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Minit Medical Urgent Care continues a series of drive-through testing events this week–today in South Maui and tomorrow in Central Maui. About 80 people were tested on Wednesday by Minit Medical at the Lahaina Aquatic Center in West Maui.

Governor David Ige today announced that as of Aug. 1, the state will implement a pre-travel testing option for travelers to Hawaiʻi as an alternative to the 14-day travel quarantine.

There are 16 new COVID-19 case reported for Hawaiʻi today–13 of them on Oʻahu, one on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, and two Hawaiʻi residents who were diagnosed outside of the state–pushing the statewide count to 835 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic. To date, 686 people (83.8%) have recovered including 113 (97.4%) recovery in Maui County. There are currently 132 active cases in the state, including three on Maui.

Mayor Victorino said a “definitive timeline” related to travel from out-of-state will be announced today.   The governor’s media briefing starts at 2:30 p.m. *Check back here for a live stream.

According to the data, Maui County hotels reported RevPAR at $15 (-94.5%), with declines in both ADR to $117 (-66.4%) and occupancy of 12.6 percent (-63.7 percentage points) in May. The Lahaina/Kāʻanapali/Kapalua region had RevPAR of $4 (-98.1%), ADR of $70 (-76.1%), and occupancy at 5.8 percent (-69.5 percentage points).

The senators urged Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Vice Chair Randal Quarles to ensure banks conserve capital now so that they can continue lending if the economic fallout from the pandemic turns more severe.

Fire crews and medics are on the scene of a traffic accident involving multiple vehicles in Pāʻia reported at around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.  Clean up crews were caring debris from the Hāna Highway east of the Baldwin Avenue intersection. Vehicles involved were moved to the side of the road, but delays in traffic were reported.

The planet, named “AU Mic b” after its host star, AU Microscopii, was discovered using the NASA TESS planet-finding satellite and confirmed by observations at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility atop Maunakea on Hawaiʻi Island.  

The committee voted to provide $19 million for Maui Health System operating costs, $21.6 million for Hawai‘i Health System Corporation operating costs, and $750,000 to the Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority to maintain the State’s existing rent supplement program.

In its statement of interest, the United States claims that Hawaiʻi’s self-quarantine requirement “effectively discriminates against out-of-state residents.” Meantime, Special Assistant to the Attorney General for Hawaiʻi, Krishna Jayaram responded to the claims saying “the Governor’s Emergency Proclamation for COVID-19 and the subsequent proclamations were properly and lawfully issued pursuant to the Governor’s statutory authority and his determination that an emergency exists due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the danger and threat it poses to Hawaiʻi.”

The County of Maui reminds residents that rental assistance may be available to those who have lost their job or have reduced income by more than 25% as a direct result of COVID-19.

“There is discussions with the governor.  Mayor actually went to Honolulu today to have discussions with the governor and we look forward to an announcement coming out very shortly,” said Maui Managing Director Sandy Baz.  

Circuit courts may resume jury trials on September 1 “barring further public health or other extraordinary developments that would make doing so imprudent. Grand juries have already resumed in the Second (Maui County) and Fifth (Kauaʻi) circuits. First (Oʻahu) and Third (Hawaiʻi Island) circuits will resume grand jury proceedings in July.

A salvage company has been hired and a 250-ton crane has been contracted to lift shipping containers out of the ocean in Hilo.  The effort is underway following yesterday’s mishap involving 21 containers that fell into the ocean while in transit to Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island. 

There are three new COVID-19 case reported in Hawaiʻi today–all of them on Oʻahu–pushing the statewide count to 819 cases in Hawaiʻi over the course of the pandemic.  To date, 673 people (83.9%) have recovered including 113 in Maui County. There are currently 129 active cases in the state, including three on Maui.

Mayor Michael Victorino announced drive-through testing for COVID-19 in West, South and Central Maui from Wednesday through Friday, June 24–26, 2020.

The ACLU Hawai‘i drafted a letter dated June 19, 2020 to the state Department of Transportation, the Attorney General and Governor David Ige, expressing concerns with the state’s plans to use the technology as part of the COVID-19 screening process.

There is no tsunami threat to Hawaii after a preliminary magnitude 7.4 earthquake was reported near the coast of Oaxaca Mexico. The earthquake was reported at 5:29 a.m. HST on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

Representative John M. Mizuno, Chair of the House Health Committee, and Representative Rida Cabanilla, a registered nurse, are asking all nursing homes to comply with recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and have COVID-19 testing for all their residents.

Mayor Michael Victorino announced today the extension of the Micro Business Loan Program with an additional $750,000 of funding from the County of Maui.