All restaurants in New Hampshire will be able to open for indoor dining directly with 100 percent capacity, Gov. Chris Sununu
Chris SununuNH gives mask mandate ahead of motorcycle rally: ‘Sturgis was a real clear warning’ The New Hampshire governor rules woman can keep ‘PB4WEGO’ vanity plate despite recalling state MORE (R) said Friday.
Restaurants must re-enforce coronavirus state opening guidelines, including keeping six feet between tables and a mask requirement for all staff interacting with customers. Patrons are also prohibited from standing at bars.
Sununu said the state’s infection numbers were trending in the right direction, especially in the southern counties which were hit harder.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the state has a little more than 7,000 cases of COVID-19, with a seven-day average of 18 new cases. The positivity level of the state is below 2 percent.
Under the previous rules, restaurants in the northern six counties of the state were allowed to fully open for indoor dining, while restaurants in four of the southern counties of the state were only allowed to open at 50 percent capacity.
The goal was to discourage Massachusetts residents from crossing the border and eating out at restaurants in New Hampshire while their own restaurants were still close.
During a news conference, Sununu said there were no signs of increased infections in areas that have been fully reopened, so health officials are confident that the rest of the state can also fully reopen.
Sununu said the decision was made in part because restaurants may not be able to offer outdoor seating when the weather cools.
He noted that as infection trends decline, he may be able to reconsider the decision, but a single outbreak would probably not lead to reopening roles.
New Hampshire requires customers to wear masks in restaurants when they are not sitting at their tables.
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