LIHU‘E — Governor David Ige on Thursday announced the reinstatement of a partial interisland travel quarantine effective Tuesday, Aug. 11, prompted by a statewide surge of COVID-19 cases and discussions with county mayors.
The 14-day quarantine will be for any interisland travel for those arriving in the counties of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, Maui and Kalawao, according to a press release from Ige.
The quarantine requirement applies to any person traveling to these islands. The period of self-quarantine will begin immediately upon arrival and last 14 days or the duration of the person’s stay on the island, whichever is shorter.
The interisland quarantine continues through Aug. 31 unless it is terminated or extended by a separate proclamation.
Thursday, the governor said he and all the county mayors agreed that additional measures are necessary to make sure that cases do not spread, uncontrolled, across the entire state.
“I know many of you will be disappointed to hear this news. Interisland travel is an important way for families and friends to stay in touch. I wish this was not necessary, but your health and safety must always come first,” Ige said.
He encouraged anyone traveling interisland to check airport websites for updates.
Mayor Derek Kawakami said Thursday he supports the reinstatement of the interisland quarantine through at least the month of August.
“It is disheartening to have to take a few steps back in order to move forward, but it is necessary given the recent outbreaks on O‘ahu,” Kawakami said in a statement Thursday.
“Kaua‘i may be an island of its own, but we are all connected. The quarantine allows us a layer of protection to help us keep our island and our people safe,” he said.
”This measure also allows our county to remain in the ‘Act With Care’ impact level, and spares us from having to shut down businesses and public spaces like O‘ahu has had to do.”
Ige and O‘ahu Mayor Kirk Caldwell also announced more restrictions on O‘ahu, including the closure of all beaches and parks. In addition, officials are closing O‘ahu bowling alleys, arcades and mini-golf facilities, as well as all parks, recreational facilities in parks, campgrounds and botanical gardens.
Caldwell’s amended order allows fitness facilities to remain in operation with physical-distancing and face-covering measures in place, though group classes are prohibited. Many other businesses and types of services are allowed to continue operations under the amended order.
No new restrictions or reinstatement of restrictions have been announced for Kaua‘i, as of publication of this article.
Thursday, state officials cited large, unauthorized gatherings and social crowding as the reason for closing O‘ahu parks and beaches, connecting the recent surge in virus cases to these types of gatherings.
State Board of Land and Natural Resources Chair Suzanne Case said in a statement Thursday, “the current surge of COVID-19 cases on O‘ahu requires immediate action for public health and safety.
“This surge has been attributed to not wearing protective facemasks, being in large social gatherings, and some people simply ignoring the health practices that have been implemented to try and get coronavirus under control.”
As state officials coordinated the reinstatement of some pandemic rules, health officials announced a delay in reporting COVID-19 numbers because one of the state’s private clinical labs is having issues with electronic lab reporting.
Staff from the state Department of Health is working to compile numbers, according to state officials, who said Thursday that as soon as these numbers are available, they’ll be posted at hawaiicovid19.com and will be distributed under separate cover.
Hawai‘i reported two more casualties due to COVID-19 on Thursday. Both individuals were O‘ahu residents, were elderly, and had underlying medical conditions.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said, “The passing of these people really demonstrates how rapidly and invisibly COVID-19 is spreading through our communities, particularly on O‘ahu, and in some instances in association with clusters. The man who passed away was exposed by a household member who attended a spin class at a gym with a cluster of cases linked to a positive case from an airlines cluster.”
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Jessica Else, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
I have heard;
People get hurt and killed by cars. Ban all motorized vehicles.
People get hurt and die in the ocean. Close all beaches.
Kids get hurt and die on playgrounds. Close all playgrounds.
People get hurt and die on the hiking trails. Close all the trails.
People get hurt and die in athletics. Stop all sports competition.
One third of the US health care expenses are directly related to obesity. Get rid of ice cream, pastry, candy, soda, fast food etc.
Cancer needs sugar to grow. Ban all sugar.
The cold and flu leads to illness and death. Ban all sick people from the Island.
WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS END?
I have seen:
Car safety regulation.
Lifeguards posted on duty, rescue personnel trained.
Warning signs on trails and tail maintenance.
Safety equipment and rules in sports.
Ingredients labels on foods, at the least, so people can make informed decisions.
And yes, if you are spewing illness about (knowingly or not) to people who could suffer greater, you should be kept away.
JD, what exactly are you doing to help? Anything at all?
After the election. Vote wisely.
JD, hope you’re able to step up, catch the Rona, and tell us how wonderful it is.
JD, your attitude is part of the problem and why The US has the highest number of COVID cases, over 5 million to date. Wear a mask and social distance when in public is all you are asked to do. Is it really that hard for you to cooperate? Very selfish!
the reason we have the highest covid deaths is because the US population is Obese and has the highest rate of Diabeties and heart disease
O.K. Based on this the inter island and the overall quarantine should be extended till an effective vaccine is developed. Are we ready to self-isolation for another 6+ months? By the way, a typical flu vaccine is about 50% effective and there are no reasons that the one against Covid-19 would perform better.
All reasonable steps should be taken to prevent overruns on the health system. Anyone disagree?
Self isolation for another six months until a vaccine is available? If we are lucky….remember that AIDS is also a virus and 40 years later a vaccine is still nowhere to be found. Truth be told vaccines take years to develop, viruses mutate over time, and as you pointed out will not be 100% effective.
Our leaders need to come to terms that Covid is something that we need to “live” with and also remember that social distancing and face mask are meant to “flatten the curve” and not eradicate the virus. The virus is here in Hawaii and in time will take it’s proper course with infection rates increasing before eventually decreasing over the virus’s life cycle.
Focus needs to be placed on preparing for the next wave of covid-19 by: shoring up our medical infrastrtruture; promoting public health; and supporting local businesses.
The photos at the top of these happy WELL PAID public servants go to show that a nice smile and slick countenance DO NOT EQUATE to intelligence or good leadership. Lets see their stats on deaths of despair and economic instability from the past 6 months. How about flu deaths? How many families have lost their sources of income, homes or businesses? CASES RISE BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE TESTING. As horribly as it sounds, DEATH OF ELDERLY with underlying conditions happen ALL THE TIME. IT IS LIFE. LIFE CARRIES RISK. PER CDC NEW SURVIVAL RATE IS 99.96%. The only way to survive this is to allow people to live without restrictions. These leaders are following party lines, right up there with CA and NY. Their decisions are not based on data or what is good OR SAFE for the people. They are not in charge of our safety…WE ARE. If you are scared, stay at home. The rest of us are willing to take the .04% risk of death…we’ll build up the herd immunity, build up our immune systems the only effective way (with exercise, healthy food and vitamins), and create true herd immunity (natural immunity – unachievable with vaxx). CV will lessen in virulence (because that’s what viruses do), and we won’t need anymore of this nonsense. LOGIC IS DEAD. WE MUST RESURRECT IT.
Countless business owners and their employees in Hawaii will not recover from this. The wealthy love the shut down, but the rest are struggling. Can’t blame it on visitors either. Hawaiians are spreading this among themselves.
…and still no enhanced medical facilities (ventilators, etc).
why are we putting up with this nonsense?
since when does <1% count more than 99%?
The foundation for long-term economic damage is already set.
This pandemic was created by some of the most evil people in power and that includes our government.
Stay awake people.
The Black Lives Matter was the creation of a Race and Civil war to divide America so they can create a new world order.
The change in currency to remove coins and paper money is to create electronic transactions so their shell companies can profit all monetary transactions and so they can have control over your money.
Wake up and fight against the evil people who are trying to destroy America like they’ve done with other countries.
The mayors and governor have no choice but to double down on their lockdowns. If they were to open like South Dakota has done and have very few of their constituents suffer severe ill affects it wouldn’t justIfy their lockdowns and would ruin their political careers.
This would be the reason for the return of the inter island quarantine (for Oahu only):
“Nearly all new cases were on Oahu, where health officials say many intensive care units ARE FULL OR CLOSE TO FULL.”
If you have any further questions, see: CALIFORNIA!
Wow! There really are rational thinkers on Kaua’i!
Amene to you!