Maui Coronavirus Updates

Carl Bonham, Executive Director of University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), said he expects visitors will begin returning to Hawaiʻi during the 3rd quarter at levels about 28% of those from previous years and that number could be up to 50% by the end of the year. He expects that we will have regained about 100,000 jobs by the end of the year but will still have double digit percentage unemployment.

A patient on Maui who was diagnosed with COVID-19 over a month ago and had been on a ventilator, was greeted with a celebratory exit from hospital staff who lined the halls upon her departure today.

Mayor Victorino COVID-19 Update, May 4, 4:30 p.m.

The University of Hawaiʻi plans to resume in-person instruction for the fall 2020 semester at all 10 of its campuses, including the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College campus in Kahului on Maui.

Governor David Ige provides a COVID-19 update.  He is joined today by: David Lassner, President, University of Hawai‘i who will discuss UH plans for the future; and Dr. Bruce Anderson, Director, Hawai‘i Dept. of Health who will discuss the latest COVID-19 numbers.

On Maui, 34 people arrived on a single trans-Pacific flight, including 15 residents, 11 visitors, seven crew members and one intended resident. 

Maui County’s count remain unchanged from yesterday, but was adjusted downward by one to 116 on Sunday due to data cleaning and the removal of a duplicate case on island. Of the 116 cases in Maui County, at least 91 have been released from isolation, and 17 have required hospitalization. As of today, there were more than 34,324 individuals tested by clinical and state laboratories.  Of that number, 33,703 were returned negative. In Maui County, a total of 6,298 tests were returned negative to date.   To date, there have been 17 COVID-19 related deaths in Hawaiʻi, including 11 on Oʻahu and 6 in Maui County.

Officers with the state DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement wrote 57 citations for violations of emergency rules and orders over the one week period ending May 1, 2020. Here on Maui, the Maui Police Department reports that 140 citations were issued over the one week period ending at 5 a.m. today for violations related COVID-19 enforcement efforts.

The University of Hawai‘i Maui College is receiving $1,041,403 in new federal funding to help the campus cover the cost of distance learning and provide financial aid for students in need.

Rep. Troy N. Hashimoto (Kahakuloa, Waihe‘e, Waiehu, Pu‘uohala, Wailuku, Waikapū), is the Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee and will discuss the challenges of the Maui Memorial Hospital coronavirus situation and his vision for Maui moving forward.

Today, the Mayor shared his thoughts on trans-Pacific flights, contact tracing and modifications to testing going forward.  “We’re looking at starting up blood draw for blood pathogens, anti-bodies, and to find out quicker if someone is infected… turning attention to blood draw to improve numbers and turn-around time,” said Mayor Victorino. 

The fire was reported at 11:51 p.m. on May 1, at a sidle-story, 4,300 square foot duplex condo located at 3100 Wailea Alanui Drive. Fire officials say the structure was unoccupied and no injuries were reported during the incident.

As of noon on Sunday, May 3, 2020, there are 620 cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawaiʻi with 2 new cases in Hawaiʻi, including one each on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. As a result of data cleaning, two duplicate cases were identified and removed from the counts (One from Honolulu County, and one from Maui County), resulting in the total statewide count remaining unchanged from yesterday at 620. To date, 544 people have recovered including 83 in Maui County.

The Department reports the 17th death is a woman, over the age of 60, with underlying medical conditions. She had been in the hospital at Maui Memorial Medical Center since late February. Her infection occurred in mid-April.

Hawaiian Airlines is enhancing health measures throughout its system by requiring travelers to wear face coverings starting May 8 and creating more personal space at check-in, boarding and during the flight.

The project first began on March 25, and since then, volunteer mask makers have increased production from 50 masks per day to over 400 daily. 

A total of 27 visitors were forced to leave the state for quarantine violations or lacking proper lodging and 330 arrivals have been referred to law enforcement, according to the update. The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority also reports it has made more than 14,000 follow-up calls with travelers to date.

The Pacific Cancer Foundation joined forces with Molokaʻi General Hospital to set up a food pantry and bring a message of hope to Molokaʻi cancer patients and survivors.

County officials said that while they tried to open up safety checks under Maui’s first phase of reopening, they ran into an issue with continuity since the state issues the stickers, and this service is not yet being offered by the state.

As of noon on Saturday, May 2, 2020, there are 620 cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawaiʻi with 1 new case on Maui for a total of 117 positive cases on Maui. Of the cases in Maui County, at least 87 have been released from isolation and 16 have required hospitalization. There have been 16 deaths across the state–five of them in Maui County.