Daily News Digest

Department of Health: Two Additional Deaths and 87 New COVID-19 Cases Today Two (2) more O‘ahu residents have passed away due to coronavirus. One is a man, in the 70 to 79-year-old age group, who had underlying conditions and had been in the hospital. The other death is a woman, in the 50 to 59-year-old age category, with no known underlying health conditions. She too had been hospitalized. Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 134. Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Sept. 29, 2020 Island of Diagnosis New Cases Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases) O‘ahu [...]

Department of Health: 90 New COVID-19 Cases Today – All on O‘ahu All 90 new cases of coronavirus reported by DOH today are on the island of O‘ahu. It’s been several months since case counts were zero for all Neighbor Islands. No additional deaths were reported. Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Sept. 28, 2020 Island of Diagnosis New Cases Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases) O‘ahu 90 11,026++ Hawai‘i 0 700 Maui 0 370 Kaua‘i 0 59 Moloka‘i 0 18 Lānaʻi 0 0 HI residents diagnosed outside of HI 0 30 Total Cases 90 12,203 Deaths    [...]

Department of Health: Three Deaths and 112 New Cases Reported Today Three (3) O‘ahu residents increase Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 death count to 127 people. All three people had underlying health conditions, and all had been in the hospital. One was a man in the 60-69-year-old age group. Two women also passed away; one in the 50-59-year-old age group and the other in the 60-69-year-old age group. Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Sept. 25, 2020 Island of Diagnosis New Cases Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases) O‘ahu 97 10,724 Hawai‘i 14 691 Maui 0 371 Kaua‘i 1 58 [...]

Governor’s Office: COVID-19 Emergency Period Extended & Pre-Travel Testing Program Authorized Late yesterday, Gov. David Ige signed a 13th supplementary emergency proclamation that extends the COVID-19 emergency period through Oct. 31. The emergency proclamation leaves in place the 14-day mandatory quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers. However, beginning Oct. 15, a pre-travel testing option will allow travelers an alternative to the mandatory 14-day quarantine. “Our response to COVID-19 has always been driven by the need to protect the safety of our residents and community. The pre-travel testing program allows us to do this while welcoming more people to our [...]

Department of Health: Two Deaths and 168 New Cases Reported Today Two (2) O‘ahu residents increase Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 death count to 122 people. A man, 80-years-old or older, passed away while hospitalized. Both he and a woman in the 70 to 79-year-old age group had underlying health conditions. She passed away at home. DOH is reporting a triple-digit increase in cases today, with 168 new cases. Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Sept. 23, 2020 Island of Diagnosis New Cases Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases) O‘ahu 154 10,546++ Hawai‘i 13 672 Maui 0 369 Kaua‘i 0 [...]

Governor’s Office: Governor Ige Gives Verbal Approval to City & County of Honolulu Recovery Framework Governor Ige is expected to sign off on the latest COVID-19 emergency order from the City & County of Honolulu, aimed at reducing virus spread and to put O‘ahu on the path to economic recovery. The new order establishes criteria for loosening or tightening restrictions on businesses and activities to keep Honolulu healthy. The framework has four (4) tiers based on the level of community spread, determined by two factors: the number of daily cases reported and the positivity rate. These will be based [...]

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Joint Information Center: Two of Three Reports Released On COVID-19 Cluster & Deaths at State Veterans Home Two reports detailing in-depth assessments of conditions and protocols at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home (YOSVH) in Hilo, have been developed. The assessments were conducted separately by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA). The VA and HI-EMA assessment reports are attached with this release. The Dept. of Health’s (DOH) Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA) is preparing a report on its inspection of infection control measures based on State and Centers [...]

Joint Information Center: COVID-19 Quarantine Exemption Requests Go Digital Beginning Saturday In an effort to make the quarantine exemption process easier and more efficient, the State Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS), developed a new web-based form which goes live on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Previously those seeking exemptions, such as critical medical or infrastructure workers had to communicate with, and provide information to, the State via emails. The new online form and submission system will mean more efficient interactions with exemption seekers, better data gathering and access for decision makers. Currently, exempt travelers will still have to [...]

Governor’s Office: Focus on Health of Students, Teachers, & Staff At a morning news briefing, Gov. David Ige acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially tough for families with school-aged children. He said reopening Hawai‘i schools touches on three priorities he announced yesterday: Protecting the health of our community Reviving our economy Strengthening our community Gov. Ige said, “Our ability to restart our economy depends in part upon schools opening up safely, so parents can go back to work without worrying about their children’s well-being.” He observed that schools provide services and support to children and families beyond [...]

Governor’s Office: Pre-Travel Testing Option to Begin on Oct. 15, 2020 At an afternoon news briefing, Gov. David Ige announced plans for a Hawai‘i pre-travel testing program that gives travelers the option of possibly avoiding a 14-day-long quarantine upon arrival to the state. This is viewed as one of the key measures for revitalizing Hawai‘i’s visitor-centric economy, while providing protection from the spread of COVID-19. Key components of the pre-travel testing program include: All travelers must either pre-test or go into 14-day quarantine upon arrival to the state All travelers are required to have temperature checked and complete a [...]