Kokua Line: Will UH football fans get to eat and drink in Ching Field luxury boxes?

Question: I’ve heard that food and drink including alcohol will be allowed at the next UH football game in the enclosed corporate suites at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. How is that allowed when everyone else sitting in the open air is permitted to only drink water?

Answer: The University of Hawaii got permission from Honolulu County to treat the suites as limited-capacity restaurants, distinct from the open-air stadium event, said Brent Suyama, a UH spokesman. He emphasized that UH hopes to expand full concession service to all fans as soon as possible but must abide by state and county COVID-19 restrictions as they stand.

“That is how the allowance of food happens, because the suites can be treated like a restaurant while the large seating areas are not considered a restaurant setting. We are hopeful that we can expand the service,” he said.

Attendance in the suites will be limited to 50% capacity, and everyone inside must be vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear a face mask when not actively eating or drinking, he said. Individual grab-and-go-style, prepackaged food will be served, and, yes, “alcohol can be served, as at a restaurant,” he said.

“With the ongoing changes to restrictions and positive direction in COVID-19 cases, we are hopeful this will allow for expanded food and beverage service at future events,” Suyama said in an email, adding in a follow-up phone call that the university wishes food and a variety of beverages could be sold to everyone attending Saturday’s game.

“That’s not allowed for now. We do appreciate the community’s support through all this” as COVID-19 restrictions evolve, he said.

As you noted, fans in the regular, open-air seating will be limited to buying bottled water at the game, as is required for certain large outdoor events, according to Honolulu County’s website, oneoahu.org. Outside food and drink will not be allowed.

Saturday’s game against San Diego State will be the first to welcome a full-capacity crowd since the pandemic began. For more information about parking, and links to other game-day rules, see 808ne.ws/gameday.

Q: Can we tailgate?

A: No, not on campus.

Q: Where can I check COVID-19 infection rates by county?

A: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a tracking tool on its website, at 808ne.ws/cdctrack. Look for the COVID-19 County Check at the bottom on the page, to check transmission rates where you live or places you plan to visit. As of Tuesday the tracker showed that community transmission of COVID-19 was high in Kauai County, substantial in Maui and Hawaii counties and moderate in Honolulu County.

Q: Did you ever find out why Joint Base Pearl Harbor­-Hickam and Marine Corps Base Hawaii lifted their indoor mask mandate, even though the state rule still applies off base?

A: Yes. “U.S. Indo-Pacific Command follows CDC and Department of Defense guidance related to masking. This guidance allows removal of masks when community transmission is in the moderate range. According to the Hawaii Department of Health, community transmission reached the moderate range on Oct. 17,” said U.S. Marines Corps Maj. Rob Martins, a spokesman for the command.

The updated policy, which allows fully vaccinated people to go without face masks except in identified high-risk areas on base, applies to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command headquarters and can be adopted by other military installations in Hawaii based on local COVID-19 risk, he said.

Honolulu County has not been in the moderate zone continuously since mid-October — community transmission was substantial from Oct. 20 to 28, according to the CDC — but the moderate trend has held since Friday, the CDC’s COVID-19 tracker shows.

Martins said the “mask policy is based on the daily community transmission level as well as the trend over the preceding two weeks based on data from the Hawaii Department of Health; this allows consideration of minor day-to-day fluctuations as may be introduced by weekends, holidays and data batching. This is consistent with CDC guidelines from July 27, 2021, and the follow-on DoD guidance published on July 28, 2021.”

He said the military “will continue to take prudent measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 and will vigorously assess our COVID policies to ensure we are protecting our personnel, the local community, and maintaining our readiness. When not on a DoD facility, all DoD personnel, whether fully vaccinated or not, will continue to strictly follow state and local regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. We respect our strong relationship and close cooperation with the state of Hawaii throughout this pandemic.”

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.