New Hampshire Legislative Update
On March 26th and 27th, the Governor issued three new emergency orders, representing the states’ latest efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Emergency Order #17, the most notable, requires all non-essential businesses to close until May 4th. Attachment A to the order outlines what businesses are considered “essential.” It includes health care facilities, gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores, banks and credit unions, hardware stores, homeless shelters, food banks, animal health services, gun stores, liquor stores, restaurants, and breweries. You can find a full list of essential services here.
Please be aware, though, that the list is subject to change. So it is important to monitor updates from the Department of Business and Economic Affairs’ website.
In terms of enforcement, Emergency Order #17 gives health officials and state and local police the authority to prosecute the new guidelines. The attorney general’s office, however, has clarified that their primary objective is not criminal enforcement, but to “inform the public of the order, its importance to public health, and to seek voluntary compliance.”
