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The Latest: 134 Cases, 1 Death; Restrictions For Oahu Announced; Pre-Test Travel Program Delayed

Ku'uwehi Hiraishi
/
HPR

Updated: 8/18/2020, 12:31 p.m.

No social gatherings larger than five will be allowed on Oahu starting Aug. 20 under the latest restrictions aimed at curbing the explosive increase in COVID-19 cases in the state's largest county.

Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell today announced the added rollbacks, which Caldwell called an approach using a scalpel rather than a hammer.

The governor also said he will delay the Sept. 1 start of the pre-test program that would allow trans-Pacific tourists to bypass the 14-day mandatory quarantine if they test negative. The program is being delayed to Oct. 1, at the earliest. He also said he will push the expiration of the eviction moratorium to the end of September.

On Oahu, the restrictions will be less than the stay-at-home order that some had called for as new cases surged into the hundreds and hospitals felt increasing capacity pressure with the jump in COVID admissions.

Among the restrictions:

• Those who can work from home should do so.

• For 28 days, no social gatherings inside or outside larger than 5 people.

• Restaurants can have no more than 5 in each party, down from 10 persons.

• Shopping malls whether open air or not must require face coverings.

• Face coverings required at all in-person spiritual services. No singing or wind instruments.

• Groups no larger than 5 allowed in museums and movie theaters.

• Businesses must close lunch areas and prohibit social gatherings around water fountains and other areas.

• Businesses should encourage workers to telework and have staggered schedules if they must go into work.

The governor said the restrictions target gatherings because those testing positive shared that they had attended social events, even if they could not say exactly where they contracted the virus.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Where we stand

The Hawaii Department of Health reported 1 death and 134 new COVID-19 cases today. That brings the state's total to 5,349 and total deaths to 41. Of the new cases, 124 are on Oahu, 7 in Maui County, and 3 on Hawaii Island. One case from Hawaii Island was removed based on updated information. 

The death is an Oahu man, 40 to 59 years old, with underlying health conditions. 

The new count is down from Thursday's record 355 cases, and is the second day of declines, although the cases remain still in the triple-digits. Still, Health Director Bruce Anderson said yesterday that he hopes the decreases are part of a downward trend.

The total cases now include 4,878 on Oahu, 152 on Hawaii Island, 242 in Maui County, and 54 on Kauai. Twenty-three cases were diagnosed out of state.  

 

As of Aug. 16 based on a 7-day average, the state health department reported the rate of positive tests stood at 6.3%. The World Health Organization says before a region can relax restrictions and begin reopening, it should be at or below 5% for 14 days.

 

Among new cases:

• A University of Hawaii women's basketball player has tested positive. The university said in a message today to the UH community that the team has suspended workouts and the player is in self-isolation. The state Department of Health has been notified and those who were in close contact with the player have been tested and are in self-quarantine. Areas where the player frequented are being cleaned.

• Wahiawa Center for Community Health, also known was Wahiawa Health, was informed on Aug. 14 that a medical assistant tested positive for COVID-19. The employee has been in quarantine since Aug. 12. The employee did not have contact with other employees, the health center said. Contact tracing indicates no patients came into contact with the employee. The worker appears to have contracted the virus through community spread. Wahiawa Health is open and scheduling telehealth, telephone visits and in-person visits under health guidelines.

Maui Memorial postpones elective surgeries, plans tests of patients

Maui Memorial Medical Center plans to test all patients in next 72 hours for COVID-19 and will test employees and providers over next few days, Dr. Michael Shea, ICU medical director with Maui Health said yesterday.

This follows media reports that 17 hospital staff and 11 patients have tested positive for COVID-19. There are also two Hale Makua Health Services patients who have tested positive.

Speaking during Maui Mayor Michael Victorino's video update, Shea said the hospital is postponing elective surgeries until furrther notice. Other operations are being held as scheduled. 

Additional personal protective equipment will be distributed in the hospital, which will exceed the guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shea said.

Oahu remains the hotspot in the current surge but Maui has also seen an uptick in cases. 

Victorino said he would like to see the numbers over the next few days before considering another shutdown. He said perhaps Oahu should be restricted, but he said it is the last thing he would like to do on Maui.

 

Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Kirk Caldwell met yesterday to talk about targeted restrictions for Oahu where COVID-19 cases have surged. The state said to expect more details this week. 

Community leaders say the high number of cases should already be triggering more restrictions. Until things get better, they say the economy won’t improve.

At a virtual House COVID-19 committee meeting yesterday, economist Carl Bonham said, right now, the virus is the economy.

Bonham said a recent survey showed 17 percent of businesses expect they won’t survive. That’s double the number from three months ago. It's the behavior of individuals is what is driving the expectation of permanent business failure, he said.

"So you know, if you want to go to the beach park and ... have your party, don't expect to find a job when you come home, right? And expect your aunty to not have work or, you know, your cousin or whatever, but that's what's driving it,” he said.

Bonham wasn’t calling for a shutdown. But he said by its own rules under the Economic and Community Recovery Navigator matrix, the state should be in an orange status at least – meaning people are safer at home.

--HPR's Sandee Oshiro

PUC grants emergency rate hike for Young Brothers

Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission has approved an emergency rate increase for the Young Brothers’ shipping company.

The PUC approved a 46 percent increase, but with several conditions over the next year.

One of the biggest requirements is that the shipper undergo a financial and management audit done by an independent party chosen by the PUC.

Young Brothers will also have to develop a customer service plan and provide six-months advance notice if it plans to discontinue any regulated interisland service.

There will also not be any further rate increase for at least a year.

Young Brothers will resume its full “pre-COVID” sailing schedule by September 1st.

That move will restore an additional sailing from the ports of Hilo and Kahului to Honolulu.

Without emergency support, Young Brothers president Jay Ana said the company would “be unable to pay its bills or continue funding operations.”

--HPR's Bill Dorman

U.S. Postal Service delays threaten Hawaii mail-in balloting

The state Elections Office is concerned that changes at the U.S. Postal Service could cause mail delays during the November general election.

The Postal Service last week warned the states that it could not guarantee mail-in ballots will arrive on time to be counted.

That’s because recent cost-cutting measures by the service – such as eliminating overtime pay and removing curbside mailboxes in some states -- may slow delivery.

State Senator Karl Rhoads and Representative Chris Lee have recommended elections officials mail the November ballots to voters earlier to account for any delays.

Chief Election Officer Scott Nago says he received their letter, and will be meeting next week with county clerks and the local post office.

"It is a concern. We are in constant communication with the USPS locally. We did tell voters previously to mail their ballot in one week in advance – or one week prior," he said.

"If you’re going to wait to the last minute, use a place to deposit or go to a voter service center. So we’ll continue to tell them that. That way they can ensure that their ballot is received by the 7 pm deadline, not postmarked."

Nago says the office plans to order more ballot drop boxes – so voters have additional locations to submit their ballots rather than rely on the Postal Service.

--HPR's Casey Harlow

Released inmates may be at risk for homelessness

The Hawaii Supreme Court is looking at releasing inmates from the Oahu Community Correctional Center because of the surge of cases at the facility.

 

Scott Morishige, the governor's homeless coordinator, says while there are no hard numbers, there are anecdotal reports that some of those in the last prisoner release ended up homeless.

 

Heather Lusk, executive director of the Hawai'i Health and Harm Reduction Center, says a hui of service providers has started a hotline to aid the inmates’ re-entry into the community.

  

"How do you get health care? What if you need housing? We tried to put resources there for somebody who may be re-entering our community just to try to help people connect. Because there's not a formal re-entry system, the same that we have a coordinated housing access system,” she said.  

 

"Again, there's quite a few folks trying to bring all this together but the reality is that we just don't have enough places for people to land when they just leave the facility. We're getting calls from probation officers, from paroling officers, things like that but there's not any coordinated way that everybody that's released is told to go someplace or gets a packet of where to go."

 

Links to basic services, including help with isolation and housing, are available at https://www.hhhrc.org/reentry

 

--HPR's Noe Tanigawa

 

City Council moves location for testimony

Those wishing to testify at the City Council meeting on Wednesday, or next week's committee meetings, can do so at the Mission Memorial Auditorium, Council Chair Ikaika Anderson announced.

Honolulu Hale, where the council's chambers are located, has been closed to the public because of a cluster of COVID-19 cases. Those giving testimony can do so remotely in the auditorium building located on the Honolulu Civic Center grounds fronting King Street.

“As stated before, this is our COVID reality and we must continue to adapt and make smart choices to ensure everyone’s public health interest,” Anderson said.

Those wishing to testify can register beforehand on the council's website.

Honolulu woman, Kauai visitor arrested in separate quarantine violation cases

State attorney general special agents arrested a 38-year-old woman at her Kuhio Avenue apartment on Friday after a resident manager said she refused to comply with a security officer's warnings on quarantine rules over five different days.

The state said Lisa Marlene Penny arrived in Honolulu on July 31 and allegedly went shopping although required to self-quarantine. She was arrested with bail set at $2,000.

On Kauai, police arrested 51-year-old Shannon Patrick of Longview, Washington, for allegedly violating the 14-day mandatory quarantine and vehicle rental prohibition. 

The Kauai Police Department said in a news release that Patrick arrived at Lihue Airport on Aug. 12. They said she rented a vehicle and traveled to her quarantine location in Kapa'a. Police said they were told she left her lodging on several occasions after her arrival.

She has arrested, released after posting $2,000 and escorted back to her lodging for quarantine. The vehicle was recovered by the car rental agency.

Kauai police have made 68 arrests for violations of the quarantine emergency rules, including 30 visitors and 38 residents. Violators face up to $5,000 in fines and/or a year in jail.

This is a developing story. Please check back for upates. Editor's note: We’d like to hear how you’re coping with the latest COVID-19 developments and the state's phased reopening. You can call our talkback line at 808-792-8217. Or e-mail us at talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org.

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