Maui News

Two food distributions take place TODAY, Thursday, April 9, to provide bags of produce to individuals impacted by COVID-19 in Wailuku, Kahului and South Maui. Distributions start at 10 a.m. and continue while supplies last at the following locations: War Memorial Gymnasium parking lot (700 Halia Nakoa Street) for Wailuku and Kahului residents; and South Maui Community Park Gymnasium parking lot (1501 Liloa Drive) for South Maui residents.

Drive through testing sites are being offered in Kahului in Central Maui on Thursday, April 9; and in the East Maui Community of Hāna on Friday, April 10, 2020.  The first two hours of the Kahului clinic are reserved for first responders and health care workers.  The news comes on the heels of a confirmed cluster of 15 workers with Maui Health that tested positive for COVID-19.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino shares more details about the cluster of COVID-19 positive cases at Maui Health that he announced earlier today.  He also shares more about the County’s efforts to control, expedite testing, and prevent further spread of the virus.  

The one-day clinic will be held at Hilo’s Ho`olulu Complex on Saturday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Representative Tulsi Gabbard this afternoon called for Lieutenant Josh Green to lead the state’s coronavirus crisis. She also is asking that state Health Director Bruce Anderson and Dr. Sarah Park to be fired. She said “if Gov. Ige won’t do it, he should resign.”

State Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson said the Maui death involved an unattended death and was confirmed by the medical examiner. Dr. Anderson also said the 15 cluster cases are not new, contrary to earlier information provided by the Joint Information Center. He said the cases were found over time and were accounted for in earlier totals.

Maui Health released a statement this afternoon following an earlier press conference this morning in which Maui Mayor Michael Victorino confirmed a cluster of around 15 COVID-19 positive cases among Maui Health employees. 

Maui has 6 new cases for a total of 54 confirmed positive. Of the 54 cases on Maui, at least 14 have been released from isolation, and 5 have required hospitalization.  Maui Now has a second death, bringing the state total death count related to COVID-19 to six. 

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino this morning announced a cluster of approximately 15 employees at the Maui Memorial Medical Center have tested positive for COVID-19.

“It is important for residents to note that this detection was in the shaft itself and not in the water source,” according to the Department. “The water in the ʻUalapuʻe system (on Molokaʻi) is safe to drink, because it has been disinfected, and no E. coli bacteria have been found in the distribution system.”

Due to the shelter-in-place order from Governor David Ige, the state Department of Health has suspended all routine coastal beach monitoring and will not resume monitoring until the order is lifted. No updated water quality testing information will be available to the public to inform them of personal risk in recreating in the water, “so please use common sense and stay safe,” the Department advises.

The Salvation Army of Maui County is providing logistics and redistribution of donated items for COVID-19 response among the various island communities across Maui County. Current needs include donations of shelf-stable and nonperishable food, hygiene product, cleaning supplies and personal protection equipment.

“There was nowhere where they were going. One of them actually said that they were headed to the homeless resource center,” said Mayor Victorino during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “So two of them that would have been on the island of Maui, returned home and not clutter up and take assets away from our people here in Maui County,” he said.

Mayor Michael Victorino announced two food distributions taking place Thursday, April 9, to provide bags of produce to individuals impacted by COVID-19 in Wailuku, Kahului and South Maui.

An additional $2,375,810 was secured for Community Health Centers in Maui County as part of a Third Coronavirus Relief Legislation package that Congress passed in March.

“Congress has a critical role to play here, and we will continue to fight for legislation that includes aggressive policies such as broad debt cancellation to provide all student loan borrowers with relief that both responds to the scale of this emergency and stimulates our economy.”

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released a new guide to help independent contractors, freelancers, those who are self-employed, and gig-economy workers, including ride sharing drivers, better understand how to apply for new benefits established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The Maui Police Department announced that it will be utilizing its Drone Unit to make public announcements, reminding people of the stay-at-home county and state orders currently in place.The Maui Police Department announced that it will be utilizing its Drone Unit to make public announcements, reminding people of the stay-at-home county and state orders currently in place.

Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Ed Case (D-Hawaii) wrote to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue and US Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to request their coordinated assistance for Hawaiʻi’s small agricultural producers.

As of noon on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, there are 410 cases of COVID-19 identified in Hawaiʻi with 23 new cases. Maui has 4 new cases for a total of 48 confirmed positive. Of the 48 cases on Maui, at least 14 have been released from isolation, and five have required hospitalization. Maui reported its first COVID-19 related death on Monday, April 6, of an adult male over the age of 65 with underlying health conditions and exposure to travelers.