Maui News

Maui Managing Director Sandy Baz provided an update on the COVID-19 response in Maui County today.  For a complete written recap and end of day highlights click here. 

The Senate Special Committee on COVID-19 has raised several proposed policies and procedures that Sen. Kouchi said, “should be instituted immediately for visitors upon arrival in Hawaiʻi.” This includes proposed policies on:  health screening; identification and verification of accommodations; supervised transportation to their accommodations; and establishing monitoring and enforcement protocols.

Today’s guest is Dr. David Ulin, Chief Medical Director, Maui Health.  In his interview, Dr. Ulin discussed survivability of the virus on surfaces, blood plasma donations and how long social distancing will last.

Maui County has one new case for a total of 113 confirmed positive. Of the 113 cases in Maui County, at least 65 have been released from isolation, and 12 have required hospitalization. The state also recorded its 13th and 14th COVID-19 linked deaths today.  Both were O‘ahu men who were over the age of 65 and had underlying health conditions.  One individual had been hospitalized since the beginning of April and had a travel history to Las Vegas in March.  Health officials say the infection in the other individual was the result of community-associated spread.

One is an O‘ahu man who had been hospitalized since the beginning of April, was over 65-years-old, and had underlying medical conditions. He had a history of travel to Las Vegas in March. The other is also an O‘ahu man, over 65-years-old, who’d also been hospitalized recently and also had underlying health conditions. His infection was the result of community-associated spread.

Thursday’s guest was Dr. Lee Weiss, Regional Director of Emergency Medical Services.  In his interview, Dr. Weiss discussed hospitalizations, testing, and how life will be after the curve is flattened. “Everybody’s in the same boat.  Everybody has to pull the boat forward.  We all have to go in the same direction which is health, safety for ourselves and our families and our communities.  I think Maui can do this better than anywhere else because of the way people treat one another on Maui, because of the community spirit on Maui I believe Maui can really make this happen.”

Pacific Media Group and Hawaii News Now Present “Hale to Hale: A Concert for Hawaii’s Healthcare Heroes” on Monday, April 27, 2020. All of the musicians are participating from their homes while observing social distancing guidelines, to provide entertainment relief and celebrate the heroism of Hawaiʻi’s healthcare workers during this pandemic.

In order to begin relaxing restrictions in response to the pandemic, DOH and HIEMA say there must be a trend of: at least two weeks of a low number of new cases, a robust testing and surveillance system, a reliable contact tracing system, and a ready supply of medical supplies and hospital capacity. Any reopening will likely be incremental.

Mayor Michael Victorino says there’s a strong possibility that the stay-from-home, work-from-home order will continue.  He said the county may extend the Public Health Emergency Rules to the end of May.  An official announcement is due out late this week or early next week.

LIVE STREAM: Maui Mayor COVID-19 Daily Update, April 23, 2020

Maui police responded to 15 burglaries, 4 vehicle thefts and 9 vehicle break-ins in Maui County over a seven day period from April 12 to April 18, 2020.

On Wednesday, April 22, 421 people arrived in Hawaiʻi including 109 visitors and 166 residents.   On Maui, 51 people arrived on a single flight including 35 residents, 14 visitors and two crew members. 

Construction work on the Maui Lani roundabout project will begin Monday, April 27, at the intersection of Maui Lani Parkway and Kamehameha Avenue in Kahului, the County of Maui Department of Public Works announced this afternoon. 

With $25,000 in funding from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai‘i or VASH has paid to send 19 people back to their airports of origin during the COVID-19 crisis. For individuals arrested for violating the self-quarantine rules, they have the option of arranging payment of fines with the courts in lieu of returning to Hawai‘i for trials.

The US Supreme Court today issued a ruling on the Lahaina injection well case which requires the federal government to regulate groundwater pollutants that find their way into navigable waters, such as oceans.  The case focused on discharge from the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility.

“Our planet, with its climate still in crisis, is showing us that a significant reduction in pollution can drastically improve the health of our environment. We’re just sorry that it took a global pandemic to prove this point.”

As of noon on Thursday, April 23, 2020, there are 596 cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawaiʻi with 4 new cases. Maui County has two new cases for a total of 112 confirmed positive. Of the 112 cases in Maui County, at least 60 have been released from isolation, and 9 have required hospitalization.

Mayor Victorino said the county is also looking to add more homeless shelter space in cooperation with the carpenters union and HPM–the company that constructed emergency shelters on Hawaiʻi Island in Hilo.  

Kauaʻi homesteader Robin Puanani Danner will be the featured presenter at the inaugural 2020 Centennial Puwalu, or conference on April 30.

Officials with the Maui District Health Office clarified information shared yesterday about a group of positive COVID-19 cases involving a restaurant on Maui.  Dr. Lorrin Pang said he misspoke by calling the group a cluster and said the group included 3 or 4 confirmed cases and 100 exposed contacts.