Hawai‘i COVID-19 News Update – May 14, 2021

Aloha,

Here’s the latest COVID-19 news and issues facing Hawai'i that you need to know this week.

Hawaiʻi’s economic recovery outlook is positive, according to experts and new data.

A UHERO report forecasts a healthy return for Hawaiʻis economy if projected tourism growth materializes.
Hawai‘i’s economy is recovering faster than previously expected, but a problematic combination of unrecoverable hotel jobs and outward migration remain.
A closer look at UHERO’s report shows it’ll be several years before tourism and the broader economy reach even 2017 levels.
On a positive note, UHERO said the Mainland visitor market has outperformed expectations, with visitor numbers forecast to reach more than 70% of pre-pandemic levels by late summer.
Civil Beat reports a sudden surge in demand for travel has overwhelmed Hawaiian Airlines’ systems for booking flights – both online and on the phone – leaving Hawaii’s dominant carrier unable to serve customers.
During an interview with Honolulu Magazine, hospitality expert Keith Vieira shares his belief that tourism is perfect for Hawaiʻi’s economy, people and land if correctly managed.

Hawai‘i is “close” to reaching herd immunity, according to the state epidemiologist.

Herd immunity means enough people in the community are immune to the virus to slow or stop its spread. Experts say that could happen when between 70 to 90% of the population is vaccinated.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble says there is no magic number. “What does herd immunity actually mean? It’s one of those frustrating questions when we’ll kind of know it when we get there, but I do believe we are getting close,” Dr. Kemble added.
The John Hopkins University vaccine tracker shows Hawaii is sixth in the nation for those fully vaccinated.
Roughly 41% of Hawai‘i’s population is vaccinated, and Kaua‘i has the highest vaccination rate of any county at 61%.
Statewide, the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases continues to decline and is currently at 67.

The state’s interisland vaccine passport program marks at least 80,000 participants since launching on Tuesday.

Hawaiʻi News Now reports the program, which allows vaccinated Hawaii residents to travel inter-island and avoid quarantine, has screeners manually check residents’ vaccination cards at Hawai‘i’s airports.
State officials expect expanding the program to trans-Pacific travelers sometime this summer will be a logistical nightmare because there are at least 65 government and provider databases with vaccination records.
State chief information officer Doug Murdock, who heads the office of Enterprise Technology Services, says Hawai‘i may add individual states or vendors to the program one at a time.

Governor Ige opts to keep mask mandates in place, despite new relaxed rules from the CDC.

The CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing that “anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing.”
Gov. Ige argues that less than half of Hawai‘i’s population is vaccinated; it’s difficult to tell who has and hasn’t been vaccinated, and he wants to see more keiki get the shot before lifting the mandate.
Meanwhile, U.S. Hawai‘i Senator Brian Schatz is calling on Gov. Ige to loosen restrictions on youth sporting events so parents can cheer on their keiki and allow surf competitions and regattas to resume.
Schatz said that it’s “time that we begin to reward the people of Hawaii for being one of the most responsible states in the country in responding to COVID-19.”

Mahalo nui loa,

Your BG Team

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