Hawaii has been holding the line on how its residents engage with each other in the midst of COVID-19. And, as hard as it’s been, the safest route toward recovery is to stay on this track.

Aided by a boost in the community’s vaccination rate, infection counts are on the decline, as is the positivity rate — the percentage of tests that come back positive, an indicator of viral spread.

But, as state health officials have pointed out, intensive-care units across the state are still under strain, and the high death toll is a tragic outcome. This, Gov. David Ige rightly asserted, must not be prolonged by allowing the community to ease restrictions too quickly, potentially causing yet another surge that takes even longer to subside.

That was Ige’s bottom-line message to the public on Friday when he announced an additional two-month extension of the emergency order. These rules restrict the number of people who can socially gather, and require masks to be worn in indoor public spaces.

In addition, the governor included the Safe Travels Hawaii program in that renewal, which was the prudent move. The scofflaws who have been caught trying to use counterfeit credentials at the airport prove that the state still needs this gatekeeping.

As for Honolulu, the Safe Access Oahu vaccine- pass program is now approaching the halfway point in its 60-day pilot. The requirement is imposed on restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters, museums and arcades — and for some, it’s been a tough slog.

Customers who want to be admitted for more than a 15-minute stop for takeout, as well as all employees, contractors and volunteers, must show either proof of complete vaccination or a current negative COVID-19 test result. The patrons relying on testing must show a negative result produced within the past 48 hours; the others must do their tests weekly.

It’s been hard on businesses that also are contending with an ongoing labor shortage, according to a survey of 217 of its member businesses on Oahu, conducted Sept. 10 by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, just before Safe Access Oahu went into effect Sept. 13. About 53% reported they still faced a staffing shortage, though only 21% of them said it was due to the mandates.

The reviews from customers on the various mandates have been mixed, business leaders reported, some of them opposed on principle, others happy to feel safer about dining out.

So far, the Safe Access Oahu program does not appear ripe for revision, although Mayor Rick Blangiardi has said he is considering a request to extend permitted hours for bars from 10 p.m. to midnight.

If anything, the emphasis instead should be on continued enforcement. Anecdotal reports of venues not checking for credentials are swirling, and this is unfair to those businesses that are making the effort to comply.

One area in which calls for some relaxation should be heard is the allowance for a limited number of spectators at the University of Hawaii football games.

Clearly, there is room in the newly expanded, 9,000-seat outdoor Clarence T.C. Ching Stadium to accommodate socially distanced, fully vaccinated family “bubbles.” Implementing strict masking requirements and barring activities such as concessions would make it even safer.

That exception aside, Ige is following the correct instinct by maintaining consistent rules, despite Maui Mayor Mike Victorino breaking from the pack, on Friday authorizing spectators at some youth sports despite the governor’s denial. Hawaii has a single health-care system, isolated here in the Pacific, and the actions in any of its counties will affect everyone.

The state, acting as a whole, is heading in the right direction — but it will take a sustained, cohesive effort to keep moving on the route out of this miserable pandemic.