Maui Business

Yesterday’s 2,813 passenger total increased again from the day before, marking the highest number of out-of-state arrivals to Hawai‘i since the quarantine began.

Maui Kuʻia Estate Chocolate Inc. has reopened with a sweet opportunity for Hawaiʻi residents. The chocolate company is offering kama’āina and their families deals for in-person tastings at its retail store in Lahaina.

On Maui, there were 226 passengers arriving on three trans-Pacific flights.  This included 79 visitors, 82 returning residents, 38 individuals seeking to relocate to Hawai‘i, nine military members and 18 crew members.  

Hawaiian Airlines confirmed that eight employees who recently attended flight attendant training at the company’s Honolulu headquarters tested positive for COVID-19 this week after feeling ill.

Maui United Way raised a total of nearly $800,000 this year which will go toward 31 health and human services programs in Maui County.

Mayor Michael Victorino issued a statement last night, strongly opposing two proposed amendments by the County Council’s Governance, Ethics and Transparency Committee, calling the items “reckless.” Meantime, council members defended their proposals with one member calling the Mayor’s statements “overly dramatic.”

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.

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.

Hawaiʻi residents who are turning 65 and be eligible for Medicare or people who are 65+ and about to retire or lose employer medical coverage, or anyone planning for early retirement and want to learn more about how Medicare works, what it covers, when to enroll and how to avoid late enrollment penalties can benefit from these exclusive “Medicare 101” workshops.

Hawaiian Electric will extend the moratorium on disconnections for nonpayment through Sept. 1, and urges customers who are having difficulty paying their bill to contact the company well before September to consider payment options.

The Department of Housing and Human Concerns is reminding the public that Kaunoa Senior Services is continuing to provide Assisted Transportation and Home Delivered Meals services to eligible seniors, despite COVID-19.

The Maui County Department of Water Supply announced the 2020 publication of the Annual Water Quality Report for results of testing compiled from Jan. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2019.

The tariff increase was scheduled to take effect on July 1 and would have been applied to port entry fees, vessel dockage, wharfage, pipeline tolls, and other fees associated with cargo and passenger operations at the State’s commercial harbors.

Dr. Esver served as an associate optometrist at Solano Eye Care in Fairfield, California and gained clinical experience at the Veteran’s Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System in San Jose, California and at the Meredith W. Morgan University Eye Center in Berkeley, California. 

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.

An increasing number of Hawai‘i residents no longer see COVID-19 as much of a threat as they did in the earlier stages of the pandemic, according to a follow-up survey commissioned by the Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH).

The Ha’ikū Community Association (HCA) will host an online Candidate Forum Wednesday July 8, 2020 virtually on Zoom. The meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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 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.