Hawai‘i COVID-19 Daily News Digest July 9, 2020

Office of the Governor:

Governor Ige’s Statement on COVID-19 Planning with Mayors

Governor David Ige released a statement Thursday about his recent meetings with the county mayors, saying, “The mayors and I met yesterday and are meeting again today to assess the current situation and discuss what it might mean for the state, including the planned pre-travel testing program. We are getting input from community leaders as we carefully consider the health and safety of our residents and the financial health of our communities because we know they are interconnected.”

Department of Health:

36 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported

Thirty-six (36) new cases of COVID-19 were reported by DOH Thursday. Thirty-four (34) of those cases are on Oahu, one (1) on Hawai‘i Island, and one (1) on Kaua‘i. Community outreach and testing activities continue.

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, July 9, 2020

Island of Diagnosis	New Cases	Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases)	Total Released from Isolation*
O‘ahu	34	842	600
Hawai‘i	1	97	89
Maui	0	128	114
Kaua‘i	1	43	35
Moloka‘i	0	2	2
Lana‘i	0	0	0
Residents Diagnosed outside HI	0	18
Unknown	0	0
Total	36	1,130
Total released from isolation			840
Deaths	0	19

* Includes cases that meet isolation release criteria.

Laboratory* Testing Data

There were 1,443 additional COVID-19 tests reported via electronic laboratory reporting.

Total Number of Individuals Tested by Clinical and State Laboratories	Positive	Negative
90,595**	1,128	89,453

*Electronic Laboratory Reporting **14 test results were inconclusive

HawaiiCOVID19.com

For more tables, charts and visualizations visit the DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii

DOH to Begin Issuing Red Placards for COVID-19 Violations

There are now severe consequences for food establishments that do not take physical distancing and other guidance seriously. DOH’s Food Safety Branch announced Thursday it will begin to temporarily suspend the operations of restaurants, bars, and other food establishments that don’t comply with physical distancing, wearing cloth face masks, and other required guidance.

Under existing state law, DOH inspectors can temporarily shut down a food establishment if its practices pose a danger to public health by spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Using the familiar color-coded placard system, DOH will issue red placards to these food establishments. DOH Director Dr. Bruce Anderson said, “The department is taking these steps now to enforce preventive measures that are known to be effective in preventing the transmission of the disease, especially as we have seen a recent increase in the number of COVID cases and evidence of community spread. Most food establishments in Hawai‘i are conscientious and trying their best to comply with health guidance. Nevertheless, we feel these steps are necessary to assure all restaurants and other food establishments are doing everything they can to protect the health of the public and their employees.”

DOH’s Food Safety Branch Chief Peter Oshiro said, “As Hawai‘i reopens and moves toward economic recovery, no one wants to see a restaurant temporarily close and miss out on opportunities to serve customers. We recognize many Hawai‘i food establishment operators are doing their best to protect the health of their employees and customers, and we need all operators to comply with the guidance and take it seriously. This is a critical time for food establishments to tighten their practices instead of becoming lax.”

If a business is found to not be in compliance with physical distancing and mask requirements, it’ll first be issued a written warning. If the business is caught violating the rules a second time, it’ll be issued a red placard and will have to temporarily close. The food establishment may request a follow-up inspection in order to reopen their business.

https://health.hawaii.gov/news/newsroom/hawaii-department-of-health-to-begin-issuing-red-placards-to-restaurants-and-bars-that-violate-physical-distancing-and-other-mandates-to-prevent-the-spread-of-covid-19/

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority:

2,387 Passengers Arrive on Wednesday

Today marks 15 weeks since the state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started for all passengers arriving in Hawai‘i from out of state. Yesterday a total of 2,387 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 622 visitors and 789 returning residents. There was a total of 26 arriving flights. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday but does not show interisland travel.

AIRPORT ARRIVALS FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2020

	KONA	MAUI	O‘AHU	LĪHUʻE	TOTAL
Crew	9	25	199		233
Transit		1	122		123
Military			322		322
Exempt			127		127
Relocate to Hawai‘i	16	18	137		171
Returning Resident	48	109	632		789
Visitor	33	65	524		622
GRAND TOTAL	106	218	2,063	0	2,387
Flights	2	4	20	0	26

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/4856/070920-passenger-count-press-release.pdf

Department of Labor and Industrial Relations:

State has Issued $2 Billion in Benefits Since March 1

DLIR released updated unemployment insurance claims information Thursday. The report shows the State paid $2,002,048,122 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 1, 2020. The department’s operations continue to resolve common issues, such as incorrect deposit information supplied by claimants, claim backdate issues, separation from work that requires investigation, and more. DLIR Deputy Director Perreira-Eustaquio said, “One major issue preventing claimants from receiving benefits is the use of devices with out-of-state IPs (Internet Protocol address) or Virtual Private Network (VPN) software. Benefits are stopped when it appears claimants are filing outside of Hawaii so claimants should allow the system to detect their location when filing certifications.”

State Continuing to Monitor Unemployment Claims Fraud

As reported across the nation, fraudsters continue to target state unemployment insurance systems during the COVID-19 pandemic through various schemes and identity theft. Bad actors are using stolen personal information from sources outside of the department to apply for benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and attempt to route payments to their own bank accounts. If you received a letter regarding a claim for PUA and you did NOT apply for benefits, please follow the instructions on the letter to report potential identity theft at pua.hawaii.gov.

http://labor.hawaii.gov/blog/news/state-releases-updated-unemployment-insurance-information-4/

Department of Transportation:

In-Person Driver’s Education Classes Approved to Resume Aug. 1

The DOT has authorized Driver’s Education instructors to resume in-person classes and behind-the-wheel training as part of the State’s Graduated Licensing Program on Aug. 1, 2020. Instructors may teach classes in-person, virtually, or by using a combination of these methods. Some of the guideline’s instructors will have to follow for in-person classes include:

• Instructors must follow CDC guidelines for small in-person classes including hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, use of cloth face coverings, and posting of signs to promote protective measures
• Class size is limited to 10 people per class
• Waivers/Liability forms must be signed by the student or guardian prior to participation
• Students and guardians must be educated NOT to attend classes if they are sick. Instructors should also ask students and guardians screening questions prior to participation in class
• All class participants (instructor and students) must wear non-medical grade face masks or face shields if a medical condition prevents the use of a face covering
• Pre-class non-contact temperature checks are recommended
• High-touch points within the classroom should be sanitized per CDC guidance
• Instructors are to provide hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes or have students bring their own sanitizers
• All class participants are encouraged to frequently wash their hands
• Instructors should space classroom seating at least 6-feet apart
• Classes are NOT to be more than 5 hours in duration
• The 30 hours of classroom instruction must be spaced out over a 6-week period
• The 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training can be taught concurrently or after classroom instruction

https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/in-person-drivers-education-classes-approved-to-resume-aug-1/

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PDF: COVID-19 Daily News Digest July 9, 2020