting machines, laptops, tablets, keyboards) routinely

·  Ensure bathrooms at the polling station are supplied adequately with soap, water, and drying materials so visitors and staff can wash their hands

·  Provide an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol for use before or after using the voting machine or the final step in the voting process

New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report (updated March 9, 2020, 1:00 p.m.)

Total Number of Persons Tested	56
Number of Confirmed Case(s) 1	2
Number of Persons Tested (current, presumptive positive) 3	2
Number of Persons Being Tested (current, test pending) 2	8
Number of Persons Tested (closed, tested negative) Number of Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time)	44 225

1 Includes specimens confirmed by CDC confirmatory testing.
2 Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH Public Health Laboratories (PHL).
3 Includes specimens that have tested presumptive positive at NH PHL and are in route to CDC for confirmatory testing.

DHHS continues to test for COVID-19 in the NH Public Health Laboratories. DHHS is updating its website Monday through Friday to include a current summary of testing actions.

Previous Updates

·  NH MMRS Supports State Efforts to Test People for COVID-19

·  DHHS Guidance for People with a Family Member in Self-Quarantine

·  COVID-19 Testing Capability Expands

·  Federal Funding Bill for COVID-19 Response Approved by U.S. Senate

NH DHHS Daily Update on COVID-19 Archive

Because COVID-19, and all respiratory illnesses, are most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, residents should take the same precautions as those recommended to prevent the spread of influenza:

·  Stay home and avoid public places when sick (i.e. social distancing)

·  Cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing

·  Wash hands frequently

·  Avoid being within 6 feet (close contact) of a person who is sick

·  Avoid sharing drinks, smoking/vaping devices, or other utensils or objects that may transmit saliva

·  Disinfect frequently touched surfaces

For more information, please visit the DHHS COVID-19 webpage at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/2019-ncov.htm.