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The tsunami advisory is ended for the State of Hawaiʻi, effective at 6:58 p.m HST.

Governor David Ige today announced the State of Hawai‘i will match a donation of half a million dollars from a hui of private-sector organizations toward the DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks program. DA BUX doubles the value of  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits spent on locally grown food at participating grocery stores. 

There were 83 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 68 on the island of O‘ahu, 14 on Hawai‘i Island and one on Kaua‘i. Maui reported no new cases today.

There were 96 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 81 on the island of O‘ahu, 12 on Hawai‘i Island, one on Kaua‘i and two in residents diagnosed outside of the state. Maui reported no new cases today.

Governor David Ige today announced eight trusted testing partners for inter-county travel in Hawaiʻi. The list includes: Clinical Laboratories of Hawaiʻi, CVS Health (Longs), Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, Kaiser Permanente (for members only), Minit Medical, Walgreens, Urgent Care Hawaiʻi and Vault Health.

Circuit Court Judge Wendy M. DeWeese has dismissed a legal challenge to the Governor’s COVID-19 emergency proclamations. Governor David Ige signed a Fourteenth Supplementary Emergency Proclamation related to the state’s COVID-19 emergency on Oct. 13.

Councilmember Michael J. Molina transmitted a request to the mayor on Thursday, seeking to extend the Hawaiʻi Emergency Laulima Partnership or H.E.L.P. program to Dec. 31, 2020 and increase the appropriation by adding $3 million to the program.

With nearly 3,000 travelers screened in Maui County on Thursday, issues surfaced over long lines and problems with some visitors providing tests from non-approved facilities.

There were 89 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 68 on the island of O‘ahu, 21 on Hawai‘i Island. Kaua‘i and Maui reported no new cases today.

To ensure peace of mind for some travelers, the Retreat is debuting a new elective post-arrival on-property COVID-19 Nasal PCR testing program that is in addition to the government required pre-arrival testing.

“Tabora Gallery Lahaina is a brand new business and we are busting at the seams to get going. We’ve been waiting to open the doors and we finally were able to do it,” said Anne Wood. Other Front Street stores that opened on Thursday included: CocoNēnē, West Maui Gifts, Maui Jewelers, Billabong and Honolula Surf.

Maui Airports District Manager Marvin Moniz said that considering it was the first day, the day went by “fairly well.” He reported the biggest issue was large volumes of passengers arriving at the same time. This included two American Airlines flights and one United flight, which arrived at the same time, “deplaning approximately 500 passengers that caused a back up in the holding room.”

At Kahului Airport, with Thursday’s launch of Hawaiʻi’s Safe Travels Program, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino declared: “This is a new day for Maui County. It is a rebirth of our visitor industry.”

If Hawaiʻi government thinks it is safe enough for transpacific travelers to vacation in Maui now – and for residents to drink in bars and eat in restaurants – many parents want to know why it is not safe enough for children to learn in person at public schools in Maui, where the low number of COVID-19 cases meet the DOH guidelines for reopening.

There were 91 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 74 on the island of O‘ahu, 13 on Hawai‘i Island, two on Maui (in Haʻikū and Kīhei) and two in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed out of state. Kaua‘i reported no new cases today.

Saving the ‘ōhā wai from extinction required park staff to gather cuttings and seeds from wild populations, raise plants in a nursery, fly into remote areas on the eastern slope of Haleakalā, and hike across challenging terrain into dense rainforest.   

In response to the group’s call for intervention, officials with the Mayor’s office provided a statement to Maui Now on Wednesday evening saying, “Mayor Victorino is aware of the situation and investigating the issues involved in this matter. Meanwhile, he’s working toward achieving a resolution that respects and protects Native Hawaiian cultural and archaeological resources.”

The state’s pre-departure COVID-19 testing program and Maui County’s voluntary post-arrival COVID-19 testing program for travelers seeking exemption from Hawaii’s 14-day quarantine begin today.

The County of Maui has added another $1 million to the Kōkua Maui County Small Business Recovery & Relief Fund, and small businesses now have until Oct. 31, 2020, to apply for grants of as much as $7,500.

Pre-loaded $500 restaurant cards were mailed out to eligible individuals under the state’s new Hawai‘i Restaurant Card Program.   The program was established to help Hawai‘i unemployment insurance recipients impacted by COVID-19.