Hawai‘i COVID-19 News Update – June 18, 2021
Aloha,
Here’s the latest COVID-19 news and issues facing Hawai‘i that you need to know this week. First, Hawaiʻi News Now reports that Governor Ige may drop all COVID-19 restrictions on travel, mask mandates and gatherings before reaching a 70% vaccination rate if the case count continues to drop.
State leaders estimate trans-Pacific travel restrictions could lift for all U.S. travelers in just two weeks.
- Lt. Gov. Green notes Hawai‘i is only 10,000 shots away from reaching the 60% vaccinated milestone, which would allow visitors from the U.S. mainland to skip pre-travel testing with proof of vaccination.
- Keith Vieira, principal of KV & Associates, Hospitality Consulting, said getting to those benchmarks is becoming increasingly important as other destinations open more fully. If the state doesn’t further loosen its restrictions soon, Vieira says, “travelers might cancel or postpone trips to Hawai‘i and instead head to places where travel requirements are nonexistent or less expensive and easier to understand.”
- Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Tara Shimooka told the Honolulu Star Advertiser, “Testing remains an impediment to travel, especially as many other travel destinations begin to exempt vaccinated travelers for restrictions.”
- On Tuesday, state officials loosened restrictions for interisland and trans-Pacific travel for individuals who have been vaccinated in Hawai‘i, allowing them to skip pre-travel testing and quarantine.
- Meanwhile, the Hawai‘i Convention Center continues to mark large losses in the group travel and convention market, with two conventions totaling 37,000 attendees deciding to take their business elsewhere due to Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Following the launch of the HiGotVaccinated program, health officials report a 38% increase in vaccinations over the last week.
- The vaccination incentive program offers prizes like 100,000 Hawaiian Airline miles and discounts to local businesses to encourage residents to roll up their sleeves.
- Lt. Gov. Green estimates another 200,000 people need to get vaccinated to reach the state’s 70% vaccination goal. Once that goal is reached, state officials will drop all travel restrictions and roll back most gathering and business restrictions.
- In addition to vaccinated residents, Lt. Gov. Green believes the state should also consider the number of people who recovered from COVID-19, which would add a 4% buffer.
- However, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports the vaccination data from the federal versus state governments have differed for months and paint a different picture of Hawai‘i’s progress. Data from the CDC says Hawai‘i’s vaccination rate for individuals getting at least one dose stands at 68.4%, while state leaders say the actual figure is 61%.
- Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization, noted the discrepancies are especially “challenging” since the state relies on data to inform health policies and reopening strategy. “Obviously, because our policies are based on it, it would be nice to reconcile things,” Bonham said.
In a Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i survey, around 86% of respondents say they are struggling to fill job openings.
- As the state economy rebounds from a pandemic-induced recession, the Chamber believes Hawai‘i high schoolers can help rebuild Hawai‘i’s workforce. The organization is running several professional development and training programs with public high schools in an effort to “increase the local talent pipeline.”
- State labor data indicates that employers generally should have an easier time than normal hiring workers. Hawaiʻi’s labor force of 649,750 people exceeded employment by 55,350 people, giving the state an 8.5% unemployment rate in April.
- Eugene Tian, the chief economist at the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said the “effects of the pandemic, including federal financial assistance payments and fears of contracting COVID-19, have motivated some people not to work despite job opportunities.”
- However, Hawaiʻi News Now spoke to several people who are having a hard time finding work after the state renewed the unemployment job search requirement two weeks ago.
- UNITE HERE Local 5 – a hotel workers union – spoke with Hawai‘i Public Radio about how hotels are calling their workers back to work at a lagging rate, even as tourism rebounds in the islands.
Mahalo nui loa,
Your BG Team