Governor’s Office – News Release: Gov. Ige gives first round of businesses greenlight to re-open
HONOLULU – Gov. Ige today signed a 7th Supplementary Emergency Proclamation(PDF) that authorizes the first group of businesses to re-open since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the temporary closure of non-essential businesses across the state on Mar. 25. The latest proclamation also allows residents to leave their homes to patronize certain businesses and activities under the new “Safer-at-Home” order. Under Phase 1 of the state’s re-opening, the following businesses and operations can re-open starting May 7, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. However, everyone is advised to check the restrictions in place in each county, as they may differ. Agriculture (non-food), such as landscape, [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest May 5, 2020
Governor’s Office: Stay-at-Home Order Becomes Safer-at-Home At a late morning news briefing Governor David Ige announced that the phased approach to re-opening Hawai‘i’s economy is beginning. He said, “Today was another victory in the battle with COVID-19. Only four positive cases were reported. This makes more than two-weeks of single-digit daily new cases. We have some of the lowest numbers of cases in the country. And we have flattened the curve. The Governor’s 7th Supplementary Proclamation allows people to leave their homes to patronize certain businesses and activities. To reflect the new approach in the COVID-19 response, the Stay-at-Home [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest May 4, 2020
Governor’s Office: Governor Ige Expresses Condolences for Family & Friends of 17th Victim Calling it “another reminder of how deadly this disease is, and the way that COVID-19 continues to hurt our community,” Governor Ige expressed his deepest condolences to the family and friends of the latest Hawai‘i resident to fall victim to coronavirus. He said, “Nevertheless, things are getting better every day. The numbers continue to look very good. With only one new case announced today, we are confident that we have flattened the curve.” The governor indicated that testing capacity remains strong and hospital capacities are very [...]
Maui woman is Hawai‘i’s 17th coronavirus-associated death
HONOLULU - Hawai‘i is mourning the passing of another kupuna that may be associated with COVID-19 infection. Dept. of Health Director (DOH) Dr. Bruce Anderson said, “Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of another valued member of our community. COVID-19 is still a critical issue for everyone in Hawai‘i. Please follow social distancing guidelines and current emergency rules to help protect our most vulnerable people.” DOH reports the 17th death is a woman, over 60-years-old, with underlying medical conditions. She had been in the hospital at Maui Memorial Medical Center since late February. Her infection occurred in [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest May 1, 2020
Department of Health: Only One New COVID-19 Case Reported The single case of coronavirus being reported by DOH is an O‘ahu adult and brings the total positive case count in Hawai‘i to 619. The City and County of Honolulu has 400 of the cases reported since Feb. 28th. Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, May 1, 2020 Island of Diagnosis New Cases Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases) Total Released from Isolation O‘ahu 1 400 368 Hawai‘i 0 73 60 Maui 0 114 84 Kaua‘i 0 21 20 Moloka‘i 0 2 0 Lana‘i 0 0 0 Residents [...]
Hawai‘i Department of Health distributes COVID-19 rapid test equipment and supplies to public health and clinical laboratories in all counties
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) State Laboratories Division (SLD) has distributed a total of 12 Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 rapid test instruments to all counties. The rapid coronavirus tests can produce results within 15 minutes when conducted in a certified laboratory. “Having this capability to test a critically ill patient within 15 minutes is a great tool in the fight against COVID-19.” Said Dr. Edward Desmond, State Laboratories Division Administrator. “It helps us detect the virus quickly and respond much faster to help the patient and inform staff to ensure safety measures are in place.” Six instruments [...]
Q&A on COVID-19 Testing: Edward Desmond, Hawaii State Laboratories Division Administrator
Edward Desmond, Ph.D., lead administrator of the Hawaii State Laboratories Division, says that Hawaii’s public health and private sector laboratories have stepped up to establish and expand their capacities for testing. His lab conducts testing for the State’s environmental and public health programs. A microbiologist and 40-year veteran of managing public health and hospital laboratories, Dr. Desmond manages a 100-strong team, now largely dedicated to COVID-19-related work in Hawaii. The questions he is most often asked revolve around coronavirus testing, including “Who should get tested?” and “Why isn’t everyone tested?” Desmond sat down with us to answer a few of [...]
Moving Mountains to Move Masks
Hawaii high school classmates pull together to get critical PPE to state health care workers Think globally. Act locally. And never forget your Hawaii roots. Doing just that was a large part of the driving force behind a large shipment of much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) recently distributed to Hawaii health care workers thanks to a high school connection shared by Robin Chan, co-founder of national nonprofit Operation Masks, and two of his fellow Punahou School alumni. Its team was comprised of Chan’s friends and entrepreneurs with backgrounds in health care, technology and logistics. Since mid-March, Operation Masks has leveraged [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest April 30, 2020
Governor’s Office: Hawai‘i Economic and Community Recovery and Resiliency Navigator Gives Update On a Facebook Live today, Gov. David Ige and Alan Oshima, Hawai‘i’s Economic and Community Recovery and Resiliency Navigator, discussed plans to keep the community safe while beginning to reopen designated sectors. Oshima said his group is connecting with business and community representatives to gather input, share ideas, and provide ways we can create Hawai‘i’s “new normal.” The planning phases include stabilization (immediate health and economic needs), recovery (job growth and investment), and resiliency (restructuring for a stronger future). Both also emphasized the importance of seeing the entire [...]
Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest April 29, 2020
Governor’s Office: Hawai‘i, We Are Almost There Governor David Ige was cautiously optimistic in remarks delivered at a news briefing this afternoon. “Your hard work, sacrifices, and diligence are paying off,” the governor said. For the past ten days, the state has experienced six or fewer new cases of COVID-19. “The curve has flattened…until there is a vaccine or cure we are not out of the woods, and we still need to remain extremely vigilant,” Governor Ige emphasized. He singled out Kauai Mayor Derick Kawakami’s leadership and the people of the Garden Island for becoming the first island [...]