Board of Aldermen 12-22-2020 Page 22
The healthcare industry has been mobilizing for this concern which it identified earlier this spring. We knew
that in the fall when people were coming in from outdoors, and when outdoor dining was no longer a
possibility and indoor gatherings replaced barbeques there would be a much greater exposure level. We
also knew that there would be a much greater exposure level in restaurants because more people would be
in the restaurants. There is a capacity limit which is implemented by the State, which recognizes this. We
also have a mask mandate which also recognizes this as well. So all of this would normally have been
presented by the Board of Health where they invited or specifically asked to interact with the Board of
Aldermen and attend this meeting and they did not. So | wanted to address a comment that was made by
one of the public comments with regards to preferential treatment being given to the Board of Health. Not
only did they not get preferential treatment, but they really haven’t been directly engaged in this. The
Public Health Department, which is our City staff was invited to present what they had last night, not as an
Agenda item but because we recognized that we had not done that and that we typically did. And this was
an important issue where we needed to invite them.
So having a Board of Health member who is an expert on this topic only be able to make his comments in a
three-minute period during public comment is very unusual and | think the President recognized that by
giving him slightly more time. | do not know what happened to that speaker and where he is tonight but |
do know that in his comments he referenced a letter and gave the impression that he intended to be able to
present more or was under the impression that he would be able to and he was not. So | just want to clarify
that no special favors were done to the Board of Health that they didn’t earn and that they are entitled to as
the Board of Health that our City has appointed to this role. They are doing what they are supposed to do,
they are making recommendations that they are supposed to make.
And then finally | just want to read part of the Ordinance which is in the Agenda for anybody who is
watching and wants to see the full script. | am only reading part of it but it says specifically, “whereas there
is currently a State of Emergency in the State of New Hampshire due to the outbreak of the COVID-19
Pandemic. Whereas on March 11", 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was characterized as a pandemic by
the World Health Organization. Whereas the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have
advised that COVID-19 is spread mainly by person to person contact and that the best means of slowing
the spread of virus is through practicing social distancing, and minimizing personal contact with large
groups and in environments where the potentially deadly virus may be transmitted, including in particular
spaces that present enhanced risks because of large numbers of people present or passing through that
may be spreading the virus through respiratory activity or surface contacts.
These were specifically areas that were noted in the previous Board of Health Meeting as why the high risk
behavior happening after 9:30 was being targeted, why the restaurant industry is being targeted. The
restaurant industry is the only industry where we have exempted them from mask wearing in order to do
business because you cannot consume a beverage or food without taking your mask off. Because
everybody is indoors and breathing vapors out, that means everybody is basically congregating in a cloud
that everybody is sharing that allows COVID-19 to transport itself. Now many businesses are bigger than
others or smaller than others and have different variables at play. They have different types of ventilation,
they have different types of air flow and air flow is a factor, the filtration is a huge factor too.
So this is the concern that Public Health can’t set a specific guideline for every single individual restaurant
at this time based on the CDC Guidelines because it would exclude many restaurants but it would also
require inspection of all of those sites. And while inspections are done regularly in order to operate, it is
known to the Board of Aldermen and the Board of Health is aware that there is no way to do that in a timely
manner during a crisis and during a COVID-19 outbreak. It’s not feasible or at least it wasn’t determined to
be feasible by the Board of Health at their last meeting to implement anything specific or targeted before
Christmas and before New Year’s. There was a lot of discussion and interest in the Board of Health
continuing to meet and | would remind the public that these are special meetings, not their regular
meetings, they are putting a lot more extra time than they typically would into this as a pandemic would
suggest and they are taking times away from their own practices and the patients that they have, in order to
advise the City.
