Maui Coronavirus Updates

Rep. Gabbard will discuss what still needs to be done to improve Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 testing and tracing operations and the outbreak at Hilo’s Yukio Okutsu Veterans Home that has claimed the lives of 24 veterans.

Sen. Schatz said the letter was sent as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on and “millions of households are facing impossible choices between paying the rent or mortgage, or purchasing food or medicine.”

The weekly Lānaʻi fresh produce distribution event takes place today, Tuesday, Sept. 22, and includes about 400 pounds of hamburger meat to families impacted by COVID-19.

The VA report noted: “There was very little proactive preparation/planning for COVID. Many practices observed seemed as if they were a result of recent changes. Even though these are improvements, these are things that should have been in place from the pandemic onset and a major contributing factor towards the rapid spread. A basic understanding of segregation and workflow seemed to be lacking even approximately three weeks after [the] first positive.”

There were 56 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 49 on O‘ahu and seven on Hawai‘i Island. Maui County had no new cases today, with the cumulative total remaining at 385.  Over the weekend, there were two cases in Kahului and one case on Molokai on Saturday; and a single case in Makawao on Sunday.

A new report from the US Department of Veterans Affairs was released detailing serious infection control issues that contributed to the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo.

Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine are conducting a COVID-19 clinical trial and are seeking individuals who were recently diagnosed with the virus to participate in a 21-day study.

There were 77 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 71 on O‘ahu, one in Maui County (in Makawao), and five on Hawai‘i Island.

Maui County hotels reported revenue per available room of $18 (-94.2%), with declines in both average daily rate to $207 (-47.2%) and occupancy of 8.6 percent (down 69.4 percentage points).

The County is providing iPads with internet access for educational use, starting at the War Memorial Gym site. Distance learning could expand to other locations based on interest, according to Maui Mayor Michael Victorino.

There were 110 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 100 on O‘ahu, three in Maui County (two on Maui and one on Moloka‘i), and seven on Hawai‘i Island. Maui County had three new cases today, with the cumulative total rising to 384.  The latest cases include two in Kahului and one in Kauanakakai on Molokaʻi.  To date, there have been 16 cases on Molokaʻi over the course of the pandemic.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has compiled a list of Native Hawaiian-owned businesses operating during COVID in the hopes of generating support for the local economy.  

Previously those seeking exemptions, such as critical medical or infrastructure workers had to communicate with, and provide information to the state via email.  Department officials say the new online form and submission system will mean more efficient interactions with exemption seekers, better data gathering and access for decision makers.

There were 114 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 105 on O‘ahu and nine on Hawai‘i Island. Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 death toll rose to 120 as the state confirmed 12 deaths on Hawaiʻi Island and one on O‘ahu.

For the first time ever, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and schedule changes announced by the NCAA, the Maui Jim Maui Invitational is planning to relocate to Asheville, North Carolina this year.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has updated its unemployment insurance claims information, including paying $3,186,067,022 and 3,307,331 weeks claimed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 1, 2020.

State officials have confirmed 15 of the 18 deaths reported at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island.  The state Department of health had previously confirmed three deaths, and today, confirmed 12 more deaths among residents of the facility.

More than 15 Maui businesses, including eight restaurants, have closed their doors for good due to the lack of tourism and other economic woes caused by the coronavirus. Many more Maui businesses are teetering on the brink, as government assistance programs for small businesses dry up and the pandemic drags on. “We are literally hanging on by our fingertips,” said Josh Curi, owner of Da Babooze Bar in Wailuku.

Gov. Ige said, “We’ve asked landlords to be patient until we could start these types of programs to ensure we don’t add to our homeless populations. Most importantly, this program will help strengthen families and allow them to remain in their homes.”

There were 160 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today including 137 on O‘ahu, three in Maui County and 20 on Hawai‘i Island. Hawai‘i’s COVID-19 death toll rose to 107 with the passing of four more O‘ahu residents.