By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff
Dick Hinch died from COVID a week after he was sworn in
On Thursday, Republican Rep. William Marsh, a retired ophthalmologist, spoke out against colleagues who refused to wear masks or hold remote meetings, the Concord Monitor reports. “Those in our caucus who refused to take precautions are responsible for Dick Hinch’s death,” he said. When House members took the oath of office on Dec. 2 in an outdoor ceremony, Hinch arranged a separate seating area for around 80 of them who wouldn’t wear masks. Hinch was among 50 GOP lawmakers, none of them wearing masks, who attended an indoor party Nov. 9 to celebrate the state’s election results. He was also at an indoor caucus meeting Nov. 20, which health authorities later determined had led to at least four infections. Authorities say they are now trying to determine where Hinch was infected. (Read more coronavirus stories.)