HAWAI‘I COVID-19 JOINT INFORMATION CENTER DAILY NEWS DIGEST Oct. 19, 2020
Posted on Oct 19, 2020 in COVID-19 News Releases, Latest Department News, NewsroomGovernor’s Office:
Government, Private-Sector Partnership Double Food Bucks to Help Hawai‘i Families, Local Agriculture The State of Hawai‘i is matching a donation of half a million dollars from a hui of private-sector organizations towards the DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks program. DA BUX doubles the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits spent on locally grown food at participating grocery stores. Several private-sector organizations secured $500,000 for DA BUX to increase SNAP buying power for recipients at participating grocery stores, such as KTA Super Stores and Times Supermarket. The state match increases that amount to $1 million that will be available for SNAP recipients to purchase locally produced, fresh and nutritious fruits, vegetables and proteins at participating locations statewide. Gov. Ige said, “DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks” is a triple-win solution because it supports local farmers with an increased customer base, low-income families who receive double the purchasing power for healthy, Hawai‘i-grown produce, and our entire community by keeping dollars in the local economy.”
Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, SNAP is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low and no-income individuals. Administrators are seeing a higher number of recipients as families continue to struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic. DA BUX is a statewide program administered by The Food Basket in partnership with the Hawai‘i Good Food Alliance. To view more:
Inter-County Pre-Travel Trusted Testing Partners Announced
Over the weekend, Gov. Ige announced eight trusted testing partners for inter-county travel. Inter-county passengers arriving in Kauaʻi and Maui counties may bypass the mandatory 14-day quarantine if they take an FDA-authorized Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) from the certified CLIA lab of a trusted testing and travel partner no earlier than 72 hours prior to departure and receive a negative result. Travelers register on and upload their test results to their Safe Travels Hawaiʻi account and inter-county travelers must have the test result with them upon arrival so airport screeners can review the result.
Those who do not choose to take a pre-travel test or who do not arrive with a negative test from a trusted testing or travel partner will continue to be subject to the existing 14-day inter-county quarantine or may seek an exemption from the county they are traveling to. Gov Ige said, “Travel between our islands is essential to our residents staying connected with family and friends and conducting business. And many of our visitors want to experience all our island state has to offer. We are grateful to our trusted partners who are helping to make inter-county travel safer.”
The eight trusted testing partners for inter-county travel are:
- Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii
- CVS Health (Longs)
- Hawaii Pacific Health
- Kaiser Permanente (members only)
- Minit Medical
- Walgreens
- Urgent Care Hawaii
- Vault Health
Department of Health:
39 COVID-19 Cases Reported Today
Thirty-nine (39) new COVID-19 cases were reported today. Thirty-one (31) of those cases were from O‘ahu, seven (7) on Hawai‘i Island, two residents were diagnosed outside of the state, and a case previously reported on Kaua‘i was recategorized (see foot note below the next chart).
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Oct. 19, 2020
| Island of Diagnosis | New Cases | Reported since
2/28/2020 (including new cases) |
| O‘ahu | 31 | 12,494 |
| Hawai‘i | 7 | 1,059 |
| Maui | 0 | 392 |
| Kaua‘i | -1 | 60 |
| Moloka‘i | 0 | 19 |
| Lānaʻi | 0 | 0 |
| HI residents diagnosed outside of HI | 2 | 44 |
| Total Cases | 39 | 14,068++ |
| Deaths | 0 | 187 |
Hospitalization count as of 10/16/20 at 12:51 pm: 10-Hawai‘i, 2-Maui, 84-O‘ahu, 0-Kaua‘i
++As a result of updated information, two cases from O‘ahu were removed from the counts and one case from Kaua‘i was re-categorized to “HI residents diagnosed outside of HI.”
This new graphic replaced the table previously posted. The data is available on the DOH/DOCD website: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-hawaii/
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Oct. 18, 2020
On Sunday, one (1) additional COVID-19 death was reported by DOH. It involved a male between 60-69 years old, who had an underlying condition and was hospitalized at the time of his death.
| Island of Diagnosis | New Cases | Reported since
2/28/2020 (including new cases) |
| O‘ahu | 68 | 12,465 |
| Hawai‘i | 14 | 1,052 |
| Maui | 0 | 392 |
| Kaua‘i | 1 | 61 |
| Moloka‘i | 0 | 19 |
| Lānaʻi | 0 | 0 |
| HI residents diagnosed outside of HI | 0 | 42 |
| Total Cases | 83 | 14,031++ |
| Deaths | 1 | 187 |
++As a result of updated information, one case from O‘ahu was removed from the counts.
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Oct. 17, 2020
On Saturday, one (1) additional COVID-19 death was reported by DOH. It involved a female over the age of 80, who had an underlying condition and was hospitalized at the time of her death.
| Island of Diagnosis | New Cases | Reported since
2/28/2020 (including new cases) |
| O‘ahu | 81 | 12,398 |
| Hawai‘i | 12 | 1,038 |
| Maui | 0 | 392 |
| Kaua‘i | 1 | 60 |
| Moloka‘i | 0 | 19 |
| Lānaʻi | 0 | 0 |
| HI residents diagnosed outside of HI | 2 | 42 |
| Total Cases | 96 | 13,949 |
| Deaths | 1 | 186 |
DOH Releases Updated COVID-19 Guidance for Schools
DOH has released updated guidance to elementary, middle, and high schools today to help school administrators make decisions to safely transition between different models of learning — virtual classes, traditional classroom learning, or a combination of at-home learning and in-person learning. The guidance is available on DOH’s website at: https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/school-guidance/
The updated reopening thresholds for schools now align with reopening plans for Honolulu and Kaua‘i counties that were approved by Gov. David Ige and continue to be consistent with recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new reopening thresholds are based on two consecutive seven-day averages of daily new case rates and testing percent positivity by island. The seven-day daily average per 100,000 population applies to all islands, and the percent of tests that are positive by county is a secondary measure. Data from the preceding two 7-day cycles are posted on DOH’s website at https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/school-guidance/ each Wednesday at noon.
To view more:
hawaiicovid19.com
Department of Public Safety:
15 More Saguaro Inmates Test Positive
PSD has been notified that 15 more Hawai‘i inmates at the Saguaro Correctional Center (Saguaro) in Eloy, Arizona tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of inmates in medical isolation at Saguaro with confirmed positive COVID cases is 25. Seven (7) inmates with pending test results are also in medical isolation and 789 inmates are in a precautionary 14-day quarantine. Saguaro nursing staff are doing daily temperature checks and monitoring the inmates for symptoms.
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. Inmate testing is underway at the Maui Community Correctional Center and the Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center. DOH testing of O‘ahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) inmates is ongoing. Over the weekend 52 inmate test results were received. Of the 52, only one (1) was positive and 51 were negative. There were no staff or inmate results received today. Additionally, 97% percent of inmates and 86% of staff who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered. To view more on PSD’s planning and response to COVID-19:
https://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/.
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority:
6,641 Passengers Arrive on Sunday
Yesterday, a total of 6,641 people arrived in Hawai‘i from out of state. This comes a few days after the Safe Travels Hawai‘i program launched, which gives travelers an option of taking a COVID-19 test to bypass the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine if their results are negative. The bulk of the passengers, or 2,623 people, indicated they came to Hawai‘i for vacation. There were also 1,274 returning residents. The trans-pacific passenger arrival data is derived from data provided by Safe Travels.
To view more:
https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/trans-pacific-passenger-arrivals/
Hawaiʻi House of Representatives:
Committee to Discuss Status of COVID-19 Funding, Distance Learning in Public Schools
Another informational briefing will be held tomorrow by the Education Committee, who will discuss the status of COVID-19 related funding, as well as distance learning in public schools. Committee members will look at how distance learning went during the first quarter of school, how many electronic devices were distributed to help students, and address internet connectivity issues. Several guest speakers will participate in the 11 a.m. briefing, including Dept. of Education Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto. Due to COVID-19 distancing rules, all hearings are being streamed online, which you can watch here: https://www.facebook.com/hawaiihouseofreps/
Helpful Resources
Safe Travels Hawai‘i Program
Program overview: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/
FAQs: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/faqs/
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 post-arrival test: https://www.kauai.gov/visitorposttest
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