#lanai outbreak

Mayor Michael Victorino announced today that Maui County has received approval from the Governor to issue a “Safer At Home” order for Lānaʻi residents and visitors, beginning Thursday, Nov. 12.

Maui Mayor Micael Victorijno discusses the restart of travel from Japan, updates on the COVID-19 outbreak on Lāna’i, Maui’s secondary post-arrival testing program, and challenges faced in other counties.

Nearly 400 COVID-19 tests were administered to Lānaʻi residents on Saturday during a six-hour mass testing event aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

Next week a team of DOH staff and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff will visit Lāna‘i to provide additional on-site support.

There were 94 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 74 on O‘ahu, 14 on Hawai‘i Island, three on Maui, two on Lānaʻi and one on Kaua‘i. Moloka‘i had no new cases today. The Maui cases today were in: Wailuku, Kīhei and Haʻikū. On Lānaʻi, the two new cases bring the total number of infections associated with the recent outbreak to 98, since the outbreak was first reported on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020.

The Lānaʻi Community Health Center will receive $37,250 for COVID-19 tests and food supplies for grocery bags that will be delivered to 150 households on island. Maui United Way, serving as a distribution hub for PPE to nonprofit organizations in Maui County, will receive $10,000 to provide PPE to Lānaʻi healthcare workers, volunteers and community members.

“I’m very confident in keeping it under control… I think we’ve gotten the brunt of it and hopefully over the next week we’ll see a steady decline and leveling off… where the positivity rate will be dropping,” said Mayor Victorino.

There were 121 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 51 on Hawai‘i Island, 49 on the island of O‘ahu, 18 new cases in Maui County and one each on Kauaʻi and in a Hawaiʻi resident diagnosed outside of the state. On Lānaʻi, there were 16 new cases since yesterday, bringing the total number of infections associated with the recent outbreak to 78, since cases were first reported on Lānaʻi on Tuesday.  In addition to the the Lānaʻi outbreak, there was one case each in Kīhei and in Spreckelsville on the island of Maui.

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino provided an update this afternoon saying the total case count on Lāna‘i is now 65 confirmed COVID-19 cases, following the return of additional results.  Mayor Victorino is recommending a stay-at-home order and the closure of Lāna‘i to travel effective on Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.

There were 131 new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i today, including 67 on the island of O‘ahu, 34 on Hawai‘i Island and 29 new cases in Maui County.  The Maui cases include one new case in Wailuku and 28 new cases on Lāna‘i, bringing the cluster count for Lāna‘i to 48 cases since Tuesday.  

Dr. Lee Weiss, Regional Director of Emergency Medical Services with Maui Health warned that swift action needs to be taken. He said the cases identified so far, are “the tip of the iceberg,” and estimated that 10 percent of the Lāna‘i population could be positive within a week.  He called for mass testing as well as a shut down of the island to travel, calling its border “porous.”