On the eve of the 2022 legislative session, the leaders of the state Senate and House announced today that the state Capitol again will be closed to the public — for now — because of rising concerns over COVID-19.

House Speaker Scott Saiki today told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream program that “it was a painful decision” to announce the closure and that he and Senate President Ron Kouchi and other legislative leaders “agonized over it for weeks.”

The Legislature convenes what is supposed to be a 60-day session on Jan. 19 and is scheduled to adjourn on May 5, barring a special session.

In a statement today, Kouchi said: “It was our intent to reopen the Capitol from January 3, 2022, but with Delta and Omicron variant positive COVID-19 cases in the several thousands, the Senate is in agreement with the House of Representatives that in an abundance of caution, the Capitol should not be opened at the present time.”

Saiki added in the announcement of the Capitol’s closure that the decision is designed “to minimize the spread of COVID-19 among members, staff, visitors, and other building occupants. The building status will be reevaluated in the coming weeks.”

Senate and House floor sessions and hearings will be held remotely and Saiki told Spotlight Hawaii that plans will be announced on how the public can submit testimony.