Massachusetts FIGHTS EVICTIONS amid outbreak

An update of COVID-19 news from across New England:

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is warning landlords not to try to kick tenants out of their homes during the outbreak.

The Democrat’s office says that despite a new state law temporarily restricting evictions, there’s been an uptick in reports of landlords trying to intimidate tenants into leaving.

The new law prohibits evictions during the ongoing public emergency unless a tenant has broken the terms of their lease or committed a crime that put other residents at risk.

According to Healey’s office there has been an increase in reports of landlords trying to circumvent the rules by intimidating or harassing tenants into leaving voluntarily.

“Families across our state have suffered enormous financial hardship during this public health crisis, and they need to know that they won’t be kicked out of their homes,” Healey said.

Massachusetts recorded another 150 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths on Friday, bringing to 4,702 the total number of deaths recorded in the state since the pandemic’s start.

MAINE

Maine will get more than $4.7 million in federal funds to expand COVID-19 testing.

The money, announced by U.S. senators Susan Collins and Angus King, will cover the purchase and use of test kits by 18 health care organizations around the state. Some of the money will be earmarked for walk-up and drive-up testing facilities, as well as for protective gear for health care workers administering the tests.

Bangor-based Penobscot Community Health Center is the largest recipient of the funds for testing and will receive more than $1 million.

Maine reported 34 new cases and one additional death on Saturday, bringing the state’s total to more than 1,300 cases and 64 deaths.

VERMONT

Snow and unseasonably cold weather complicated the state’s efforts to gradually reopen outdoor recreational activities this weekend.

Gov. Phil Scott sounded an optimistic note in a Tweet offering his sympathies to residents who might have been looking forward to golf, tennis or other activities after weeks inside.

“This is just a snapshot in time,” the Republican governor tweeted. “Just like better weather is ahead, better days will come, as well. We will get through this, together.”

On Saturday, the Vermont Department of Health reported two new positive cases of the coronavirus, for a total of 921.

The total number of deaths stood unchanged at 53.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Help is on the way for households struggling to pay energy bills amid the outbreak, New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation announced Saturday.

The state will receive $6.7 million in federal funds to boost the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps eligible residents pay their energy bills. The additional money was approved as part of the federal coronavirus relief package

“COVID-19 poses a long-term threat to the financial security of low-income families and seniors, and we need to make sure they have access to the support they need during this crisis,” U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, said in a statement announcing the funding.

Nearly 30,000 residents received assistance through the program last year.

As of Friday, 2,947 people in New Hampshire had tested positive for the virus, an increase of 104 from the previous day. There have been at least 121 coronavirus-related deaths in the state.