Golf, haircuts, outdoor restaurant dining to return to New Hampshire

CONCORD — Barber shops, restaurants with outdoor dining, retail outlets, golf courses, hospitals and drive-in theaters will begin to see some relaxation of restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Chris Sununu said Friday.

He and state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in a news conference that improvement in coronavirus case statistics, including a declining percentage of positive tests, is permitting “Stay at Home 2.0.”  

While indoor dining will continue to be prohibited, starting May 18, restaurants will be allowed to open outdoor dining, with tables 6 feet apart and guests limited to six per table.

On Monday, hospitals can resume doing time-sensitive but non-emergency procedures like a biopsy, MRI, CT scan, knee or hip surgery, Sununu said. The ability to get such procedures done in a timely manner is important for public health.

“The longer you wait, the more difficult it is or the more that it impacts quality of life,” Sununu said.

On May 11, golf courses can open, but just for use by New Hampshire residents or members of those establishments. There will be no hanging around the clubhouse, indoor meal service, putting greens or driving ranges.

“You’ll come in your car, go to the first tee, play to the 18th hole, get back in your car and go home,” Sununu said.

Campgrounds will also be permitted to open, but again, only for residents or members.

Massachusetts is having much more severe problems with the pandemic than New Hampshire.  

Also on May 11, barbers can resume business, but by reservation only, with the customer and the barber wearing face masks. No more than 10 people can be in a barber shop or hair salon at a time. Services will be restricted to cuts and simple hair coloring.

On the same date, retail shops can reopen at a maximum of 50 percent occupancy with face coverings required for staff and recommended for patrons.

Drive-in theaters will be permitted to open with requirements that physical distancing be maintained and that people will not congregate.

The governor said the idea behind all the changes is to allow segments of the economy to flex open at a rate consistent with science, the data and medical expertise with the priority of not causing the pandemic to spike.

“We’re not taking giant leaps forward, but we do want to provide the opportunities to flex these things open,” Sununu said.

“I could say, ‘We’ll throw all caution to the wind,’ but guess what, a lot of businesses won’t open up and then you’ll have a viral spread and a run on the healthcare system.”

He stressed the overall stay-at-home order is still in place and the economy likely won’t return to a semblance of normalcy until there is a coronavirus vaccine.

Hotels, motels and other overnight accommodations will remain closed to all but people involved with essential businesses. Churches are to remain closed.

Chan said the state has ramped up testing to about 1,200 per day, more than double the amount of people being tested daily a couple weeks ago. With the additional testing has come the identification of many more cases.

He said Friday saw 164 new positive COVID-19 test results and nine additional deaths. This brings the total number of people who have tested positive for the disease in New Hampshire to 2,310 and deaths increased to 81.

However, more than half of the deaths and most of the recent ones have been associated with long-term care facilities, which are known to have particular problems with the disease. A decrease in the percentage of positive tests and abundant critical care capacity in the state metrics behind reducing some of the business restrictions.

For example, a running, three-day average for positive tests reached 30 percent at the middle of April and is now about 12 percent, according to New Hampshire Health and Human Services statistics.

Chan said the percentage of people requiring hospitalization for the coronavirus seems to be gradually decreasing.

Information on Stay At Home 2.0: https://www.nh.gov/index.htm