#pandemic

For April 2021, Maui County hotels led Hawaiʻi counties in revenue per available room at $300, with the average daily rate at $483 and the occupancy rate at 62.1%, according to the latest Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

Mortgage help is available for Maui County residents impacted by COVID-19 through the Community Development Block Grant Mortgage Assistance Program, administered by Maui Economic Opportunity.

The data is used to prepare for the next stage of the pandemic response by helping to better understand the molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and how the virus evolves. This influences diagnostic protocols and provides insights on future vaccine development.

Maui County is now accepting applications for its new federally funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which also includes assistance for utility bills (electricity, water, sewer and gas).

The US Food and Drug Administration today approved emergency authorization use of the Pfizer-BioN Tech vaccine for children aged 12-15.

The state Department of Health reports that there were 61 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Monday, including 36 on O‘ahu, 11 on Maui, 6 on Kauaʻi and 8 in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state.

The state Department of Health reports that there were 115 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Friday, including 82 on O‘ahu, 14 on Maui, 4 on Hawai‘i Island, 8 on Kaua‘i and 6 in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state.

Whatʻs on the minds of Maui residents and visitors? Maui Nowʻs letters to the editors discuss the Mayor’s plan for a second COVID-19 test for travelers, bullying and hostile work environment at County offices, Maui mozzarella to solve dam issue, treatment of tourists, debris and abandoned cars on County land that is supposed to be protected, poor treatment in nursing home, the need to “cool it with the Clorox” and more.

For the next four weeks, the City and County of Honolulu will continue to operate in Tier 3 of the reopening strategy — and not revert back to the more restrictive Tier 2,

Seven SBA-approved lenders have secured more than $1.2 billion in the second round of the federal Paycheck Protection Program to fund 12,887 local companies and support payrolls for an estimated 140,000 jobs statewide. The deadline to apply for PPP has been extended to May 31.

The University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges and Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education are once again offering the “Next Steps to Your Future” program to support Hawaiʻi’s Class of 2021 public high school seniors.

Several million more payments in the third batch of Economic Impact Payments from the American Rescue Plan are being disbursed beginning today, bringing the total disbursed so far to more than 130 million payments worth approximately $335 billion, according to a US government news release.

In February 2021, Maui County’s vacation rental occupancy climbed to 52.5 percent, which is down 35.1 percentage points from a year ago but the highest rate since the start of the pandemic last March.

Hawai‘i’s public high school Class of 2020 achieved the highest on-time graduation rate ever recorded in the state at 86%. But only 50% of the Class of 2020 enrolled immediately in college, down 5% from the Class of 2019 — the steepest decline in college enrollment over one year.

The second batch of Economic Impact Payments stemming from the American Rescue Plan Act will be issued to taxpayers this week, with many payments arriving in the coming weeks in the form of paper check or prepaid debit card.

Kaiser Permanente health system has committed $5.4 million in grants to combat the surge in violence against people of Asian descent and to support the rights, health and wellness of Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.

AARP’s latest COVID-19 analysis of nursing homes in Hawaiʻi, covering the four weeks ending February 14, shows there were four deaths, which again is below the national per capita average. There were no new COVID-19 infections reported among residents.

In February 2021, Hawaiʻi hotels statewide reported occupancy rate at 30.5 percent, which is up 8.6 percent from January 2021 but still well below the pre-pandemic occupancy rates of February 2020, according to the Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report.

Pop-Up Mākeke, the online marketplace established to support Hawaiʻi’s small businesses struggling during the pandemic, has partnered with Amazon and Shopify — and is now accepting vendor applications for its third season.

Kupuna planning to travel or who have questions about the state’s Safe Travels or COVID-19 vaccination program can register for a free AARP Hawai’i webinar Tuesday, March 23 at noon.