Hampton Beach prepares for end of NH COVID-19 mask mandate

HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. — Summer hasn’t been summer in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire for a long time, with COVID-19 restrictions forcing some big changes.

But now New Hampshire is doing something no other New England state has done: It is lifting the COVID-19 mask mandate.

“Tomorrow, New Hampshire will not renew the state’s mask mandate,” Gov. Christopher Sununu announced Thursday afternoon. “With over a 95 percent drop in fatalities, vaccines being so readily available, especially to those most vulnerable, this is really why we put the mask mandate in place to protect for. And it worked, it really did.”

That announced made just weeks before Memorial Day and the start of New Hampshire’s all important summer tourist season.

And in Hampton Beach, many welcomed the news.

At the Sea Ketch Restaurant, the owner and staff are hoping and prepping for a big summer season..

“To me it’s a sign that things are going to go back to normal for sure, so that’s a good thing,” Amanda Villandry, general manager of the Sea Ketch, told me.

Next door at the Boardwalk Inn and Café, owner Jim “Cheech” Rocha told me there was enough business to stay afloat last year, but he added removing the mask mandate is a big boost.

“I do think it’s time to make a move,” Rocha said. “I think it’ll be well-received by the businesses and the people too.”

During summer, with its huge crowds, Hampton Beach is one of New England’s most popular tourists sites.

Not everyone is thrilled the masked mandate is going away.

“I’m nervous about it, I think it would feel great to get back to a little normal, but it’s definitely going to be a little weird at first. Hopefully it’s a step in the right direction if we are ready for it,” resident Jim Godwin said.

Out on the beach, Peter and Mary Taylor told me they think it’s too early to lift the mask mandate.

“It’s stupid. It’s crazy,” Mary Taylor said of lifting the mask mandate.

“We’re senior citizens, we won’t go into stores, restaurants, nothing without our masks,” Peter Taylor added.

It remains to be seen if other New England states will also lift their COVID-19 mask mandates.

Download the free Boston 25 News app for up-to-the-minute push alerts

>> Complete Covid-19 vaccine coverage

RESOURCES:

- Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here

- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Watch Boston 25 NOW

- Download our free apps for your phone and smart TV