The Maui County Council will consider a resolution Friday morning calling on the governor to postpone reopening tourism in West Maui.
Gov. Josh Green said he is sticking to plans for the phased reopening of West Maui beginning this Sunday, Oct. 8.
Maui County Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez introduced the resolution to delay the reopening of tourism in West Maui. She said the proposal was prompted by ten hours of testimony from Maui residents concerned that it's too soon.
"We do not push them to go back to performance to people who could care less about their well-being. We don’t do that. We give them time. We give them time to grieve. We give them time to process. And ensure their basic needs are met first," Rawlins-Fernandez said.
The resolution also urges the governor to adopt community stability benchmarks that can be tied to each phase of the reopening. Rawlins-Fernandez said there’s no set list in the resolution, but that she’s open to a number of ideas.
"Having the schools up, having daycare, possibly also having adult day care. They can’t be asked to choose between employment and taking care of their family," she said.
Maui County Council is accepting public testimony on the resolution at Friday's meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. Click here to join the live meeting.
Read the resolution below:
