Hawai‘i COVID-19 News Update – October 1, 2021
Aloha,
Here are the latest COVID-19 news and issues facing Hawai‘i that you need to know this week.
Governor Ige announces he’s extending the COVID emergency proclamation, keeping the statewide mask mandate and Safe Travels program in place for another 60 days.
- Before the surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the islands, Governor Ige asserted that he would drop all COVID restrictions when the state hit a 70% vaccination rate. As of today, the vaccination rate stands at 68%.
- In a press conference, Governor Ige said, “As we have all seen, Delta has changed that equation. COVID continues to cause high rates of infection throughout our state. We continue to monitor the healthcare situation in our islands but we feel it’s important to extend the emergency proclamation.”
- According to KHON2, the governor also clarified that employers are not required to pay for COVID testing for workers who choose to undergo testing requirements rather than showing proof of vaccination.
Hawai‘i marks the deadliest month of the pandemic to date, with more than 190 fatalities.
- The state reports 193 deaths in September, which means 1 in 4 COVID deaths in Hawaii since the pandemic’s start in March 2020 were reported this month.
- Tim Brown, East-West Center senior fellow, said, “That is a very, very high death rate in one month. These are not statistics, these are family who have died leaving the family behind and grieving.”
- The State Department of Health (DOH) says the vast majority of those who were hospitalized and who died were unvaccinated. They also noted that more deaths were among younger people.
- Health Department spokesman Brooks Baehr said, “There is way too much death, way too much suffering, way too many people in the hospital. It’s absolutely tragic but preventable. Let’s prevent it.”
- Meanwhile, DOH’s latest cluster report reveals two workplace outbreaks led to nearly 40 infections among employees and close contacts. The department also urged employers to offer paid sick leave to employees who need to quarantine.
State and hospitality leaders are collaborating on a plan to invite visitors to return to the island.
- The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports a lack of international visitors to Hawai‘i combined with a COVID-19 surge and Governor Ige’s plea for travelers to avoid nonessential trips to the state contributed to a 22% drop in August visitor arrivals from pre-pandemic times.
- The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is developing messages for the governor’s team to consider when the governor sees fit to issue a pronouncement reinviting people to return to the islands.
- New data from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Hawaii Tourism Authority finds that while the overall visitor arrival numbers are down compared to 2019, domestic arrivals outpaced pre-pandemic levels.
- HTA President and CEO John De Fries said, “The August 2021 results showed that total visitor spending and visitor arrivals continued to steadily improve on the strength of the domestic travel market.”
- Hawaiʻi News Now reports there are other aspects of the visitor industry that still need to recover. Mufi Hannemann, the president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism and Lodging Association, told HNN, “We know international travel and the opportunity to host large gatherings and convention center type of conferences is what’s missing right now.”
Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) offers an update on its planning, direction and accelerated destination management efforts through a regenerative tourism model for the state.
- During a public forum, HTA reports that Hawaiʻi attracted a highly diverse market of visitors pre-pandemic, but the industry is now reliant on U.S. visitors.
- Resident sentiment surveys show a decline in those who feel that their families are impacted by tourism and that tourism isn't worth the cost, according to the organization. However, there is a rise in those who think that Hawaiʻi operates for the benefit of visitors.
- HTA also shares that attracting high-value visitors doesn’t necessarily mean affluent travelers but rather those who are mindful and whose values align with those of Hawaiʻi – including shopping local and remaining respectful of the people and culture throughout their visit.
Mahalo nui loa,
Your BG Team