Maui News

He said the $2 trillion legislative package will help with jobs and families.  “The Senate bill as you know includes $350 billion in job retention loans for small businesses, with loan forgiveness available for businesses that continue paying their workers,” said President Trump. 

The Hawai‘i Department of Health is waiving routine TB clearance requirements for selected groups to support COVID-19 mitigation efforts.  The suspension will remain in effect through May 31, 2020.

As of noon on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, the state total count of positive coronavirus cases was 95, including 4 new cases on Oʻahu; and one new case each on Maui and Kauaʻi.  Maui’s island count is now 13.  

The list of hotels around Maui and across the state are rolling out plans to address the reduced visitor load and mass cancellations as mandatory quarantines for arriving travelers, and newly implemented stay-at-home orders go into effect.  The newly announced temporary suspension of operations are a result of actions being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 and avoid overburdening limited medical resources. 

Grand Wailea is preparing care packages for employees and the community, including Feed My Sheep and the Maui Food Bank, using the hotel’s perishable food stock. The hotel’s current inventory of toilet paper is being shared with team members.

“We just need people to slow down.  There’s so much less people on the road right now. Speeds have doubled.  If motorist continue doing this, tragedy will happen,” said Lt. Hankins.   With law enforcement tied up with other concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lt. Hankins said, “I just don’t feel it’s right to focus on one particular area when we are dealing with this.” 

“After a long and careful review of various options, it’s with a heavy heart that we have made the decision to close temporarily and help keep our tight-knit community safe,” said Marni Aina, resident manager at Travaasa Hāna. “We feel it is our responsibility to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and hope that the uncertainty passes soon so we may be able to welcome guests back to our beloved Hāna town.”

South Maui’s Kīhei Charter School has been added to the list of Grab & Go Meal pickup sites for children 18 years of age and under. Breakfast and lunch meal service is available at the location starting today, Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

In an afternoon press conference, Mayor Victorino provided specifics on what’s open and closed, announced a county call center (available M-F, 7:45 to 4:30 p.m. at 270-7855), and discussed the possibility of designating a portion of a hotel property where returning residents could carry out their 14-day quarantine.

CANCELED: Hawaii Tsunami Watch CANCELED After 7+ Kuril Islands Earthquake

The state Department of Health is currently reevaluating its first reported COVID-19 death in the state after encountering what they called “procedural issues.”

The DOE plans to begin distributing packets for students with no computer access starting next week, in a staggered approach, with drop of for some rural areas planned.  This will not be a generic distribution system, but will be done by individual schools who will oversee and monitor their group of students.

Maui County had the largest vacation rental supply of all four counties in February, according to a report from the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.

Council Chair Alice L. Lee announced reduced hours for public services provided by the County Clerk’s Office as a precautionary measure to fight the spread of COVID-19.

There are now 90 total positive cases of COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi.  This includes 12 new cases on Oʻahu, bringing that island total to 64; and one new case each on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, bringing their island totals to 12 and 5 respectively. The new cases include 10 Hawaiʻi residents, 3 US non-Hawaiʻi residents, and one pending case, which officials have yet to classify into existing categories. Although earlier figures released by the Department indicated a decrease in cases on the neighbor islands from previous day counts, the discrepancy appeared to have been from an attempt to provide greater clarity in terms place of residency with non residents moved to a different category.  

Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i announced today that it will not be terminating health coverage for non-payment through April 2020 and will “continue to evaluate the situation moving forward.”

An employee with Maui Health is among those confirmed as COVID-19 positive, according to information confirmed this morning. “Per CDC infection control protocol, we can acknowledge we have an employee confirmed by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health as having COVID-19,” Maui Health said in a statement this morning.

Sen. Hirono and her colleagues wrote a letter urging the administration to help ensure that domestic violence victims and survivors receive the resources they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Transportation made several changes to its vehicle licensing and safety check programs as part of the effort to reduce face-to-face interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our public school system will not close.  We continue our efforts as a statewide team, maximizing our telework approach or providing individualized small group support,” said Dr. Kishimoto.