UPDATE: 4:45 p.m.

Hawaii health officials this afternoon said the state’s newest COVID-19 death was an Oahu man between the age of 40 and 59 years old with underlying health conditions.

The recent surge in triple-digit increases in daily new coronavirus cases has prompted new coronavirus restrictions announced this afternoon by Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. Health officials counted 134 new cases today.

“In many of the cases, we can’t pinpoint the exact location of their exposure and how they got infected,” Ige said during a press conference. “But more and more of the cases have clearly participated in a baby luau at the beach or gatherings at the park.”

Ige announced the state’s pre-travel COVID-19 testing program, expected to begin on Sept. 1, will be delayed until at least Oct. 1.

Meanwhile, Caldwell implemented a number of restrictions under the “Act Now Honolulu — No Social Gatherings” order aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus on Oahu. Some changes, which go into effect 12:01 a.m. Thursday, include prohibiting Oahu residents from gathering in groups of more than five and requiring face coverings at shopping malls.

“We’ve been struggling over the last five days on whether we use a hammer or a scapel to attack the spiking of COVID-19 on the island of Oahu,” Caldwell said. “We’ve chosen the scapel for now.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Hawaii health officials reported the state’s 41st COVID-19 death and 134 new coronavirus cases today, raising the statewide total since the start of the pandemic to 5,349.

The death was on Oahu but no details on the latest fatalities were immediately released.

Thirty-four deaths have been on Oahu, six on Maui, and one was a Kauai resident who died on the mainland. The U.S. death toll is over 170,000 today.

Today’s new COVID-19 cases include 124 on Oahu, seven in Maui County, and three on Hawaii island, according to the state Department of Health’s midday tally.

The statewide coronavirus case totals by county include 4,878 on Oahu, 242 on Maui County, 152 on Hawaii island, and 54 in Kauai County, according to health officials. The total also includes 23 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside of the state.

As of today, 3,387 infections in Hawaii are known to be active cases, with a total of 1,921 patients now classified by health officials as “released from isolation,” or about 36% of those infected. The category counts those infected people who have met the criteria for being released from isolation. Fifty-three new release cases were reported today.

Of all the confirmed Hawaii cases, 300 have required hospitalizations, with 12 new hospitalizations on Oahu reported today, health officials said.

Two hospitalizations in the statewide count are Hawaii residents who were diagnosed and treated outside the state. Of the 298 hospitalizations within the state, 261 have been on Oahu, 30 on Maui, six on Hawaii island, and one on Kauai.

Officials counted 1,914 new tests in today’s tally, with today’s 134 positive cases representing about 7% of the total tested. Of the 166,113 coronavirus tests conducted so far by state and clinical laboratories in Hawaii since the start of the outbreak, a total of 3.2% have been positive.

By county, Honolulu has seen 1,580 patients released from isolation, and Maui has had 163 patients released. Hawaii County has 22 active infections, while Kauai has five, according to Health Department figures.

Hawaii’s daily new-case count hit triple digits for the first time in late July, and has remained there for most of August, which the vast majority of confirmed infections on Oahu. On Thursday, the daily count reached a record 355.

On Monday afternoon, the governor’s office said in a brief news release that Oahu residents will be seeing more restrictions as early as this week, but offered no details on the extent of the upcoming changes. But Ige and Caldwell have scheduled a 2:30 news conference for today.

“Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell met at length today and agreed that additional targeted restrictions will be needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Oahu. We anticipate an announcement, with details, this week,” state officials with the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center said in the Monday news release.

RELATED STORY: Hawaii COVID-19 committee says case data needed to slow coronavirus surge