Hawai‘i COVID-19 Daily News Digest November 2, 2020

Posted on Nov 2, 2020 in COVID-19

Office of the Governor:

Additional Trusted Testing Partners Sought for Domestic Travel

Governor Ige announced today that the state is seeking additional “trusted testing partners” for domestic transpacific travel as part of the state’s pre-travel testing program. Governor Ige also revealed the two requirements and at least one of the six criteria needed to become a trusted testing partner.

Requirement One – Ability to provide testing, collection, and processing of specimens at CLIA licensed or certified laboratories.

Requirement Two – Ability to provide travelers test results on the Hawai‘i COVID-19 Test Result Form.

The six criteria (at least one) needed, include the ability to reach travelers in 10 states; has a strong presence in nine (9) locations (i.e.; West Coast, Midwest, and New York tri-state area); has an existing contractual relationship with an airport, airline or hotel, or is a government entity that provides traveler coronavirus testing.

A three-person panel will vet submissions for approval and applications are due by 2 p.m. HST on Thursday. The second set of trusted testing partners is expected to go live online on Nov. 17.

Gov. Ige said the state continues working on increasing inter-county testing options. “We are committed to developing as broad a network of trusted testing partners as possible to administer tests. Now that the pre-travel testing program has successfully launched, we are working to expand the network to make it easier to safely travel to Hawai‘i, Governor Ige said. See the full news release: https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/latest-news/office-of-the-governor-news-release-state-of-hawaii-seeks-additional-trusted-testing-partners-for-domestic-transpacific-travel/

Department of Health:

78 Additional Cases of COVID-19 Reported

DOH records 78 additional cases of coronavirus today and no additional deaths. Statewide the test positivity rate stands at 1.7% with a 14-day average of 66 new cases daily. Please see the chart below for a county-by-county breakdown. Additionally, that chart and many others are now available on the newly expanded COVID-19 dashboard: hawaiicovid19.com/dashboard.

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, Nov. 2, 2020

Island of Diagnosis	New Cases	Reported since 2/28/2020 (including new cases)
O‘ahu	65	13,250
Hawai‘i	4	1,304
Maui	2	410
Kaua‘i	1	66
Moloka‘i	0	17
Lānaʻi	1	100
HI residents diagnosed outside of HI	5	84
Total Cases	78	15,231++
Deaths	0	219

++As a result of updated information, one case from O‘ahu was removed from the counts.

Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism:

Expanded COVID-19 Dashboard Includes Economic and Tourism Metrics

The state’s new, expanded dashboard, revealed earlier this afternoon is separated into five different sections.

Dashboard
Economic trends
Health trends
Social trends
Additional resources

The DBEDT economic dashboard tracks economic activities at each county level. These metrics are updated every week on Friday. The DBEDT tourism dashboard offers an ongoing picture of Hawai‘i tourism by using interactive visualizations of key data sets for the entire state and individual islands. It also includes the HTA Transpacific Passenger Arrivals chart (shown below), which will continue to be displayed in each day’s COVID-19 Daily News Digest, produced, and distributed by the Joint Information Center.

Hawai‘i Restaurant Card Program Update

The Hawai‘i Restaurant Card officially launched just over two weeks ago when eligible people began receiving the pre-loaded, pre-paid cards in mailboxes statewide. As of November 1, 103,384 Hawai‘i Restaurant Cards have been activated. So far, $17.2 million has been spent at restaurants, eateries, bakeries and for food catering in Hawai‘i. That equates to $1.15 million being injected daily into our restaurant industry since the program started. For details about the Hawai‘i Restaurant Card and answers to frequently asked questions visit: www.HawaiiRestaurantCard.com.

Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority:

7,367 Passengers Arrive on Sunday

Yesterday, a total of 7,367 people arrived in Hawai‘i from out of state. 3,620 people indicated they came to Hawai‘i for vacation. There were also 1,030 returning residents. The trans-pacific passenger arrival data is derived from data provided by the Safe Travels digital system.

To view more: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/trans-pacific-passenger-arrivals/

Department of Public Safety:

Saguaro Correctional Center Test Results Received & Inmate Mass Testing Continues

Broad-based testing of 1,011 Hawai‘i inmates was completed Thursday at the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, AZ. Of the 1,011 tested, 575 (57%) were negative, 317 (31%) were positive and 46 (5%) were inconclusive. There are 73 inmates results still pending. The total number of Hawai‘i inmates in medical isolation at Saguaro with active positive COVID-19 cases is 378. There are six (6) inmates in the hospital. The rest of the Hawaiʻi inmate population that tested negative and/or has a pending test is in a precautionary quarantine. Per CDC recommendations, all negative inmates will be retested in 3-5 days. There are currently Hawaiʻi 1,081 inmates housed at Saguaro.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Public Safety (PSD) was notified that a staff member assigned to the Public Safety Personnel Office tested positive for COVID-19. The employee last worked on 10/29/20. The personnel office space and adjacent restrooms were sanitized. DOH is conducting contact tracing. PSD staff working in that area have been notified and encouraged to contact their health care providers if they have questions about possible exposure.

DOH testing of O‘ahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) inmates and staff is continuous. Over the weekend there were 30 inmate test results received, with two (2) positive and 28 negative. There are no OCCC inmates in the hospital. All 43 OCCC staff results received over the weekend were negative. PSD’s Health Care Division is working with DOH, the Hawai‘i National Guard (HING) and community partners, to conduct mass testing for COVID-19 at all other correctional facilities statewide. There were no new staff or inmate results received today. Additionally, 90% of PSD staff who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered. Information on PSD’s planning and response to COVID-19 can be found at: https://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/.

Department of Land and Natural Resources:

CARES Act Funding Applications Open for Fishers

The DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) has developed a spend plan with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to distribute more than $4.3 million to aid qualified fisheries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The application period opened today, and applications must be submitted to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission by Nov. 23, 2020. Interested applicants must review the spend plan to determine their eligibility. For questions about eligibility or the application: [email protected].

To apply: Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) website: https://www.psmfc.org/cares-act-the-coronavirus-aid-relief-and-economic-security-act.

Read the full release: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/10/31/nr20-169/

Nu‘uanu Pali State Wayside (Pali Lookout) Reopens Wednesday

After being closed since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic the DLNR Division of State Parks announces the popular Nu‘uanu Pali State Wayside will reopen on Wed., Nov. 4.

The Pali Lookout, for short, is a popular stopover point along the Pali Highway offering panoramic views of the windward side of the island. Typically, this park is among the most visited on Oʻahu, and visitors are reminded to adhere to social distancing rules and to wear face coverings when visiting the often-crowded overlook.

Open hours for the wayside park are 6 a.m.-6 p.m., daily. The gates along access roads leading into the Nu‘uanu Pali State Wayside will be unlocked daily and secured nightly by officers from the Honolulu Police Department. Please take note of new parking fees (Hawai‘i residents still free), in the news release: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/11/02/nr20-170/

Many people continue to ask about reopening of the Diamond Head State Monument. State Parks leadership continue working on plans and no date has been announced.