Maui Coronavirus Updates

Mayor Victorino said he would be seeking a moratorium of 60 days minimum on cruise ship travel to Maui County. He also said he is asking county employees to stay home if they are sick out of consideration to others in the work place.  Triage at Maui Memorial Medical Center is being moved outside.

Hawaiʻi President David Lassner provided details about the planned transition to online classes and other changes at the university amid response to COVID-19 concerns.

The event, will tentatively be rescheduled to June 27; however that date is pending community impacts of the ongoing COVID-19.  The school will continue to monitor and assess the situation as the new date approaches. 

Due to the dramatic international spread of the novel coronavirus, the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) has sharply lowered its economic forecast for the state.

The Valley Isle Keiki Fest that was scheduled to take place on April 11, 2020, has been cancelled due to growing concerns of COVID-19. 

Disneyland Park in California will close on Saturday morning, March 14, through the end of the month amid concerns over COVID-19 also known as the coronavirus.

The University of Hawaiʻi will be moving classes online after spring break, effective Monday, March 23, 2020 according to an email communication from UH President David Lassner to students this morning.

DOH has temporarily suspended tours to Kalaupapa National Historical Park until April 11, 2020 as a public health measure to protect the vulnerable population of patients.

In light of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Council Chair Alice Lee said today she encourages the public to provide testimony and view meetings of the council and the council’s committees online.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Education is cancelling all school and department-related travel to the US mainland and international destinations until the end of the 2019-2020 school year, effective March 12, 2020. 

Mayor Victorino will be joined by guests Dr. Lorrin Pang of the Maui District Health Office and Dr. Lee Weiss, medical director and chairman of the Maui Memorial Medical Center’s Emergency Department.

The address comes on the heels of a morning announcement from the World Health Organization, declaring the COVID-19 situation is now a pandemic.  In a recent Tweet, President Trump said, “The media should view this as a time of unity and strength. We have a common enemy, actually, an enemy of the world, the coronavirus. We must beat it as quickly and safely as possible. There is nothing more important to me than the life and safety of the United States.”

The World Health Organization this morning declared COVID-19 is now a pandemic. The news was shared at a media briefing with organization head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

As concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus escalate, state and county officials gathered at the Maui Memorial Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon to discuss preventative measures and potential emergency response.

These phishing attacks can be used in combination with emails and fake websites to trick victims into divulging sensitive information. Emails may have malicious Microsoft Word documents attached, which can lead to the installation of information stealer malware.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health is beginning new surveillance testing for COVID-19 in addition to ongoing testing of persons under investigation. Health officials say the results will help responders understand and make appropriate decisions about the scope of such a spread, when it occurs.

When the 936 ft. long Eurodam pulled into Kahului Harbor this morning, it came as an unexpected sight for area residents, especially since it doesn’t usually make a port call at the location. The ship put in a request this weekend to come to Kahului instead of Lahaina because of weather on the West side where the ship typically stops and tenders passengers.  

Of the 62 individuals who are self-monitoring with public health supervision, 56 are on Oʻahu, 1 are on Hawaiʻi Island, 4 are on Maui, and 1 is on Kauaʻi. These numbers fluctuate often as travelers arrive, depart, or begin and end their self-monitoring with supervision by DOH. 

While there are no confirmed cases in Maui County, all county departments and personnel have increased sanitization efforts and are taking additional precautions amid statewide concerns relating to COVID-19.