Hawai‘i COVID-19 News Update – May 28, 2021
Aloha,
Here’s the latest COVID-19 news and issues facing Hawai'i that you need to know this week.
Governor Ige lifts Hawai‘i’s statewide mask mandate for outdoor activities.
- On Tuesday, the Governor made the announcement saying, “Getting vaccinated is the best way to get to normal ... so that we can relax the restrictions.
- However, everyone must still wear masks indoors for now. State officials also encourage the public to wear masks outdoors if in large group settings.
- In addition to the mask policy changes, Gov. Ige also allowed ocean sports to resume, and the mayors of each county are expected to ask him for permission to ease restrictions on businesses and gatherings.
- The City and County of Honolulu wants to include the island’s vaccination rate as a metric for determining COVID-19 restrictions. Civil Beat reports the city is considering amending Tier 4 to allow public gatherings of up to 25 people and outdoor wedding parties of as many as 200.
- Meanwhile, Hawai‘i County Mayor Mitch Roth is asking the Governor to increase the size of indoor gatherings on Hawai‘i Island from 10 to 25 people as long as a host or business can verify that 75% of the attendees have been vaccinated. If approved, the policy will be the first of its kind in the state. Maui County is also considering changes to gathering size restrictions.
- Gov. Ige already approved Kaua‘i’s modified tier system this week, adding Tier 5 and 6 based on the statewide vaccination total instead of low case numbers, according to KHON2.
Hawai‘i joins a growing list of states offering incentives for people to get vaccinated, as the state marks an important vaccination milestone.
- The state is working with local businesses and organizations like the Hawaii Restaurant Association and the Retail Merchants of Hawaii to motivate residents to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, according to Hawaiʻi News Now.
- Department of Health spokesperson Brooks Baehr said, “Hawai‘i’s business community has been a true partner throughout the pandemic. They are taking the lead in this effort to work with the Department of Health and provide incentives that may engage and excite people.”
- While the specific details are still in the works, Lt. Gov. Josh Green’s office will reach out to hotels in Las Vegas to see if they will donate room nights.
- According to the State Department of Health, more than 50% of Hawai‘i’s population is now vaccinated. More than 1.5 million doses have been administered, and 57% of residents have received at least one shot.
- However, health officials are worried that most of Hawai‘i’s recent COVID-19 cases are from “variants of concern” like the UK and Brazilian strains.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority reported that domestic arrivals are continuing to fuel an accelerated recovery of tourism, with more than 484,000 visitors traveling to the islands in April.
- While April 2021 visitor arrivals were more than “10,000 times better” than April 2020, the figures still represent a 43% decrease compared to April 2019.
- Maui is the “island to watch with higher spending and nearly as many visitors per day as O‘ahu,” according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser. Visitor spending rebounded to nearly 80% of 2019 levels with $394 million.
- “Maui has really been kind of the leader in the post-pandemic rebound, which makes sense,” said Erik Kloninger of Kloninger & Sims Consulting LLC. “O‘ahu is going to lag because of its dependence on international travelers. Kaua‘i was lagging because they didn’t (rejoin) Safe Travels until a few months into the year.”
- However, for the seventh month in a row, statewide vacation rental occupancy outpaced hotels 66.6% to 50.8%, respectively.
- The Associated Press reports the Hawai‘i Council on Revenues sharply increased its tax revenue forecast for the state to reflect rebound spending by visitors and residents.
- The council expects general fund tax revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30 should rise 5% compared to the previous 12 months, up from a 2.5% decline the council estimated at its last meeting in March.
Mahalo nui loa,
Your BG Team