Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center Daily News Digest, October 26, 2020
Posted on Oct 26, 2020 in COVID-19 News ReleasesGovernor’s Office:
Governor Signs Stay-At-Home Order for Lāna‘i
As Lāna‘i continues to see a spike in COVID-19 cases, the island is being put under a stay-at-home order starting tomorrow to mitigate the spread of the virus. The order was signed by Gov. David Ige this morning. It goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said, “With the rapidly rising positive COVID-19 case count, this is an important step to limit the spread of the virus and protect the health and safety of this vulnerable community on Lāna‘i … For now, we recommend that residents and visitors, who are able, immediately shelter in place at their home or place of lodging. Trips outside should be for essential needs only, such as purchasing food, or medical visits. Everyone must wear masks in public.” The order also restricts travel to and from Lāna‘i for essential work or medical purposes only. All other travelers will have to quarantine for 14 days. To view the order:
Governor Welcomes Critically Needed Healthcare Workers to Supplement Local Healthcare Team
About 50 out-of-state healthcare workers attended an onboarding session today, as they arrived to help supplement local healthcare teams in Hawai‘i. Gov. Ige visited them at the St. Francis Healthcare System in Liliha. This now makes more than 170 additional medical employees that are here in Hawai‘i to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ll be here through Dec. 26, 2020. The healthcare workers were contracted by DOH through Ohio-based “ProLink Services,” to bolster staffing at both Hawai‘i hospitals and long-term care facilities.
The effort to staff post-acute care facilities is being coordinated by DOH and the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH). The job roles were strategically selected to provide maximum value to the state. Individual staff may not remain at the same facility for the duration of their employment. Employees can be quickly mobilized into a “strike team” to assist specific nursing homes or hospitals, should a COVID-19 cluster emerge. Gov. David Ige said, “I thank DOH and our many partners for making today a reality. Our local healthcare employees have been working diligently, around the clock, making many personal sacrifices to ensure that the facilities they work in and our communities are safe and the spread COVID-19 is prevented. These traveling medical professionals will support and bolster Hawaiʻi’s healthcare workforce, should we experience a surge in cases.”
DOH Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said, “All arriving personnel have met rigorous health and safety standards in the fight against COVID-19. They are licensed, fully trained and ready to work in Hawaiʻi’s long-term care facilities.” ProLink’s supplemental personnel working in Hawaiʻi’s acute care hospitals have already undergone orientation and are on the job across the state.To view more:
Link to photos here (please note photo credit on individual photos).
Department of Health:
Thirty-eight (38) New COVID-19 Cases Reported
Thirty-eight (38) new COVID-19 cases were reported today by DOH. Of those cases, 26 were on O‘ahu, nine (9) were on Hawai‘i Island, one (1) on Kaua‘i, and two (2) were diagnosed out of state.
No new cases on Lāna‘i were reported today. As a result of deduplication, the total number of confirmed cases from Lāna‘i since March 1, 2020 has been reduced to 79. The active cluster currently includes 77 confirmed and three (3) probable cases for a total cluster count of 80 cases. Large social gatherings likely contributed to this outbreak. Household transmission has been a factor in the case counts. DOH is engaging with the Lāna‘i healthcare community to enhance outreach, testing, and contact tracing.
COVID Tables to Reflect Breakdown of Island Case Count
As of today, the counts of COVID-19 cases presented on the Disease Outbreak Control Division’s (DOCD) COVID-19 web page will be changed to show the counts by island rather than by county. This will provide a more detailed description of where cases are reported and where disease activity is occurring at a more local level. This change from county to island will also be implemented in the counts shown in the DOCD map dashboard tables. The data is updated daily at noon. To view more: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii/
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Oct. 26, 2020
| Island of Diagnosis | New Cases | Reported since
2/28/2020 (including new cases) |
| O‘ahu | 26 | 12,864 |
| Hawai‘i | 9 | 1,230 |
| Maui | 0 | 401 |
| Kaua‘i | 1 | 62 |
| Moloka‘i | 0 | 17 |
| Lānaʻi | 0 | 79 |
| HI residents diagnosed outside of HI | 2 | 56 |
| Total Cases | 38 | 14,709++ |
| Deaths | 0 | 212 |
Hospitalization count as of 10/23/20 at 4:37 pm: 10-Hawai‘i, 3-Maui, 51-O‘ahu, 0-Kaua‘i
++As a result of updated information, one case from O‘ahu was removed from the counts.
*Two previous Molokai cases were moved to the “HI residents diagnosed outside of HI” section in this table.
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Oct. 25, 2020
| Island of Diagnosis | New Cases | Reported since
2/28/2020 (including new cases) |
| O‘ahu | 49 | 12,839 |
| Hawai‘i | 51 | 1,221 |
| Maui | 2 | 395 |
| Kaua‘i | 1 | 61 |
| Moloka‘i | 0 | 19 |
| Lānaʻi | 16 | 83 |
| HI residents diagnosed outside of HI | 2 | 54 |
| Total Cases | 121 | 14,672++ |
| Deaths | 0 | 212 |
++As a result of updated information, one case from O‘ahu and one case from Maui were removed from the counts.
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Oct. 24, 2020
| Island of Diagnosis | New Cases | Reported since
2/28/2020 (including new cases) |
| O‘ahu | 58 | 12,791 |
| Hawai‘i | 16 | 1,170 |
| Maui | 2 | 398 |
| Kaua‘i | 0 | 60 |
| Moloka‘i | 0 | 19 |
| Lānaʻi | 14 | 63 |
| HI residents diagnosed outside of HI | 0 | 52 |
| Total Cases | 90 | 14,553++ |
| Deaths | 3 | 212 |
++ As a result of updated information, one case from O‘ahu was removed from the counts.
Department of Public Safety:
Mass Testing to Begin at Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona
PSD has directed CoreCivic to conduct mass testing of all Hawai‘i inmates at their Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, AZ. The broad-based testing being administered by CoreCivic Health Services staff will begin Thursday. The total number of Hawai‘i inmates in medical isolation at Saguaro with active positive COVID cases is 52. There are seven (7) inmates in the hospital, ten (10) inmates with pending test results in medical isolation at the facility, and 741 inmates in a precautionary 14-day quarantine.
PSD’s Health Care Division is working with DOH, the Hawai‘i National Guard (HING) and community partners, to conduct mass testing for COVID-19 at all correctional facilities statewide. Negative test results were received over the weekend for 51 staff and one (1) inmate at the Hawai‘i Community Correctional Center, along with 15 staff from Kulani Correctional Facility. DOH testing of O‘ahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) inmates is continuous. Of the 90 new inmate test results received over the weekend, three (3) were positive, 86 were negative and 1 was inconclusive. No new OCCC staff or inmate test results were received today. Additionally, 97% of inmates and 86% of staff who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered. Information on PSD’s planning and response to COVID-19 can be found at: https://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/.
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations:
Hawai‘i Activates Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Extended Benefits
DLIR is launching Federal-State Extended benefits (EB) tomorrow to Hawai‘i workers who have exhausted their state and federal jobless benefits. The EB program kicks in after the unemployed individual received 26 weeks of state unemployment and 13 weeks of federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation. DLIR Director Anne Eustaquio said, “The Extended Benefits program provides a much-needed safety net for Hawai‘i claimants who have exhausted their current benefits and are still dealing with the long-term effects of unemployment due to COVID-19. Potentially eligible individuals will be identified and notified by mail and advised to apply for benefits online.”
Claimants must be unemployed or underemployed and be able to work and available for work. The program’s weekly benefit amount is the same as the individual received for regular state unemployment insurance. With the additional thirteen weeks, an eligible claimant may receive up to fifty-two weeks of benefits. A detailed chart explaining how to apply for EB is available at: https://labor.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/UI-EB-How-to-File20201010.pdf.
To view more: https://labor.hawaii.gov/blog/news/hawaii-activates-federal-state-unemployment-insurance-extended-benefits/
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority:
4,752 Passengers Arrive on Sunday
Yesterday, a total of 4,752 people arrived in Hawai‘i from out of state. The majority of the passengers, or 1,760 people, indicated they came to Hawai‘i for vacation. There were also 1,032 returning residents. The trans-pacific passenger arrival data is derived from data provided by the Safe Travels digital system.
To view more: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/trans-pacific-passenger-arrivals/
Helpful Resources
Safe Travels Hawai‘i Program
Program overview: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/
FAQs: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/faqs/
Email: [email protected]
Call Center Number: 1-800-GO-HAWAII
COVID-19 Tables, Charts, and Visualizations
https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii
Trans-Pacific Passenger Arrivals Statistics
https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/trans-pacific-passenger-arrivals/
Kaua‘i County
Kaua‘i COVID-19 webpage: https://www.kauai.gov/COVID-19
To report violators: https://www.kauai.gov/KPD-Online-Reporting
Rest, Test, Enjoy! Voluntary visitor post-travel test: https://www.kauai.gov/visitorposttest
Resident post-travel test: https://www.kauai.gov/residentposttest
Maui County
Maui County travel and COVID-19 information:
https://www.mauicounty.gov
To report violators: (808) 244-6400 or [email protected]
Hawai‘i County
Hawai‘i County COVID-19 webpage:
https://coronavirus-response-county-of-hawaii-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/travel
Critical infrastructure and medical travel request: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e2f4ce19aa854964a8fd60bec7fbe78c
To report violators: 808-935-3311
City & County of Honolulu
Honolulu COVID-19 webpage: oneoahu.org
Interisland passengers arriving on O‘ahu are not subject to the mandatory quarantine.
To report violators:808-723-3900 or [email protected]
Media Contact
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Joint Information Center
(808) 636-8194
[email protected]
Krystal Kawabata
Information Specialist III
Hawai‘i Department of Defense
(808) 441-7000
[email protected]