California woman arrested for travel quarantine violation
HONOLULU – A 51-year old woman from Moorpark, CA was arrested this morning by a team of Special Agents from the Investigations Division of the Department of the Attorney General for violating the State’s 14-day travel quarantine. Investigators say Misty Lynn Beutler arrived in Honolulu on May 9 to stay with her son at a Hawai‘i Kai condominium. A resident of the complex reported seeing the woman and her son unloading luggage that day. Two days later, the same witness reported seeing the pair enter the condo lobby carrying beach equipment. Then on Wednesday, the witness said she saw [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest May 21, 2020
Governor’s Office: Update on Interisland Travel Quarantine Hawai‘i is now in the “Act with Care,” phase two of the overall, “Beyond Recovery,” reopening strategy for the state. Governor Ige announced at an afternoon news briefing that he has been working closely with the counties on opening up businesses and activities, and lifting the 14-day quarantine for interisland travel is top-of-mind for many people. Governor Ige said, ”Health measures are pointing in the right direction to make this move…with infection levels appearing to be under control across the state.” He explained this is important to avoid a high level [...]
Hawai‘i Department of Health reports COVID-19 testing capacity now up to total of 3,620 tests per day in all four counties
HONOLULU -- In-state COVID-19 testing capabilities have been a top concern throughout the pandemic, but an assessment of statewide testing capacity this week shows there are ample supplies of tests that can be conducted in Hawai‘i. It means Hawai‘i residents can breathe a sigh of relief. Healthcare providers can now consider testing patients whom they suspect may be infected to ensure rapid identification of cases. This is a shift in the Hawai‘i Department of Health’s earlier guidance that required specific symptoms and epidemiological criteria before testing. In the past three weeks, the number of sites conducting tests has increased [...]
Arizona visitor posts Hawai‘i excursions, takes a job and is arrested
HONOLULU – Wednesday afternoon, Special Agents from the Investigation Division of the Dept. of the Attorney General arrested an 18-year-old woman on charges of violating the State’s mandatory 14-day-quarantine rule and for unsworn falsification to authority. Alyza Alder, of Gilbert, AZ, was taken into custody at a fast food restaurant in Laie, after a citizen notified authorities that she was allegedly in violation of emergency rules. The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority assisted law enforcement on this case. Alder arrived on O‘ahu on May 6 and allegedly began posting photos of herself swimming off beaches in Lāʻie and Hau‘ula between May [...]
Signers of the Times
The critical role of sign-language interpreters, especially during public health emergencies. You’ve seen them at every media briefing given by the governor, the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) and other state officials throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Standing a minimum six-feet distance from presenters and in front of cameras to speak directly to the public, they listen carefully to everything the speakers say and immediately communicate the same vital information in American Sign Language to viewers who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing. They all deserve our gratitude and honored place on this pandemic’s list of unsung heroes. We’re, of course, praising the [...]
Q&A: Patty Sakal, Sign-Language Interpreter, Hawaii Interpreting Services
Patty Sakal is a familiar face to folks who tune in to the near-daily COVID-19 media briefings led by Gov. David Ige and City and County of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. Indeed, with more than 35 years of experience as an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, it’s likely you’ve seen Patty hard at work during countless televised or live-streamed state and county briefings quietly, yet expressively, interpreting the words of officials into ASL for Hawaii residents who are Deaf, hard-of-hearing or Deaf and Blind. We spoke with Patty to learn about the responsibility she feels interpreting important real-time information on [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest May 20, 2020
Department of Health: Two New Cases of COVID-19 Reported O‘ahu and Hawai‘i island each have a new positive coronavirus case according to the latest count from DOH. One of the cases is an adult and the other is a minor. The investigation of these cases is ongoing, and it’s not known whether either of the cases was travel-associated or community-associated. Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, May 20, 2020 Island of Diagnosis New Cases Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases) Total Released from Isolation* O‘ahu 1 416 385 Hawai‘i 1 79 76 Maui 0 115 95 Kaua‘i 0 [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest May 19, 2020
Department of Health: One New Case of COVID-19 Reported One (1) Hawai‘i island adult has tested positive for coronavirus according to the latest count from DOH. Investigators are attempting to determine if this case has any potential links for previous cases. The outbreak at Maui Memorial Medical Center in Kahului is now considered closed. Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, May 19, 2020 Island of Diagnosis New Cases Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases) Total Released from Isolation* O‘ahu 0 415 385 Hawai‘i 1 78 76 Maui 0 115 95 Kaua‘i 0 21 20 Moloka‘i 0 2 2 [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest May 18, 2020
Governor’s Office: Hawai‘i Moves into “Acting with Care” Phase Governor David Ige announced at a news briefing this afternoon that the state is now transitioning from the “Safer at Home” phase to the “Acting with Care” phase that celebrates Hawai‘i’s Kama‘aina economy. He said, “In this phase we start to reconnect Hawai‘i’s local activities by gradually reopening medium-risk businesses and activities; followed by high-risk businesses and activities. The move from the “Stabilization” phase (which included Stay-at-Home) to “Safer at Home” was made possible by the flattening of the COVID-19 infection curve due to good social-distancing practices, and other [...]
Department of Health issues Cease and Desist Order to Malama Meals for food safety violations
HONOLULU - The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) Food Safety Branch has issued a Cease and Desist Order to Ahmad Ramadan dba Malama Meals located at 91-100 Farrington Highway. The operation was preparing and providing meals on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and Molokai. “The operation had multiple food safety issues as it prepared and packaged hot meals on O‘ahu and shipped them to the neighbor islands without proper temperature controls,” said Peter Oshiro, chief of the DOH Food Safety Branch. “Without proper controls, the risk of an outbreak of food illness is high and could have a devastating impact especially on [...]