Hawaii COVID-19 Daily News Digest June 2, 2020

Governor’s Office:

Governor Ige Messages State Employees About Interisland Travel

In a message sent to all State of Hawai‘i employees today, Governor Ige again reiterated that the lifting of the interisland 14-day quarantine on June 16 is because, “Over the past few weeks, we have seen significant progress in our fight against the COVID-19 crisis. With fewer than five cases every day and several days of zero new cases, Hawaiʻi continues to be among the states leading the nation in controlling the spread of the virus, thanks to your commitment to following our physical distancing and health mandates.”

The governor added, “Lifting the quarantine is great news, but the experience of flying between islands is going to be different than what we’re accustomed to. A new screening and tracking process will help us minimize any new spread and allow us to quickly respond if an outbreak occurs. This system includes thermal screening at the airport for everyone who travels between the islands. Also, travelers will be required to fill out a new travel form that will help the state track and respond to new cases.” Governor Ige said the next step will be reopening out-of-state travel, and planning is being done in earnest, through a careful, thoughtful process.

His message concluded, “Remember that the best way for us to control the virus is through our own actions. We all need to take personal responsibility. So please, take care of yourself, take care of each other, and most importantly, take care of our community.”

Department of Health:

One New Case of COVID-19 Reported

An O‘ahu adult is recorded as the 653^rd case of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i, though the DOH says this case is still under investigation because the person had a household contact back in March. The person has no symptoms now.

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, June 2, 2020

Island of Diagnosis	New Cases	Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases)	Total Released from Isolation*
O‘ahu	1	422	398
Hawai‘i	0	81	81
Maui	0	118	109
Kaua‘i	0	20	19
Moloka‘i	0	2	2
Lana‘i	0	0	0
Residents Diagnosed outside HI	0	10
Unknown	0	0
Total	0	653
Total released from isolation			609
Deaths	0	17

* Includes cases that meet isolation release criteria.

Laboratory* Testing Data

There were 587 additional COVID-19 tests reported via electronic laboratory reporting.

Total Number of Individuals Tested by Clinical and State Laboratories	Positive	Negative
49,508**	651	48,843

*Electronic Laboratory Reporting  **14 test results were inconclusive

Hawaiicovid19.com

DOH Accelerates Telehealth Adoption
When COVID-19 and social distancing guidance required healthcare providers to rethink the way they delivered care, larger healthcare organizations were able to rapidly pivot to telehealth and keep pace with the rest of the nation. But Hawai‘i’s community health centers—federally qualified health centers—needed assistance in getting up to speed to serve the state’s most vulnerable populations. Patients who receive care at these centers pay for their care on a sliding scale discount, depending upon their household incomes. With a combined total of $670,000 from the Hawai‘i State Legislature and federal telehealth grant awards, the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH), in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi Area Health Education Center and Pacific Basin Telehealth Resource Center, has provided the necessary policy guidance and technical support for community health centers to take advantage of new federal telehealth reimbursement policies. This has included weekly webinars on the basics of telehealth for providers.

“It has been an intensely busy time and it has been amazing to see our community partners and healthcare providers come together at such a critical time to help Hawai‘i’s families access healthcare services from home,” said Laura Arcibal, the DOH telehealth and health care access coordinator. In addition to primary care, patients have been able to access behavioral health care services and COVID-19 screening via telehealth at  https://hawaiicovid19.com/telehealth/

For more tables visit: https://health.hawaii.gov/docd/

Department of the Attorney General:

Hawai‘i Attorney General Joins Coalition to Stop SNAP Cuts

Hawai‘i Attorney General Clare Connors joined a coalition Monday urging Congress to block the Trump administration’s attempts to cut vital food assistance for millions of Americans. In a letter to Congress, the coalition expressed support for provisions in the House-passed HEROES Act that would prohibit the use of appropriation funds for three U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administrative rules. The rules would cut food assistance under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) by making it harder to qualify for SNAP food assistance benefits, reducing State flexibility to continue benefits beyond the three-month limit, and reducing benefit amounts for certain households. The coalition argues that, especially during this unprecedented time of economic turmoil due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Congress should work to protect and expand our nation’s largest anti-hunger program. Attorney General Connors said, “We should be collectively working towards making sure everyone has access to nutritious food. It is imperative, even more so during a pandemic, that we oppose rules cutting food-assistance to millions of Americans.”

SNAP, previously known as “food stamps,” is our country’s most important anti-hunger program and a critical part of federal and state efforts to help lift people out of poverty. The program provides people with limited incomes the opportunity to buy nutritious food that they otherwise could not afford. In March alone, 40-percent of American households with incomes below $40,000 lost jobs, and from March 15 to May 15 of this year, 40.8 million Americans filed for unemployment. A copy of the letter is available:

https://ag.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/HEROES-Act-Letter-SNAP-Rules.pdf

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority:

1,538 Passengers Arrive on Monday

Yesterday, a total of 1,538 people arrived in Hawai‘i including 462 visitors and 440 returning residents. There was a total of 20 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 SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2020

	KONA	MAUI	O‘AHU	LĪHUʻE	TOTAL
Crew	2	8	146		156
Transit		3	78		81
Military			129		129
Exempt			89		89
Relocate to Hawai‘i	1	11	169		181
Returning Resident	5	34	401		440
Visitor	18	41	403		462
GRAND TOTAL	26	97	1,415	0	1,538
Flights	4	2	14	0	20

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/4698/060220-passenger-count-press-release.pdf

Department of Accounting and General Services:

Reminder that King Kamehameha Celebration Events Cancelled for 2020

DAGS is reminding everyone that due to the continuing threat and uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the King Kamehameha Celebration events stateside have been cancelled. This includes the lei draping ceremonies, parades, and ho‘olaule‘a on and around the June 11 holiday. Kainoa Daines, Chair of the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission said, “The decision to cancel these major, statewide events was made with the health and safety of our island communities and kūpuna in mind. We look forward to commemorating and celebrating Kamehameha Pai‘ea in 2021.” For more information and future dates:

www.ags.hawaii.gov/kamehameha

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PDF: COVID-19 Daily News Digest June 2, 2020