New guidelines deem auto sales essential business

Honolulu’s auto dealerships, which have been selling and leasing vehicles online, may be able to get customers back into their showrooms in the future.

Automobile sales are now deemed an essential business, according to an Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers Guidance update published Friday by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The guidance, however, indicates that auto sales are to facilitate the continuity of travel-related operations for essential workers. It’s unclear in the wording whether the dealerships can make sales to nonessential workers.

Under a current order by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell that went into effect April 3, Oahu auto dealerships can sell or lease online new and used vehicles to essential workers and, upon completion of the leasing or sales transaction, receipt of the vehicle, if necessary, must be by delivery to the buyer’s residence.

There are different orders in place in some of the other Hawaii counties.

Gov. David Ige said in an order that took effect March 25 that gas stations, auto supply, auto repair and related facilities can remain open and that all business or operations not identified as federal critical infrastructure sectors on the CISA list must cease. Auto sales were not specifically on that list at the time.

Caldwell’s and Ige’s directives were put in place through April 30. Auto dealers are still abiding by those directives.

“Dealerships are already open — providing needed vehicle service and repair — and now there is Friday’s news about automobile sales being added to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s list of ‘essential services,’” Dave Rolf, executive director of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association, said in a statement. “Dealers have already been practicing CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) social distancing guidelines and safe practices everyday to protect our customers, citizens, our employees and our families.”