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Mayor Blangiardi’s newly restated order keeps Oahu on track in Tier 2

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / JAN. 14
                                Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi at a press conference early last month. Blangiardi today announced Oahu will likely remain at Tier 2 through March 15.
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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / JAN. 14

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi at a press conference early last month. Blangiardi today announced Oahu will likely remain at Tier 2 through March 15.

Gov. David Ige has approved the City and County of Honolulu’s third amended and restated order — which keeps the Tier 2 criteria and framework in place — for the next month.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced the approval of the order today, which makes no changes to the current tier system framework. The order goes into effect on Monday and remains in place through March 15 — unless the county’s metrics move it to another tier.

If Oahu meets the metrics to move to Tier 3 sooner, for instance, then that may happen prior to March 15.

Under Tier 2:

>> Groups of five are allowed at the same restaurant table, regardless of whether they are from the same household or not

>> Personal care services are allowed

>> Legal short-term rentals are allowed

>> Gyms and fitness facilities are allowed to operate indoors at 25% capacity

>> Public and private golf courses follow phase 2.5 guidelines

>> Helicopter tours at 50% capacity allowed

Current masking and social distancing rules also remain in place.

“While I look forward to working with the Governor and the State Department of Health on ways we can loosen restrictions on certain business sectors and operations, we need to be cognizant of the potential for COVID-19 cases on Oahu bumping up following the Super Bowl weekend,” said Blangiardi in a news release. “The health and safety of everyone in the City and County of Honolulu remains our top priority and I want to move us forward in a way that is deliberate and based on science. Successfully minimizing the spread of this virus during occasions like Super Bowl weekend, Valentine’s Day, and beyond, is the key to getting more of Oahu back to work, school, and back in the community activities we desperately need.”

Blangiardi had previously mentioned he hoped to be able to ease restrictions for bar owners as well as for outdoor, organized youth team sports, both of which are only allowed under Tier 4.

Oahu moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2 of Honolulu’s four-tier economic recovery plan in late October of last year. To move to the less-restrictive Tier 3, the 7-day average of new cases must be below 50, and 7-day average positivity rate must be below 2.5% on two consecutive Wednesdays.

The city’s COVID-19 information call center, 768-CITY remains open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except on holidays to answer questions. Oahu residents are encouraged to visit oneoahu.org for more information but may call or email covidresponse@honolulu.gov if they do not find what they are looking for online.

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