With COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations continuing to drop, more restrictions are likely to ease in coming weeks, according to Lt. Gov. Josh Green.
During the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream program Monday, Green said daily COVID-19 case counts have dropped precipitously, with active cases in the state down to 11,785, an 80% drop from 58,521 during the Jan. 21 peak of the omicron surge. Hospitalization numbers are also down more than 50% from the peak of the surge.
“What does this all mean?” he said. “Well, this means our case counts are not only dropping, but we’ll soon be able to get back to our normal lives much more than we have been for a long time.”
Green, who recently declared his candidacy for Hawaii governor, said he would recommend ending Safe Travels Hawaii — a program originally intended to mitigate COVID-19 spread from travelers — in mid-March if these downward trends continue.
This makes sense from a practical standpoint, he said, because support from federal funding and the National Guard are also due to end in mid-March and April.
Hawaii’s indoor mask mandates would follow, possibly, when hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 drop to 100, he said. He expects them to fall below 100 sometime in the next seven to 10 days. But mask mandates are likely the last to go, he said.
He noted other states, including California, Oregon, and Illinois, have announced the reduction of some mandates, including masks, this month and in March.
“After all, people do have to get on with the rest of their lives,” he said, “and there are consequences of lockdowns and restrictions.”
That includes the impact on businesses, the ability of people to pay their rent and their kids’ tuition, and to buy Valentine’s Day cards and candy. Other consequences, he said, include increased depression, self- medication and drug addiction resulting from isolation and rules.
On Monday the state Department of Health reported 498 new coronavirus infections, bringing Hawaii’s total since the start of the pandemic to 232,008 cases.
The seven-day average statewide fell to 608, a 67% decrease from 14 days ago, while the average positivity rate dropped to 6.3%.
Hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 decreased to 188 Monday, a 53% drop from 401 at the peak of the omicron surge, according to the state’s dashboard. Of the 188, 18 were in intensive care and 11 on ventilators.
Green said it would not be feasible to keep restrictions like Safe Travels in place for the next two to four years.
“When you get down to a place where very few of the hospitalizations are related to this disease, there’s no rationale for staying in lockdown,” he said.
Safe Travels, launched in October 2020, has evolved over the course of the pandemic, with varying quarantine periods. In its latest evolution, the program allows domestic travelers to Hawaii to bypass a mandatory, five-day quarantine by either showing proof of their vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative test within 72 hours prior to departure.
During the omicron surge, the focus was on whether boosters should be added to the vaccination requirements.
With the initial series of vaccines waning over time, DOH officials were and still are urging eligible residents to get boosted to help protect themselves against severe illness and hospitalization from omicron. As of Monday 75.5% of the state’s population had completed the initial vaccine series, with 36.5% boosted.
Last week Gov. David Ige said he would not be adding boosters to Safe Travel requirements as proof of “up-to-date” vaccinations and that domestic travelers could continue to bypass the mandatory quarantine 14 days after their initial vaccine series.
Ige said then that DOH was working on criteria and conditions under which the Safe Travels program could safely end. But Ige’s office, in response to a Star-Advertiser inquiry, said Monday there is no end date for Safe Travels yet.
Ige also said until then the state would use American Rescue Plan Act funds to support the program. The state has access to ARPA funds through 2024.
The governor’s latest emergency proclamation remains effective through March 25.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Safe Travels allows a negative test within 72 hours of arrival. The negative test needs to be within 72 hours prior to departure to Hawaii, and prior to boarding the flight to Hawaii.
