State Emergency Operations Center and Joint Information Center to Close

Concord, NH – Today, Governor Chris Sununu announced that both the State Emergency Operations Center and Join Information Center will close effective at 4:00 PM this afternoon and issued the following statement:

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our teams at the Emergency Operation Center and Joint Information Center have worked around the clock to ensure a consistent and coordinated strategy among our state agencies in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “With minimal community transmission, we no longer find ourselves in an immediate emergency situation. Our teams will keep their eye on the ball, consistently assessing the situation on the ground, just as they always do.”

The Joint Information Center was first opened by Governor Sununu on March 9, 2020. The State Emergency Operations Center was subsequently activated by Governor Sununu on March 13, 2020.

The Joint Information Center serves as a central point of contact for news media and coordinates incident information during large-scale emergencies. During the COVID-19 response, the Joint Information Center:

• Was staffed at various times by more than 45 state employees representing 19 state agencies
• Handled more than 4,500 media inquiries
• Collaborated on more than 400 press releases and updates

The State Emergency Operations Center is a central command and control facility, and is responsible for carrying strategic-level functions during an emergency. During the COVID-19 response, the State Emergency Operations Center procured and distributed PPE, supporting testing and vaccination missions, coordinated quarantine and isolation for first responders and health care workers, tracked and analyzed data to inform state-level decision-making, liaised with business and industry partners, and organized operations for the COVID Call Center in partnership with 2-1-1 NH.

During the COVID-19 response, the State Emergency Operations Center processed more than 6,300 mission tasks or requests for resources/services, including more than 42 million items of PPE distributed across the state.

Following the closure of the State Emergency Operations Center and the State’s Joint Information Center, ongoing pandemic operations transition to the NH Department of Health and Human Services.

The COVID Call Center via 2-1-1 remains available 8:00 AM until 8:00 PM daily by calling 2-1-1 or 603-271-5980 if you live near a bordering state.

MEDIA NOTE: Members of the media with inquiries that would have previously gone to the NH Joint Information Center should now contact the appropriate state agency. COVID-19 response inquiries should be sent to the NH Department of Health and Human Services Public Information Office at (603) 271-9389 or pio@dhhs.nh.gov.