Sununu: Money for self-employed hurt by COVID up for grabs starting Thursday

CONCORD - Self-employed Granite Staters who suffered financial losses due to COVID-19 will be able to apply for CARES ACT funds beginning tomorrow, Governor Sununu announced on Tuesday.

The process for disbursal of the money will be similar to Main Street program that benefitted small businesses earlier this month.

The $400 Main Street program distributed about $334 million to small businesses statewide, but did not include the self-employed.

When it was learned that about a third of the 13,000 who applied for Main Street funds were self-employed, Sununu and state officials made the decision to birth a second program just for them.

Sununu said the application process will be similar to the Main Street program and easy to complete.

Gov. Sununu also announced another $5 million in Cares Act funding to support youth drug prevention, remote learning improvements, and training to support the programs, $6 million to treat substance use and mental health and $7 million for veterans to include support for the homeless, for veteran housing, mental health and to support organizations that support veterans like the VFW and American Legion.

State epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan announced that the protests that erupted in Manchester and other New Hampshire cities three weeks ago have led to no clusters or spikes in positive COVID cases.

On Tuesday he announced just 15 new coronavirus cases with no new hospitalizations and four deaths, all at longterm care facilities.

He noted that the positive rate of infections among those tested continues to be low, at 2-3 percent.

Chan, however, reminded Granite Staters that the COVID virus is still among us and is increasing in infection rates in other states. He urged everyone to continue social distancing, mask wearing in public and hand hygiene.

Local active COVID-19 case numbers show 15 in Rochetser, six in Dover, five in Somersworth and Farmington, Strafford, Barrington and Milton all at 1-4. Portsmouth is now down to 1-4 cases. By comparison, Manchester has 159 and Goffstown has 135.

More NH COVID numbers

NH Persons with COVID-19 5,571

Recovered 4,316 (77%)

Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 343 (6%)

Total Current COVID-19 Cases 912

Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 558 (10%)

Current Hospitalizations 51

Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 3,375