Hawai‘i COVID-19 News Update – August 6, 2021
Aloha,
Here’s the latest COVID-19 news and issues facing Hawai‘i that you need to know this week.
While Hawaiʻi’s COVID-19 cases continue to surge to record levels, state officials are evaluating whether to reinstate restrictions to stop the spread.
- There are currently 4,300 active COVID-19 cases statewide, of which 95-97% of those cases are from unvaccinated individuals. Health officials also report the state hit the highest daily case count since the pandemic began with 655 cases on Thursday.
- Gov. David Ige says he will not support another shutdown or stay-at-home order but plans to discuss reducing gatherings to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors with county leaders.
- Hilton Raethel, president and CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi, said, “Generally speaking, people are not wearing masks at those events, and then when you’re eating or drinking, you’re exposed to the potential for transmission for over two or three hours.”
- Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi told KHON2, “We have no intention to go back tiers. We will have a conversation tomorrow about the size of gatherings and I will defer any comment until we all get together with the governor.”
- Lt. Gov. Josh Green says most cases have occurred through community spread – mostly among unvaccinated individuals – and from residents traveling to high-risk locations like Las Vegas and Texas.
Governor Ige announces state and county workers must get vaccinated by August 16 or face weekly COVID-19 testing.
- The new mandate covers all public employees, including teachers, corrections officers, first responders, among others. Those who refuse to comply with the mandate could lose their jobs.
- Hawaiʻi Public Radio reports that unvaccinated workers who cannot logically complete the two-dose vaccines – Pfizer or Moderna – by Aug. 16 will need to initiate their vaccination, submit to weekly testing and then provide proof of vaccination.
- Six public unions – representing thousands of workers – issued a joint statement saying, “The emergency proclamation will impact our members’ working conditions and the employer must bargain those impacts with the appropriate collective bargaining units. Details on how tests will be administered, how results will be kept confidential, and how the state will fund this mandate will need to be negotiated with the state and we look forward to having those discussions right away.”
- The state’s announcement follows similar announcements from other agencies and organizations, including the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives, which adopted a requirement for all House members and staff to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30.
- By Sept. 24, student-athletes and athletic staff in Hawaiʻi’s public schools must receive full vaccinations to participate in sports. The University of Hawaiʻi also requires all student-athletes to be vaccinated.
- Hawaiʻi’s healthcare facilities also announced a vaccine mandate which will be in place at Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, The Queen’s Health Systems, Adventist Health Castle and Kaiser Permanente, which will go into effect on Sept. 30 or Oct. 1.
Travel restrictions are back on the table as visitors continue to fly into the state amid the Delta-variant-driven spike in cases.
- KHON2 reports state and county officials are meeting to discuss the possibility of reinstating the requirement for all travelers to take a COVID-19 test 72 hours before their flights.
- Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara said, “We could roll that back and just mandate everyone be required again to get the 72-hour pre-test with all the same rule nucleic acid application test safe travels testing partner all of the same things.”
- Despite the rise in cases, Hawai‘i continues to be a popular tourist destination. The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) reported that visitor arrivals totaled nearly 90% of those in July 2019, exceeding the organization’s most optimistic forecasts from earlier this year.
- According to Carl Bonham from UHERO, the factors that have led to the resurgence of visitors include pent-up demand, excess savings and “wanderlust” in travelers. He expects visitor numbers to continue to climb.
- This has not led to an increase in employment opportunities, and UHERO reported that Hawaiʻiʻs job recovery is only about 40% complete, with 94,000 jobs statewide still unfilled.
Hawai‘i’s eviction moratorium ends tonight, but the federal government reinstated a 60-day nationwide moratorium confusing landlords and tenants.
- State officials confirm the new federal eviction moratorium from the CDC does apply to all four major Hawai‘i Counties.
- According to Hawaiʻi News Now, the Governor’s Office said the moratorium is in effect because all major Hawaii counties have either substantial or high community transmission of COVID-19.
- The federal order is not as broad as Hawai‘i’s eviction moratorium and only applies to tenants who have used “best efforts to obtain all available governmental assistance for housing” or fall into other categories. Tenants must also fill out an Eviction Protection Declaration to see if they qualify.
- Meanwhile, a total of $180 million in federal funds has been allocated for emergency rental assistance on O‘ahu; however, the Rental and Utility Relief Program has only awarded $47.8 million in rent and utility help to households across the island, according to Civil Beat.
- “There should be no evictions in Hawaii when federal funds are available to ensure tenants can remain current on their rent and landlords can be made whole,” said Congressman Kai Kahele in a letter to Gov. David Ige on Wednesday.
Mahalo nui loa,
Your BG Team