ENFIELD — The Enfield Selectboard is requesting “in the strongest possible terms” that people wear face masks in public.
The request came in the form of a resolution issued on Thursday and posted online.
Specifically, the Selectboard asks that where physical distancing is not possible, all residents and visitors — regardless of vaccination status — wear a face mask in public, except for children under the age of 2.
They also ask that people follow the mask requirements of individual businesses and organizations, and continue to follow the requirement that face masks be worn in public areas inside municipal offices.
As of Wednesday, Enfield had seven active cases of COVID-19 and 62% of residents had been fully vaccinated, according to the state dashboard.
HANOVER — Dartmouth College closed Alumni Gymnasium for the day on Wednesday to encourage compliance with the college’s masking policy.
The facility, which includes the Zimmerman Fitness Center, West Gym and Berry racquet courts, was closed for general recreational activity, but remained open for club sport programs.
“Our hope is this action will result in better mask compliance in the future, so everyone remains safe,” college officials wrote in a message to the community.
If not, officials warned, “there will be further limitations put in place.”
The gym reopened on Thursday. In addition requiring mask-wearing indoors, Dartmouth also requires that those on campus get tested for COVID-19, weekly for those who are vaccinated and twice weekly for those who are not.
As of Wednesday, 96% of Dartmouth’s on-campus community had been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the college’s online virus dashboard. There were six active cases, including one undergraduate, three graduate students and two employees.
LEBANON — Two Upper Valley long-term care facilities have ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
Summercrest Senior Living, on Summer Street in Newport, now has 18 cases, including 13 residents and five employees, according to DHHS. Newport has had 109 new cases in the past two weeks and had 65 active cases on Thursday.
The Lebanon Center, a Genesis HealthCare facility located on Old Etna Road, has 12 cases, including 11 residents and one employee. Vaccination is required in all Genesis facilities. Lebanon has had 29 new cases in the past two weeks and had 20 active cases on Thursday.
A Vermont program started during the pandemic that distributes free restaurant-made meals for people in need and directs revenues to local restaurants has been extended for the rest of the year.
Vermont Everyone Eats operates statewide, with the goal of addressing people’s food needs and supporting local eateries and farms. Restaurants are expected to get many ingredients, such as produce, locally.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is covering the meals $10 at a time, NECN reported.
“Hunger is an emergency and a crisis every single day someone is experiencing it,” Jean Hamilton, the program’s statewide coordinator, told the news outlet.
She expects recipients’ food needs to increase as their home heating bills start coming in and said restaurants have also been challenged.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
