Daily News Digest

Department of Health: 123 New Coronavirus Cases Includes 18 Children A third day of triple-digit case numbers is being reported by DOH and is the first time total cumulative cases have exceeded 2,000. The 123 newly diagnosed cases include 18 pediatric cases (18-years-old and younger) and follows 32 pediatric cases reported yesterday. Public health authorities continue to remind everyone to be kind and to act with care, as not only do we need to protect our kupuna, but everyone we love and cherish, including our keiki. Please, each of us must act as if we have the virus and [...]

Office of the Governor:  SB126 Signing and Line Item Veto Gov. Ige held a news briefing Thursday to announce he has signed Senate Bill 126, with modifications. The governor said his primary concern was to expend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding before it expired at the end of the year and to ensure maximum flexibility to use the funds where it is needed most. The vetoes include; A $90 million appropriation for airport screenings and health assurance initiatives. Gov. Ige pointed out Department of Transportation believes that $70 million will be sufficient for equipment [...]

Office of the Governor: Spike in Cases Remind Community to Stay Vigilant, Reinstating Measures Being Considered At a news briefing Wednesday, Gov. Ige addressed the latest spike in COVID-19 cases. He said while the State is concerned about the high numbers, it was anticipated because the State laboratory was not testing during Hurricane Douglas. DOH reported a total of 109 cases overnight. Gov. Ige also assured the public the spike is manageable, and Hawai‘i still has adequate healthcare capacity. However, he is now proposing counties reinstate some measures in coordination with the State in an effort to reduce the spread [...]

Department of Health: 47 New Cases of Coronavirus Reported All but one of the newly diagnosed coronavirus cases reported by DOH are on O‘ahu. There was a single new case on Maui. Of the 46 total cases, 41 are among adults and six are pediatric cases. Community-associated infection has been identified in eight (8) of the new cases, while travel-association is in two (2). The source of infection for the remaining 37 cases is still under investigation. Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, July 28, 2020 Island of Diagnosis New Cases Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases) Total [...]

Governor’s Office: Hawai‘i Honored to be Considered by Japan in List of Global Destinations to Resume Safe International Travel Governor David Ige and House Speaker Scott Saiki today expressed their gratitude to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi for Hawai‘i being mentioned along with an exclusive list of 12 countries and regions that are being considered to resume safe international travel with Japan. Prime Minister Abe and Foreign Minister Motegi announced that international travel between Japan and the 12 destinations is being considered in the near future with Europe and Hawai‘i to follow in the [...]

Governor’s Office: Modified Quarantine Rules in Place During Tropical Cyclone The State of Hawai‘i’s mandatory 14-day quarantine rule for travelers is being modified temporarily in consideration of the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Douglas. Governor David Ige said, “I want to make sure that those in quarantine are adequately prepared per the state recommendations. If you are in quarantine, to the extent possible, please have supplies and materials delivered and lean on friends and family to help build your supply kit. As a last resort, you are allowed to break quarantine, but only to procure necessary supplies and materials. Please [...]

Department of Health: Highest Single-Day COVID-19 Case Count Since the Beginning of the Pandemic Death Toll Rises to 26 50 cases in Honolulu, three (3) on Hawai‘i Island, and two (2) on Maui comprise today’s COVID-19 case count of 55 new positive cases. This is the highest number of cases reported on a single day since the Dept. of Health (DOH) began tracking cases in late February. The previous highest one-day count was on July 11, with 42 cases. Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson said, “These cases represent people from all walks of life and varied professions, indicating the [...]

Office of the Governor: With Storm Approaching Governor Ige & HI-EMA Issue Hurricane Safety Reminders Gov. David Ige was joined by Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency Administrator Luke Meyers on Tuesday for a Facebook live to talk about hurricane preparedness amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Meyers pointed out that hurricane season runs from June 1 – Nov. 30 in the central pacific, and HI-EMA has been tracking a number of storms so far this year. While the peak for hurricanes usually occurs in late summer, Meyers said, “It only takes one storm to impact the islands, so we have to keep [...]

Department of Health: 25 New Cases of COVID-19 21 new coronavirus cases on O‘ahu and four (4) on Maui are being investigated by DOH. 21 of the cases are adults and four (4) are pediatric. Two (2) of the cases on Maui are associated with a history of out-of-state travel. DOH is also investigating small clusters of cases associated with out-of-state workers, who were exempt from mandatory quarantine as critical infrastructure workers. There has been no spread beyond this cluster, as all involved workers were not interacting with the broader community as part of the exemption and are now [...]

Office of the Governor: Reopening of Hawai‘i Public Schools Moves Forward    Gov. Ige was joined at an afternoon news briefing by DOE Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto, Board of Education (BOE) Chairperson Catherine Payne, and State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park to confirm the reopening of schools on Tuesday, August 4. Teachers return on Wednesday, July 29. The governor cited the state’s decision to push back the restart of trans-Pacific travel to Sept. 1, as one motivation to continuing with DOE’s reopening date. “We do not want to open schools and welcome more visitors simultaneously. A phased approach will help ensure [...]