COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
The COVID-19 pandemic spread to Hawaii in March 2020.
, there have been 2,197 cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii. 26 people have died from the disease and 194 people have required hospitalization. 1,269 persons have recovered.
As of July 31, 2020, 123,251 COVID-19 tests were conducted by clinical and state laboratories in Hawaii, of which 2,109 returned positive, a rate of 1.71%.
Background
On January 12, 2020, the World Health Organization confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, which was reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019.The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.
Timeline
On March 6, the first presumptive positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed in a Grand Princess passenger who had returned to Hawaii.On March 14, the first two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Kauai County, along with the first case on Maui County. On March 16, Hawaii County reported its first confirmed case. On March 18, two more cases were confirmed in Honolulu County, bringing the statewide total to 16.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced the closure of all state parks, including Diamond Head, on March 17, 2020.
On March 19 at noon, new positive results were announced for eight individuals on O‘ahu and two individuals on Maui. On March 20, 11 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of cases in Hawaii to 37. These cases include the first two instances of community transmission. On March 21, 11 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of cases in Hawaii to 48. The following day on March 22, 8 more cases were announced.
Hawaii has consistently maintained low numbers of cases throughout the pandemic. Numbers have remained low primarily due to intensive testing and contact tracing.
On May 7, 2020, Governor David Ige and Lt. Governor Josh Green, an emergency room physician, stated that only 51% of Hawaii's hospital beds, 46% of intensive care beds, and 14% of ventilators are either occupied or in use and that Hawaii has the second lowest infection rate in the United States at 43.6 coronavirus positive cases per 100,000, the lowest infection rate in the United States for states with a population of over a million, and the lowest mortality rate of 1.2 deaths per 100,000 in the United States.
On May 12, 2020, there has been "635 cases of COVID 19 identified in Hawaii. Of those cases, 13% have required hospitalization, and 574 were residents."
On May 13, 2020, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz announced that Hawaii would receive $50 million under the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act to expand COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.
Government response
March 16: Governor David Ige announced that spring break for public schools in Hawaii would be extended for an additional week in order to give school administrators time to evaluate recommendations for stopping the spread of the virus. On March 18, the closures were extended for an additional week.March 18: Kauai County announced a nighttime curfew effective March 20 and a limit on airline travel to essential needs until further notice.
March 19: the Hawaii Department of Transportation stated that passengers from cruise ships would not be allowed to disembark in Hawaii. The same day, Honolulu City Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced efforts to curb the spread of the virus, including the closures of parks and a 15-day ban on dining in, at restaurants and bars. However, it was also announced that there were no plans to put a curfew in place. Similar measures were announced by Mayor Michael Victorino for Maui County, effective from March 20 until May 3.
Also on March 19, Hawai`i House Speaker Scott Saiki called on the governor to institute an immediate statewide shutdown for 15 days, requiring people to shelter in their homes or hotel rooms, to quarantine all travelers from outside Hawai`i for 15 days, prohibit all non-essential inter-island and out-of-state travel, and close all public and private schools and daycare centers. The Governor's office responded: "Gov. Ige continues to work through all the options, including their potential benefits and consequences, to secure our islands and do what's best for our communities."
March 20: the Honolulu City Council and Mayor Kirk Caldwell joined House Speaker Scott Saiki and Lt. Gov. Josh Green in calling on the governor to put in place emergency measures to stop visitors from coming to Hawaii.
March 21: Governor Ige mandated a 14-day quarantine for all visitors and residents returning to Hawai`i. Ige resisted calls for a shelter-in-place order, saying: "it is really appropriate when there is widespread community spread of the virus."
Over 100 physicians signed an open letter sent to Governor Ige, Maui Mayor Mike Victorino, and state Department of Health Director Bruce Anderson urging authorities to issue an immediate shelter-in-place order for the state.
March 22: Mayor Caldwell and Mayor Victorino both announced stay-at-home orders for Honolulu County and Maui County, respectively. The order for Honolulu County would go into effect on March 23 at 4:30 p.m., and the order in Maui County went into effect on March 25. Both orders are to be in effect until April 30.
April 3: Governor Ige called on Hawaii National Guard to be ready to assist if need be with issues surrounding the pandemic, including law enforcement.
Mandatory 14-day quarantine for incoming travelers and impact on tourism
On March 21, 2020, Governor Ige issued a second supplementary emergency proclamation that required residents and visitors entering the state to quarantine for 14 days.All residents and visitors are required to complete and sign a form denoting their acceptance of the 14-day quarantine. According to the Governor's office, passengers will not be allowed to enter Hawaii without signing the form. Bloomberg News has reported that "roughly 20 people" have been arrested or issued citations for violating the 14-day quarantine.
On April 6, 2020, the Hawaii Tourism Authority asked media organizations to "refrain from publishing any stories about Hawaii that might encourage people to travel to the islands."
As of May 21, 2020, the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism reported that air traffic to the state had decreased by 98% from the previous year.
Impact on sports
On March 12, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cancelled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide.Reopening of the state
Governor Ige began the first phase of reopening on businesses on May 7, 2020. The "Beyond Recovery: Reopening Hawaiʻi" strategy details the four-phased approach to reopening.Governor Ige anticipates that Hawaii will receive 1.25 billion dollars from the CARES Act and other related relief programs from the federal government.