News Releases

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health is reporting the 19th COVID-19 death today of an elderly adult on O‘ahu who was hospitalized with multiple underlying health issues. Governor David Ige expressed his condolences to the family and friends for their loss. “Every COVID-19 death is an emotional reminder of the need for all of us to be vigilant and wear a face covering when outside our homes, physically distance ourselves from others and wash hands frequently,” said Gov. Ige. “It’s about protecting each other and allowing the state to reopen safely. We all have a stake in this and now is the most [...]

HONOLULU – The State of Hawai‘i mandatory interisland Traveler Health Form can now be submitted online within 24 hours of flight departure. This upgrade adds efficiency to the passenger verification process, helps save travelers time and allows information to enter the database in real-time. The form includes health and contact information needed to trace close contacts should a passenger become ill. Ticketed passengers are encouraged to visit the Hawai‘i Department of Health travel website to find the digital fillable Traveler Health Form. Once all the required questions have been completed and it is signed and submitted, the passenger will [...]

HONOLULU – A Kaneohe man and a Mililani man are the latest people to be arrested by Special Agents from the Dept. of the Attorney General Investigations Division for violating the state’s current mandatory traveler quarantine. 61-year-old Michael J. “Kilomana” Danner of Kaneohe was first arrested on June 18 by deputy sheriffs from the Dept. of Public Safety at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport for refusing to complete the mandatory travel form and the order for self-quarantine. AG investigators say Danner then began posting on social media that he was going to defy the State’s quarantine laws and was [...]

HONOLULU – A spike in COVID-19 case numbers today are largely due to a cluster of 17 Honolulu cases all associated with attending a funeral. Intensive contact tracing identified the cases quickly, testing was conducted, and all are in isolation. Contact tracing also identified six cases in Leeward O‘ahu associated with known clusters, and all of the cases are in isolation. In addition to the 23 O‘ahu cases, the Department of Health reported two new Kaua‘i cases associated with a known cluster reported last week, one case on Maui, and a case on Hawai‘i Island with travel to Georgia. [...]

HONOLULU – Governor David Ige expressed his condolences today to the family and friends of an elderly Honolulu man, who became the 18th death in Hawai‘i due to the coronavirus. The last reported death was on May 3. “This is the worst way to emphasize the need for all of us to continue safe practices such as physical distancing, wearing of masks, and hand washing,” said Governor Ige. “We must protect our kupuna and others who are at high risk, by practicing personal responsibility, especially around others outside our own immediate family or household.” While Hawai‘i has one of [...]

HONOLULU — An increasing number of Hawai‘i residents no longer see COVID-19 as much of a threat as they did in the earlier stages of the pandemic, according to a follow-up survey commissioned by the Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH). The number of respondents who view the virus as a “very serious” health concern has fallen from 73% to 54% in less than two months. The initial survey was conducted from April 17 to 23, and the follow-up survey was conducted from May 28 to June 7, 2020. More alarming than the change in attitude, is its effect [...]

HONOLULU – The State continues to warn of a multitude of scams associated with the COVID-19 virus; the latest involving scammers impersonating contact tracers in an attempt to acquire personal information. In its efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, legitimate contact tracers are calling Hawaii residents who may have come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.  While this is a vital tool to combat the pandemic, residents should verify that the call is coming from an authorized individual before providing any information. Red flags that the caller might be an impersonator include asking for your [...]

HONOLULU — In its first two months of operation, the state’s first temporary quarantine and isolation center at 524 Kaaahi Street in Iwilei has provided a place for more than 50 homeless individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms to safely isolate or be quarantined while they wait for their COVID-19 test results. As a result, the center has been able to free up hospital space to improve care capacity, save on medical costs, and keep the community protected from potentially infected individuals. The Hawai‘i Department of Health has operated the center with a number of community partners, including the Institute for [...]

HONOLULU – As a result of contact tracing of a new case yesterday, Department of Health investigators have identified seven additional positive cases on Kaua‘i who are household members with the previous case. The new cases were already placed in quarantine when they were tested yesterday. Kaua‘i District Health Office is continuing their contact tracing of the household cluster this weekend and identification of additional contacts and testing is ongoing. Kaua‘i had no cases for ten weeks and this raises the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases on the island to 29, since March. There are six (6) new cases [...]

Despite Spike, State Officials Say All Systems Working as Planned HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Dept. of Health (DOH) is reporting 27 new positive cases of coronavirus today, which is the highest number reported since April 4. Health Director, Dr. Bruce Anderson said, “Despite our recent spike in cases, all of our testing and contact tracing procedures are working exactly as intended. Additional cases are being identified and added to the case count as a result of aggressive investigations, contact tracing and testing of household contacts.” The majority of new cases reported over the past week are associated with community [...]