Sununu said restrictions won’t be loosened prematurely

CONCORD — Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday he has no intention of loosening coronavirus-related restrictions in the short term even though this might run counter to some sentiment coming out of Washington.

Sununu said in a news conference that New Hampshire may still be three weeks away from a major surge in COVID-19 cases.

“What we are not going to do is loosen regulations just for the sake of the economy at the risk of public health,” he said. “We are not going to do that in New Hampshire. Public health has to be pre-eminent and come first. Whatever messages are coming out of Washington, we’re going to take care of New Hampshire first.”

He said that as new cases drop, regulations will be re-evaluated.

“What we don't want to do is give people a false sense of security,” Sununu said.

He said the state could ultimately have thousands of cases of the virus. It now has about 100 cases..

“We have to message this the right way,” he said. “Please take it seriously. We're in it for the long haul.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is hoping the country will be reopened by Easter, which is about two weeks away.

On Tuesday, Sununu issued his 16th emergency order as part of the state’s effort to respond to the pandemic, prohibiting most scheduled gatherings of 10 people or more.

He has transitioned schools to remote instruction, prohibited dine-in service at restaurants and taken other steps to deal with the crisis.

On Tuesday, he also announced a new website that has been set up to facilitate volunteer efforts in the state — NHResponds.org

The site offers secure online registration for medical and non-medical volunteers.

“Whether you are a healthcare provider, administrative specialist, a retired professional — anyone ready to help in your community — New Hampshire needs you,” the website says.

The governor also announced two other websites:

-- VolunteerNH.org, for people interested in volunteering for a local non-profit can visit volunteernh.org to be connected with an organization in their area.

-- NHEconomy.com/PPEHelp, a portal that will allow for all businesses to see what products the State needs, and reach out to offer assistance.