Governor approves Mayor Caldwell emergency order

Mayor Kirk Caldwell tonight announced that Governor David Ige has approved the City and County of Honolulu’s Emergency Order No. 2020-27 ending the Second Stay at Home / Work from Home Order, as well as approving the first tier of Honolulu’s COVID-19 Recovery Framework. The final executed documents are posted on Honolulu.gov.

Starting on Thursday, September 24, the City will operate under this new Recovery Framework. The City will start in Tier 1 and remain there for at least four weeks.

Tier 1 includes, but is not limited to, the following changes:

·         social gatherings will be expanded to up to five people

·         retail businesses will be able to resume operations with 50% capacity or less *Note that the 50% capacity now applies to all retail businesses even essential ones. Previously essential businesses were not subject to a capacity limit

·         restaurants will be allowed to reopen to indoor dining for groups no larger than five from the same household/living unit and 50% capacity or less, no liquor sales after 10 p.m.

·         hair salons, barbershops, and nail salons will be allowed to reopen with conditions

·         public/private pools and golf courses can reopen with conditions

·         certain indoor and outdoor attractions can resume operations with conditions

All essential and designated businesses and operations will still need to comply with Social Distancing Requirements as outlined in the Order. A signed version of Emergency Order No. 2020-27 which further outlines businesses and operations allowed to resume operations on September 24, along with guidance for those businesses and operations, will be posted atHonolulu.gov.

Honolulu’s COVID-19 Recovery Framework sets the criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on businesses and activities on O‘ahu while trying to aggressively reduce coronavirus transmission to protect residents and mitigate the current burden on our local healthcare system. The plan rests on four tiers. Each tier is based on the level of community spread of COVID-19, which is determined by: (1) the number of daily cases reported and (2) the positivity rate, using 7-day averages over a two week period. 

The full document laying out the framework for business/operation sectors allowed to resume operations in each tier can be viewed on Honolulu.gov.