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Rep. Pappas Responds to New Hampshire Schools Transitioning to Remote Learning

March 15, 2020

MANCHESTER, NH - Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) released the following statement after Governor Chris Sununu and New Hampshire state health officials announced that New Hampshire public K-12 school districts are being directed to transition to a remote learning environment through at least April 3rd, 2020 to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus in New Hampshire.

"These are unprecedented times for our state and nation, and they call for extraordinary measures to safeguard the health and well-being of all our communities," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "I support Governor Sununu's decision to enhance social distancing and help limit the community spread of the coronavirus by directing public K-12 school districts in New Hampshire to switch to remote learning practices through at least April 3rd. We all need to do our part to lower the infection rate of coronavirus and the pressure on our health care system, and this is an important step in that effort. I am immensely grateful for our teachers and school professionals who will continue their work educating our young people under these challenging circumstances. I remain committed to working with state and local partners to ensure that New Hampshire has every resource available to deal with this outbreak and protect our families, students, communities, and small businesses."

Rep. Pappas voted on Saturday morning to approve a second emergency coronavirus spending package to establish free coronavirus testing for all who need it, ensure emergency paid leave, enhance unemployment benefits, expand food assistance, and provide additional funding to states and small businesses and their employees for the ongoing economic consequences of the pandemic.

Additional Resources:

State of New Hampshire Information: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/2019-ncov.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
2-1-1 information: Granite Staters who have questions or concerns about the coronavirus, its impact in New Hampshire, and precautions they should take can now call the state's 24/7 hotline by dialing 2-1-1.

Background:

On Friday, Congressman Pappas, along with Congressman Lloyd Doggett (TX-35) and Congressman Ted Lieu (CA-33), led over 100 lawmakers urging HHS to establish a Special Enrollment Period for patients to seek ACA Marketplace coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly important for New Hampshire, which is one of the 38 states covered by the federal exchange.

On Tuesday afternoon Congressman Pappas and Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) hosted a telephone town hall for over 10,000 Granite Staters with Dr. Benjamin Chan, State Epidemiologist for New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NH-DHHS); and Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at NH-DHHS to answer questions and give updates on coronavirus mitigation and best practices.

On Monday, Pappas met with city health and public safety officials for a briefing and update on Manchester's coronavirus preparation.

Issues:Health Care