Residents at Hale Makua Health Services were given a rare opportunity to reconnect with loved ones during a Cinco de Mayo celebration parade held at the Kahului campus today.  Hale Makua residents lined the campus driveway holding up colorful, hand-painted signs to greet family members who drove by in a parade of cars decorated with loving messages and festive themes.

Based on initial inspection, the infestation is just over one-quarter of an acre and limited to a section of potted plants brought to the campus several years ago as part of the school’s agriculture program. Staff suspected little fire ants were present in December and collected and submitted a sample of the pests to the Maui Invasive Species Committee in January. Two comprehensive treatments of the infestation have already occurred. The next treatment is scheduled for mid-June and treatments will continue for one year.

As of noon on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, there are 625 cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawaiʻi with 4 new cases on the island of Oʻahu. To date, 551 people have recovered including 92 in Maui County. *As a result of data cleaning, one case previously categorized as Hawaiʻi County was re-categorized to Honolulu County.

Governor David Ige today unveils his 7th Supplemental Emergency Proclamation relating to COVID-19, announcing Phase 1 of opening businesses and activities. The next phase includes the reopening of: non-food agriculture such as landscaping, floral and ornamental; astronomical observatories and support facilities; car washes; pet grooming services; healthcare and social assistance including elective surgery and non emergent services; some nonprofits; retail businesses including apparel and electronics; certain shopping malls; and wholesale and warehousing operations.  These businesses outlined in the proclamation may reopen under guidelines as of Thursday, May 7 at 12:01 a.m.

The Public Utilities Commission on Monday approved temporary emergency changes to Young Brothers’ sailing schedule for 30 days.  The changes take effect immediately and will result in an amended weekly sailing schedule for Maui and Hawaiʻi counties.  

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.

A Maui man suffered head and back injuries after falling about 20 feet while picking opihi at Waipio Bay east of Twin Falls in Haʻiku this morning.

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.

The mandatory 10 percent cutback in water usage takes effect for customers on the Wailuku-Kahului-Pāʻia system, and will remain in effect until further notice.  This comes following last week’s declared Stage 1 water shortage for the area.

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.

Approximately an hour into the search, personnel aboard a Jet Ski located the two missing individuals about a mile offshore.  They were both assisted onto the Jet Ski and brought back to shore where they were reunited with family. Both kayaks were retrieved and secured by a crew aboard the department’s rescue boat.

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.