NHPR is continuing to cover the developing story around coronavirus in New Hampshire. Bookmark this page for the latest updates.

Click here for all of our coverage, including our updated FAQs and the latest guidance about coronavirus in New Hampshire.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on this developing story.

New headlines:

Live coronavirus blog:

Sununu issues new emergency orders on alcohol take-out, telemedicine, online ed tools

Update: Wednesday, March 18, 2:30 p.m.

Governor Chris Sununu has issued new emergency orders aimed at helping businesses and residents adapt to the state’s response to COVID-19.

The state will temporarily let restaurants and bars sell beer and wine for takeout and delivery – while in-person dining is prohibited through April 7.

The order applies to any business that carries a liquor license, and lets them distribute sealed containers only – up to 192 ounces of malt beverage, equal to 12 standard bottles or cans of beer, or 1.5 liters of wine, equal to two standard bottles.

Beer and wine delivery will not be permitted on any college or school campuses.

Sununu is also issuing guidelines for telemedicine services – including requiring they be covered by insurance providers.

A third order will expedite state approvals of digital education tools for remote classroom instruction. Schools are required to begin remote learning by March 23.

Other orders from the governor in recent days have expanded eligibility for unemployment to people affected by coronavirus, and temporarily barred evictions, utility shut-offs and foreclosures. (Scroll down for those updates.)

- Annie Ropeik

_____________

Sununu joins New Hampshire's senators in push to reopen ACA enrollment

Governor Chris Sununu is joining with Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan in asking the Trump administration to re-open the open enrollment period for health insurance plans on healthcare.gov.

In a letter to the Trump administration sent today (Wednesday, March 18), Sununu says getting more people signed up for the plans would ensure better access to testing and treatment related to the coronavirus.

Sununu asks that the enrollment be re-opened for between 60 and 90 days.

- Jason Moon

U.S. - Canada border closes to all non-essential travelers

Update: Wednesday, March 18, 12:05 p.m.

The U.S. - Canadian border will close to all non-essential travelers as officials try to contain the spread of coronavirus. President Trump made the announcement in a tweet Wednesday morning. He says trade will not be affected.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed that, saying supply chains and trucking across the border will continue.

At a press conference this morning, Trudeau said, “Travelers will no longer be permitted to cross the border for recreation and tourism. In both our countries, we're encouraging people to stay home.”

Canada is requiring two weeks of self isolation for anyone who does enter the country - and they're limiting entry only to Canadians or Americans. More details on the new border restrictions have not been released.

- Annie Ropeik

Keene State College faculty member tests positive for COVID-19

Update: Wednesday, March 18, 10:45 am

A faculty member at Keene State College has tested positive for COVID-19 and is being treated at a hospital in Massachusetts, where she is a resident. In a video statement released Tuesday (March 17), college president Melinda Treadwell said the administration is working to reach out to people the faculty member may have had contact with on campus, and is coordinating with state health officials on a further response.

The college has alerted 66 people who have had potential contact with the patient, who was on the school's campus when she started to display symptoms. The faculty member had previously traveled to an area at higher risk for COVID-19.

Treadwell also announced that the college will enter into an "extended curtailment," with students being told not to return to campus on April 5th as planned. The school's board of trustees is meeting today (Wednesday, March 18) to discuss longer-term decisions.

Watch Treadwell's full statement:

President Treadwell Address from Keene State College on Vimeo.

- Daniela Allee

Dartmouth announces spring term will be taught remotely

Update: Tuesday, March 17, 9:30 pm

Dartmouth College has announced that its spring term will be entirely remote for undergraduate and graduate students.

Earlier, the college had planned for the first five weeks to be remote.

In a message to the Dartmouth community on Tuesday, the College’s provost also announced that Dartmouth will ramp down and pause research activities on campus. Research staff and students will have to do that work remotely, unless granted an exception by the college

Clinical rotations for medical students have been suspended too.

Of New Hampshire’s 26 coronavirus cases, seven are in Grafton County. One Dartmouth graduate student who lives off campus has tested positive for COVID-19. Two other students have also been tested.

The college will use one of its dormitories as a space for students who have remained on campus and who may need to self-quarantine. Professional packers and college staff have started to pack students’ belongings from that dorm and are placing them into storage.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health has also announced it will no longer allow visitors at any of its facilities starting Wednesday, as a precautionary step to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Exceptions will be made for the neonatal ICU, the partners or spouses of patients in Dartmouth Hitchcock's birthing pavilion, or those receiving end-of-life care.

-Daniela Allee

Latest batch of COVID-19 cases hints at "community transmission" in N.H.

Update: Tuesday, March 17, 5:25 p.m.

State health officials announced nine new positive test results for COVID-19 in New Hampshire this afternoon, bringing the total number of known infections in the state to 26.

The new cases are all in adults: five males and four females. Four live in Rockingham County, three in Hillsborough County, and two in Grafton County. Health officials said several of the newly identified cases are in people who were not known to have contact with an already identified case, indicating that New Hampshire is now seeing community-based transmission of COVID-19.

“The increasing number of cases and new evidence of community-based transmission raises concern that the COVID-19 outbreak is intensifying in New Hampshire,” said Dr. Ben Chan, state epidemiologist. “The state has put into place measures to help prevent larger scale transmission at schools and larger gatherings; however, it is critical for everybody to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 and practice social distancing. We know that this novel coronavirus can be spread very easily through close contact, and the virus can be spread even when people are only having very mild early symptoms of illness.”

Districts begin delivering meals to students amid school closures

Update: Tuesday, March 17, 5:05 p.m.

School districts across New Hampshire are preparing for remote learning classes to begin by next Monday, in response to the statewide school closure to stem the rise of COVID-19 transmission. But today, many started remote meal services.

Some districts are implementing curbside-pickup at school. Others are dropping off breakfasts and lunches prepared at school to students at home.

Manchester launched its meal delivery program to thousands of students earlier today. Laconia says it served around 800 lunches and plans to double that on Wednesday. Claremont is starting its meal pickup services on Wednesday.

In some districts with high poverty rates, the district can offer free meals to all students under the age of 18 and get reimbursed with federal funds.

Families should contact their school district for more information.

-Sarah Gibson

N.H. hospitals concerned about coronavirus impact to their balance sheets

Update, Tuesday, March 17, 4:40 p.m.

As hospitals take steps to prepare for an outbreak of coronavirus in New Hampshire, industry experts say the virus will take a toll on their balance sheets.

Facilities around the state are taking drastic steps to ensure they have the capacity to treat patients. That includes cancelling elective and non-emergency procedures, as well as ramping up ways to potentially treat or test patients in unique settings, such as outdoor tents.

“I think this is going to have a significant impact on all hospitals,” Steve Ahnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, told NHPR. “We are at a point where hospitals are spending significant amounts of resources to stand up new capacities, new processes in their organizations, and they are also announcing that they are going to be suspending services that they would normally be providing.”

Ahnen said in the short term, facilities will likely see a “significant impact” to their cash flows. The Hospital Association says it is in contact with the state’s federal delegation as well as state-level officials to ensure resources will be made available, if needed.

-Todd Bookman

Governor orders ban on evictions, foreclosures to soften blow of COVID-19 response

Update Tuesday, March 17, 10:20 a.m.

Gov. Chris Sununu issued a series of orders Tuesday morning aimed at softening the financial blow for New Hampshire residents dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

At a press conference with legislative leaders, Sununu banned all landlords from starting eviction proceedings and prohibited all foreclosures during the state of emergency initiated last week in response to COVID-19. He also barred utilities - including electric, gas, water, telephone, cable, fuel and internet providers - from disconnecting service for non-payment.

Sununu also expanded eligibility for state unemployment benefits to residents who lose work due to COVID-19; for people who are under quarantine or caring for a family member under quarantine; and for people whose employment is interrupted due to the statewide school closure that began this week.

"We're in uncharted territory," Sununu said. "So we have to make some bold decisions."

Read full story here.

State bans all large gatherings, orders restaurants to end on-site dining

Update, March 16, 4:55 p.m.

Gov. Chris Sununu is banning public gatherings of groups larger than 50 people through the state and forcing restaurants to go take-out, delivery or drive-thru only starting tomorrow, steps he said are necessary to help contain spread of the coronavirus.

The move follows new CDC guidelines on public gatherings and comes a day after Sununu said he did not think New Hampshire needed "a government mandate" to limit public gathering.

In a statement Sununu said, "knowing neighboring states have closed restaurants and bars has caused New Hampshire to evaluate those states' actions and their impact on New Hampshire's population risk profile."

Sununu's order came on the same day that state health officials announced four additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Hampshire, bringing the statewide total to 17 cases. The new cases include three adult males and a female under the age of 18.

-Josh Rogers

Click here for more on the new restaurant rules ordered by Gov. Sununu

_______

WATCH: Governor Chris Sununu held a press conference along with state epidemiologist Dr. Ben Chan and education commissioner Frank Edelblut on Sunday, March 15. The governor announced a sweeping reponse to coronavirus, including school closures across the state, as well as the new number of identified cases in the state: 13.

Earlier updates

CLICK HERE FOR EARLIER UPDATES