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The interim guidelines cover multiple aspects of operations, and each of the 10 campuses will develop their own operational plans that take into consideration their unique location, facilities, programs needs and available resources. The first day of classes for the fall 2020 semester is Monday, August 24.

The state’s mandatory interisland travel and health form can now be submitted online within 24 hours of flight departure. State officials say this upgrade adds efficiency to the passenger verification process, helps save travelers time and allows information to enter the database in real-time. The form includes health and contact information needed to trace close contacts should a passenger become ill.

Hawaiian Airlines today announced it will resume a reduced schedule between Hawaiʻi and most of its US mainland gateway cities on Aug. 1, when the state of Hawai‘i begins welcoming travelers who choose to participate in a pre-travel COVID-19 testing program being developed.

Starting this Thursday July 2, and continuing through the Fourth of July Weekend, the Maui Police Department Traffic Division will be conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols at various locations to address impaired driving over the holiday weekend.

A new gender option is now available for State IDs, driver’s licenses, and commercial driver’s licenses that allows the public to apply, renew, or obtain a duplicate credential and select “X” or “Not Specified” in the gender category instead of the binary “M” (Male) or “F” (Female).

The launch comes ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend as police implement sobriety checkpoints and other units continue to enforce COVID-related safety measures.

County officials say the checkpoint will remain in place for today while they await the governor’s response. Lawmakers continue to work on a traffic management plan for the Hāna Highway and are proposing a reservation system for key destinations along the highway like Waiʻānapanapa State Park, to mitigate traffic concerns in the rural community.

There are 18 new COVID-19 case reported for Hawaiʻi today–15 on the island of Oʻahu, one each on Maui and Kauaʻi and one case pending identification of island residency–bringing the statewide count to 917 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. To date, 736 people (81.8%) have recovered including 113 (96.5%) recovery in Maui County. There are currently 163 active cases in the state, including four on Maui. As a result of updated information, one case from Oʻahu was removed from the counts, according to the State Department of Health.  

One resident was doing carpentry work at the home of an elderly woman. State officials say the woman, who is in a high-risk category, “was incensed” upon learning the man was being arrested for quarantine violation.

The closure includes: the Mill House Restaurant, Mill House Resting Café, the Rolling Mill Food Truck, Maui Chef’s Table and the Plantation grounds. The Plantation looks forward to reopening in the future, but does not have a specific projected date in mind.

The Expeditions Lānaʻi Ferry announced updated COVID-19 rules and changes that take effect immediately, limiting the amount of unescorted freight that will be allowed on each trip from Lahaina and Lānaʻi.

This bill would provide internet-connected devices and $50 a month toward broadband access to workers who were laid off or furloughed during the pandemic as well as others in need.

The state continues to explore options for the safe removal of unexploded ordnance at Molokini Crater in Maui County. In no way do we, as the agency responsible for the protection of Hawai‘i‘s natural resources, want to agree to anything that might create unmitigated damage,” said Case. “Conversely, we must be mindful of the potential hazard to human health and safety this UXO can pose,” she said.

“This change in rules is effective immediately and allows commercial and recreational boats, with a rated US Coast Guard capacity of more than ten, to not exceed their rated capacity by no more than 50 percent, provided they operating under the Boating and Ocean Recreation COVID-19 guidelines,” said DOBOR Administrator Ed Underwood.

Here on Maui, total visitor days in May declined 98.4 percent from a year ago. There were 1,054 visitors on Maui in May versus 249,208 visitors a year ago. Year-to-date, arrivals dropped 50.8 percent to 604,888 visitors.

There are just two new COVID-19 case reported for Hawaiʻi today, both on the island of Oʻahu–bringing the statewide count to 900 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. To date, 722 people (81.8%) have recovered including 113 (97.4%) recovery in Maui County. There are currently 160 active cases in the state, including three on Maui. As a result of updated information, one case from Maui was removed from the counts, according to the State Department of Health.

(Update: 11:24 a.m. 6.29.20) The Lahaina Bypass is now OPEN.  The road was closed for a little over an hour while police conducted a traffic investigation in the area. 

The funding is part of a larger $54 million appropriation for Hawai‘i K-12 schools to be used for teacher professional development, additional teachers, new technology and academic programs.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino will send a letter to the governor this morning, requesting at least a two week extension on the Hāna Highway road closure between Kapakalua Road and Hāna Town.  

40 Acres Burned in Ho‘olehua Fire on Moloka‘i. The fire was first reported at 11:31 a.m. on Sunday, June 28, 2020 in the area of 3213 Maunaloa Highway in  Hoʻolehua.