Tuxbury Campground Closed 3/30/2020 The Governor
of NH's emergency order #17,established that Campgrounds are
not considered essential businesses. Tuxbury Campground will remain closed until
the emergency order is lifted on May 4th or potently later in the month.
For
more information, please visit the DHHS COVID-19 webpage at https://www.nh.gov/covid19.
Do's & Don'ts for STAY AT HOME order. 3/26/2020
Deb Hobson State Representative for our District 35 is available if residents have question about State funding for COVID-19 . She can be reached via her website Deb4nh.org
General
questions on COVID-19 please call 2-1-1 Callers will reach a phone menu, and
then select the ‘COVID’ option to reach a live operator. Callers should
expect to wait patiently for many minutes to reach an operator.
If you suspect a case of COVID-19 (via exposure or travel) immediately report to the DPHS at these phone numbers:
During the day, call 603-271-4496 (office hours from 8:30 AM to
4:30 PM) or 603-271-5300 (only after hours). Caller should expect to
leave a message with an operator, or leave a voice mail, and wait patiently for
a return call within a few hours
If you or a family member is feeling sick (i.e. symptomatic
with fever, cough or shortness of breath) to call your healthcare provider:
If you don't have a provider, can
call an urgent care clinic and ask for an evaluation.
March 24,2020
Dear South Hampton Residents,
Here are a few updates regarding Town-wide questions and
issues....
The State is establishing new guidelines and directives by
which all emergency personnel must adhere. The State's changing
protocols regarding COVID-19 response address issues such as how to deal
with corona contact, possible exposure, testing, and becoming
infected. These new protocols must be learned and understood by our
first responders. Both Police Chief Roy and Deputy Fire Chief Campbell have
been in contact with the State on a daily basis and update the Selectmen as
needed.
There have been a few questions about making contact with
Town inspectors - building, electrical, plumbing, and health. We recommend that
if you are ready for an inspection, you have your contractor call the inspector
associated with your project to discuss your situation. The Town, at this
point, does not want to send out an agent who could possibly contract the virus
or expose you to the virus. Remember, some people with the virus are
asymptomatic. Some inspections (electrical, plumbing etc.) may be able to be
given conditional approval by the contractor answering phone questions and
supplying the inspector with digital photography. It is up to each individual
inspector to determine a course of action.
Please note that our trash/recycle hauler has reminded us of
the following:
1) All trash and recycling has to be curbside in a
barrel or container which does not expose the hauler to any possible
virus. No loose, large items such as cardboard etc. may be left as a stand
alone; all items must be in an acceptable container. Haulers do not want to
come in direct contact with your trash or recyclables. Therefore, put your
trash in a plastic bag inside of a barrel; however, no plastic bags are allowed
in recycling.
2) Facial tissue,
napkins, paper towels, gift wrapping paper and tissue paper, wipe-ups, and soiled
paper and/or plastic plates and utensils - have never been acceptable as
recyclable items. Please put all of these items in the trash, not in recycling
containers. These items at the single source recovery plant cause major
problems to the system and could possibly now expose plant workers to the
corona virus. When properly put in the trash, the items are incinerated with
very limited possibility of human contact.
Finally, as a helpful hint - take care of your septic
system. It is not recommended to flush a lot of disinfecting wipes down the
toilet. Sanitizing wipes biodegrade very slowly, and, secondly, they are
harmful to the micro organisms and bacteria that digest the organic material in
the septic tank and leach field.
We're in this together! Stay safe. Be well.
South Hampton Selectmen
March 22, 2020
Concord,
NH
– The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued
the following update for March 22, 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.
New
COVID-19 Cases in New Hampshire
On
Sunday, March 22, 2020, DHHS announced 13 new positive test results for
COVID-19. There have now been 78 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in New Hampshire.
The new cases are all adults, including nine males and four females. The 13 new
cases reside in Rockingham (3), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and
Nashua (3), Strafford (2), Grafton (1), Manchester (1), Belknap (1), Carroll
(1), and Sullivan (1) counties. This is the first positive case of COVID-19
identified in Sullivan County. Eight of the new cases have either had travel to
domestic or international locations or have had close contact with a person
with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Five of the cases have no identified risk
factors. Community-based transmission has been identified in the majority of
the counties in the State. Nine new cases are isolating at home. Two of the new
cases are currently hospitalized and one was hospitalized and released; thus
far, six patients out of the 78 positive cases (8%) have been hospitalized.
DHHS is
also updating the county of residence for a case announced on March 20. DHHS
has since determined that the county of residence was Grafton County rather
than Coos County. The map issued today reflects this new information.
Current
Situation in New Hampshire
New Hampshire 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary Report
(updated March 22, 2020, 9:00 AM)
NH
Persons with COVID-19(1)
78
Persons
with Test Pending at NH PHL (2)
889
Total
Persons Tested at NH PHL (3)
2341
Persons
Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time)
850
(1) Includes
specimens presumptive-positive at any laboratory and those confirmed by CDC
confirmatory testing.
(2) Includes specimens received and awaiting testing at NH Public
Health Laboratories (PHL). Does not include tests pending at commercial
laboratories. (3 ) Includes specimens sent to CDC prior to NH PHL testing capacity. NH DHHS
Daily Update on COVID-19 Archive
Due
to concern for the health and safety of its customers and staff during the
COVID-19 pandemic, the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles will transition
to phone and online services starting Thursday and limited appointment only
services starting Monday to allow for proper social distancing as defined by
the Center for Disease Control.
Walk-in
operations at all locations will pause Thursday and Friday, March 19 and 20, to
allow staff to train and prepare facilities for appointment based operations.
Online, phone, and mail services will not be interrupted.
Starting
Monday, March 23, limited walk-in services will be available by appointment
only and consolidated to five locations:
Concord, Dover, Manchester,
Newport,
andTwin
Mountain.
Starting
Friday, customers can call (603) 227-4000 to schedule an appointment. Customers should take advantage of the DMV’s online
services, including online driver license renewal, ID renewals, and online
ticket pay at www.nh.gov/dmv.
All
driver license road exams are canceled until Friday, April 3, 2020.
NH
DMV 20-day plates as well as NH authorized dealer 20-day plates, issued on or
after February 26, 2020 have been given an automatic extension through April
30, 2020. These extensions do not apply to vehicle registration renewals.
Please visit your town website for vehicle registration renewal options.
NH
DMV non-commercial driver licenses and non-driver identification cards that are
expired or set to expire between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020 are eligible
for a 6-month extension. Customers should take advantage of this option by
calling (603) 227-4020. An applicable renewal fee will be due at the time of
the call. To learn more about 6-month license extensions, please go to www.nh.gov/dmv.
Newton Transfer Station Closed March 17,2020 Due to COVID-19 the Newton Transfer Station is Closed to South Hampton Residents.
March 17, 2020
To South Hampton Residents,
On March 16, 2020, the South Hampton Selectmen met with key public
safety officials as well as heads of various Town committees. Our goal was to
create a Town-wide plan to manage and prepare for the potential risks related
to the Coronavirus outbreak. Although we are a small town with volunteer fire
responders and limited police responders (not 24-hour service), we were able to
formulate a plan that could benefit the entire community.
The first topic we discussed was communication - who would be the
Town’s spokesperson, who would communicate with county, state, and federal
officials, and how all pertinent information would be disseminated. We decided
that updated information about what is happening in our Town and the State
could be posted on the Town’s official web page and Facebook page. The
information will be updated regularly as the situation warrants. We hope
residents will be able to digest everything, as this virus and its response is
becoming a fast-changing, unpredictable event.
Secondly, we discussed testing protocols and associated ambulance
transportation. In NH, at this moment, it is recommended that if you believe
you have severe symptoms of the coronavirus, call your primary care physician
and let the physician do the diagnostics. Don’t go to the hospital, emergency
room, or out patient clinics such as Urgent Care. There is confusion as to
whether there are enough test kits available, so depending on the patient’s
medical condition and history, doctors are selectively testing.
If you feel you have contracted the coronavirus and are too sick
to drive yourself to your primary care doctor, the protocol remains the same - call
911 to assure the fastest response. Do not visit the fire station.
The fire department’s non-emergency phone number is 394-0105.
We also discussed and voted unanimously to close the Town Hall
Offices and Library until at least April 6, 2020. If you need an automotive
registration renewal, it can be done online. Use the NH EReg process. Visit www.eb2gov.com and follow the instructions. The process will be finalized by
mail, so there will be no need for face-to-face visits with the Town Clerk. If
you received temporary number plates after March 1, 2020, the DMV has extended
the expiration date until April 30, 2020. New registrations will not be
available until the Town Clerk’s office reopens. If you have an urgent need to
discuss something with the Town Administrator, E-mail Angela Racine at admin@southhamptonnh.org . The Town Administrator has a VPN protocol and
can keep vital functions of the Town running from her home office. All
committees and boards will cease to meet until at least April 6, 2020.
Finally, we have a plan in place which is mostly staffed by
volunteers. We are going to do the best we can to help all folks in need. We
ask for your help and support as this situation unfolds. We don’t know what
lies ahead, but we feel assured that if we all adhere to the government’s
guidelines, remain calm, and maintain phone, text, or email contact with our
neighbors, we will get through this.