Hawai‘i COVID-19 Daily News Digest November 19, 2020

Governor’s Office:

New Policy for Pre-Travel Testing Begins Next Tuesday

Starting on Nov. 24, travelers wanting to bypass Hawai‘i‘s 14-day mandatory quarantine must have COVID-19 test results, from a trusted travel partner, prior to departure to the islands. Gov. Ige made the announcement this afternoon at a news conference.

“We’re taking this added safety precaution now in response to the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases on the mainland and around the world. The health of our residents and visitors is our primary concern, particularly with more people traveling to Hawai‘i over the holidays,” said Gov. Ige.

If a traveler’s test results are not available before boarding their final flight segment, the traveler must quarantine for 14 days or the length of their stay, whichever is shorter.

The new policy applies to domestic transpacific flights and international flights departing from locations in which the State of Hawai‘i has pre-testing programs in place.

Canadian Pre-Travel Testing Program

The new pre-testing policy will apply to people flying to Hawai‘i from Canada. Governor Ige also announced this afternoon that two Canadian airlines will resume service to the islands in mid-December. These travelers can bypass the 14-day quarantine if they take a COVID-19 test from an approved laboratory, 72-hours prior to departure and have received a negative result prior to departure.

Gov. Ige said, “Many Canadians love to visit Hawai‘i during the winter months to escape the cold weather, so the timing for this works well. Hawai‘i has the most rigorous pre-testing program in the U.S., and we are grateful to Air Canada and WestJet for making it available to their passengers.”

Both airlines will be identifying testing entities in Canada, with the approval of DOH. Canadian residents should look to these carriers for testing options:

• Air Canada: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home.html#/
• WestJet: https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel-info/covid-testing

At the news conference, representatives from both carriers applauded today’s announcement as another step toward strengthening Hawai‘i’s gradual economic recovery. They also noted that this health and science-based approach will help build confidence in travel.

Maui Mayor Michael P. Victorino remarked, “We look forward to welcoming travelers from Canada and ask them to visit with aloha, to follow health and safety protocols and to take part in our voluntary post-arrival testing to ensure they are free of COVID-19.”

Lieutenant Governor’s Office:

Update on Safe Travels Hawai‘i Program Surveillance Testing Data

At the news conference, Lt. Governor Josh Green also gave an update on the Safe Travels Hawai‘i program which launched on Oct. 15, 2020. To date:

• 273,020 passengers have been screened (including inter-island, Japan, and trans-pacific travelers).
• 243,140 exemptions from quarantine given (negative test from a trusted travel partner, or state exemption).
• 7,217 passengers in quarantine (non-trusted travel partner or incorrect type of test).
• 186,969 arriving visitors.
• 86,051 arriving residents.

Lt. Governor Green also pointed out that a month into the surveillance testing program, which started on Oct. 19, there were 27 positive cases out of 17,720 post-travel tests administered. Lt. Governor Green said, “Right now we are not seeing COVID-19 spread due to travelers, but we are continuing to monitor the situation, especially as we see cases rise on the mainland. This is why I am supportive of our teams move to require test results before people depart for Hawai‘i. This will help mitigate any issues with travelers having pending test results and arriving positive.”

Department of Health:

Case Count Rises to Triple Digits on Tuesday

107 additional COVID-19 cases were recorded by DOH on Nov. 17. There were no new deaths reported.

This report includes cases reported up until Tuesday night at 11:59 p.m. Full data is posted on the State COVID-19 dashboard and on the DOH Disease Outbreak & Control website at noon each day. HawaiiCOVID19.com/dashboard

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 11:59 p.m. Nov. 17, 2020

Island of Diagnosis	New Cases	Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases)
O‘ahu	75	14,506
Hawai‘i	12	1,499
Maui	9	463
Kaua‘i	4	86
Moloka‘i	0	17
Lānaʻi	0	106
HI residents diagnosed outside of HI	7	164
Total Cases	107	16,841++
Deaths	0	223

++ As a result of updated information, one case on O‘ahu was recategorized to Hawai‘i and another was recategorized to out-of-state. Hospitalizations as of 12:00 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2020 – Hawai‘i-8, Maui-2, O‘ahu-66, Kauai-1

https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii/

Department of Public Safety:

Hawai‘i Inmate Dies at Saguaro Correctional Center

A male Saguaro Correctional Center inmate from Hawai‘i died at an Arizona hospital on Tuesday. He was between 60-69 years old with underlying medical conditions. This is the first death of a Hawai‘i inmate identified in medical examiner’s reports as a COVID-19-related death.

Results are still pending for 78 Waiawa Correctional Facility (WCF) inmates who may have had close contact with the eight (8) positive inmates reported yesterday. All WCF staff are already in full personal protective equipment (PPE) and the warden halted all inmate movement yesterday to prevent further transmission within the facility and to other facilities. The Halawa Correctional Facility identified two recent transfers from WCF. Both were tested and one result came back positive while the other was negative. The inmates were already in a transfer-related quarantine. DOH is conducting contact tracing at both facilities.

DOH testing of O‘ahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) inmates and staff is also ongoing. Of the five (5) OCCC inmate test results received, four (4) were negative and one (1) was inconclusive. There are no OCCC inmates in the hospital. PSD’s Health Care Division is working with DOH, the Hawai‘i National Guard (HING) and community partners, to conduct mass testing for COVID-19 at all other correctional facilities statewide. All 19 staff re-testing results at the Kauai Community Correctional Center (KCCC) were negative. Additionally, 91% of PSD staff who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered. For more information on PSD’s planning and response efforts to COVID-19:

http://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/.

Hawaiʻi COVID-19 Joint Information Center:

All Safe Practices Apply in Condominium Common Spaces 

O‘ahu, in particular, has thousands of residents who live in condos or in apartment buildings. All residents, contractors, vendors and landscapers transiting through or working in what are known as “common spaces” are required to abide by the State’s mandatory face-covering rules.

Just yesterday a condominium resident reported getting on an elevator with a painter who was not wearing a mask. Moments later, a large group of construction workers were spotted in the complex’s garage, with only one person wearing a mask. Elevators and garages are considered common spaces.

In addition to the face-covering rule, which is to wear a mask in public unless you can physically distance by six or more feet, condo and apartment building residents and workers are required to comply with all applicable safety, hygiene and physical distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as with state, county, industry and regulatory practices for safety.

Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority:

8,879 Passengers Arrive on Wednesday

Yesterday, a total of 8,879 people arrived in Hawai‘i from out of state. A total of 4,527 people indicated they came to Hawai‘i for vacation. There were also 1,192 returning residents. The trans-pacific passenger arrival data is derived from data provided by the Safe Travels digital system.

To view more: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/trans-pacific-passenger-arrivals/

Helpful Resources

Safe Travels Hawai‘i Program:
Program overview: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/

FAQs: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/faqs/

Email: info@gohawaii.com

Call Center Number: 1-800-GO-HAWAII

COVID-19 Expanded Dashboard (Tables, Charts, and Visualizations):

HawaiiCOVID19.com/dashboard

Safe Travels Digital Platform:

https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/data/

Trans-Pacific Passenger Arrivals Statistics:

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/trans-pacific-passenger-arrivals/ 

Kaua‘i County:
Kaua‘i COVID-19 webpage: https://www.kauai.gov/COVID-19
To report violators: https://www.kauai.gov/KPD-Online-Reporting 

Rest, Test, Enjoy! Voluntary visitor post-travel test: https://www.kauai.gov/visitorposttest 

Resident post-travel test: https://www.kauai.gov/residentposttest

Maui County:
Maui County travel and COVID-19 information:https://www.mauicounty.gov

To report violators: (808) 244-6400 or mpdquarantine@mpd.net

Hawai‘i County:
Hawai‘i County COVID-19 webpage:
https://coronavirus-response-county-of-hawaii-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/travel

Critical infrastructure and medical travel request: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e2f4ce19aa854964a8fd60bec7fbe78c 
To report violators: 808-935-3311

City & County of Honolulu:
Honolulu COVID-19 webpage: oneoahu.org
Interisland passengers arriving on O‘ahu are not subject to the mandatory quarantine.
To report violators: 808-723-3900 or HPDcovidenforce@honolulu.gov

 

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PDF: Daily News Digest November 19, 2020