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Governor David Ige joined the COVID-19 Care Conversation today to provide updates on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Governor Ige spoke about the state’s recent increase in coronavirus cases. On Friday and Saturday, state health officials reported double digit new cases for the first time since April 18. Ige said that the increase in cases was expected following Memorial Day gatherings and recent protests.
While he is concerned about the increase in cases, Ige feels confident in the state’s testing and contact tracing capabilities. Early on testing capabilities were limited and results were not immediate, but now the state is able to administer 5,000 tests per day with results provided in 24 hours.
Tomorrow marks the first day of interisland travel without a mandatory quarantine for passengers since March. Interisland travelers are encouraged to arrive at the airport early due to increased health and safety procedures including a health screening and completion of a public health form.
Ige suggested travelers print and complete the form prior to arriving to the airport to help with the processing time. An electronic version of the form is available online at health.hawaii.gov/travel.
He said the trans-Pacific travel quarantine will be lifted when officials “feel it’s safe for our community.”
Many states in the U.S. mainland are currently reporting record high case counts. Ige said the infection rates in other states are an important consideration when making the decision to lift the trans-Pacific travel quarantine requirement. He and health officials are currently looking into the possibility of a pre-arrival testing program, but no details have been finalized.
Ige said he hopes to lift the trans-Pacific travel quarantine as soon as possible, but that realistically it may not occur until August.
Watch here and comment through the Star-Advertiser’s Facebook Page. Watch again tomorrow when Paul Yonamine, Executive Chairman of Central Pacific Bank, will be the featured guest.
The COVID-19 Care Conversation, sponsored by Hawai’i Executive Collaborative and Hawaii Pacific Health, airs live every weekday at 10:30 a.m. on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Facebook page. Yunji de Nies and Ryan Kalei Tsuji discuss the latest news, resources and community concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Hawaii.
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