Updated: 10/20/2020, 12:10 p.m.
The Hawaii Department of Health today reported 2 deaths and 91 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the case count up once again.
Oahu had 61 new cases followed by 24 on Hawaii Island, 2 in Maui County and none in Kauai County. Four more cases were diagnosed out of state.
The latest count brings the total number of COVID cases during the pandemic to 14,156. The death toll rose to 189.
Oahu has now had 12,552 cases, Hawaii Island 1,083, Maui County 413 and Kauai 60. Forty-eight cases were diagnosed out of state. Three Oahu cases were removed from the counts due to updated information.
Mayor: Visitors need to get educated about mask, other safety mandates
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell believes more needs to be done to educate incoming travelers about Oahu’s COVID-19 safety orders. About 7,000 to 8,000 tourists have been arriving daily since Thursday when the state’s Safe Travels pre-travel testing program took effect.
Under the program, visitors with a negative COVID test taken prior to arrival can skip the 14-day travel quarantine.
But while more tourists can help the economy recover, Caldwell says some have been disobeying the city’s mandates.
"The visitor needs to know they’re traveling during a pandemic. So everything they do, from the moment they leave their home to when they return home, needs to be with that understanding, and they need to educate themselves," Caldwell said.
"And then I think all the partners in the visitor industry – from the time you get to the airport, to the time you get on the plane, to you arrive at the airport, to when you check into your hotel – all of those levels need to do their part. And, yeah, I think we can all do better, including the City and County of Honolulu."
Caldwell says he would meet with Honolulu police about providing more Waikiki patrols to enforce the COVID-19 rules, such as wearing masks and social distancing.
He says he hopes HPD will first warn visitors before issuing a citation.
Violating Honolulu’s COVID order is a misdemeanor, and carries a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to a year in prison.
--HPR's Casey Harlow
City reserves Waikiki hotels for COVID-19 quarantine, isolation
The city announced it has reserved hotel rooms at the Park Shore Hotel for quarantine and isolation uses and is leasing the Waikiki Beachside as a quarantine and isolation center for vulnerable individuals working with the state Department of Health.
The city now has 452 rooms it can potentially use for isolation and quarantine services for Oahu residents who have no other location for safe quarantine or isolation beause of COVID-19. Seventy-five of the rooms are now occupied, Mayor Kirk Caldwell said yesterday.
The rooms can also be used by first responders who may have come into contact with a COVID-positive patient and need to quarantine.
With the latest arrangements, the city now has several properties it can use to help people quarantine and isolate.
The Kaaahi Street facility for the homeless has 26 beds, 11 of which are currently occupied and 10 of whom are COVID-positive. Mark Alexander, the city's homeless coordinator, said 230 people have been served there.
"We hope to continue that kind of service over here at the Waikiki Beachside," he said. "We know there are vulnerable people in the community...and we see everyone coming together to help them."
Eddie Mersereau with the Department of Health's Behavioral Health Services Administration said officials met with members of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board who had concerns about the clients that will be served at Waikiki Beachside.
Mersereau said those housed will not be exclusively homeless, mentally ill, or with substance abuse issues, but will have a "higher acuity of need." They will not be treated other than to keep them stable during quarantine and isolation, which is the main purpose of the Waikiki Beachside center, he said.
The city also has space at the Pearl Hotel Waikiki, where 64 of 130 rooms are occupied. The Harbor Arms Apartment Hotel with 29 rooms in Pearl City-Aiea area will have clients moving in starting Monday, Caldwell said.
The mayor said the city has capacity right now but as the state reopens, there is a potential for more cases. He said the way to control the spread of the virus is through isolation and quarantine.
The city is using CARES Act funds to cover the cost of the quarantine and isolation locations. But the funds will run out at the end of the year unless the federal government approves more aid.
Mersereau said those who need a place to quarantine and isolate can call 832-3100 to see if they are eligible for the quarantine and isolation service.
DOH guidance for schools now tracks federal guidelines
The state Department of Health has changed how Hawaii schools reopen so that they are more in line with federal guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state will use seven-day coronavirus case averages instead of 14-day averages and positivity rates by island to decide when students should return to campus.
But the state teachers union still doubts that the latest guidelines can keep students and faculty safe.
Hawaii State Teachers Association President Corey Rosenlee said there is a lack of trust in the state Department of Education to implement the steps mitigating the coronavirus.
"We know that at schools that they are not maintaining six-foot distancing, especially in hallways before [and] after school, that there is nothing to stop students from getting into their multiple cohorts throughout the day, as they are switching, going from one period to another period or mixing," he said.
"In over a week period, we can see teachers having interaction with 150 students. We know that our janitors are completely overwhelmed, and that certain areas are not disinfected daily, and especially those high-touch areas."
The Department of Education did not respond immediately to the union’s comments.
The new guidance encourages schools to consider more distance learning if COVID-19 cases remain at a high number for over 14 days.
Parents should check with their children’s schools to see when the students will return to campus. The Department of Education says it does not keep a centralized list of when schools will resume in-person classes.
--HPR's Ashley Mizuo
