Hawaii Daily COVID-19 Update: Monday, April 6, 2020

Governor’s Office:

Governor Ige Extends Condolences to Family & Friends of Two More Who Died

Gov. David Ige, today, extended his deepest condolences to the familes and friends of the latest Hawai‘i residents who passed away due to COVID-19. The governor said it is with a heavy heart that one of our O‘ahu neighbors passed away on Saturday, and then another tragic loss with the passing of a Maui man. Governor Ige commented, “It is extremely heartbreaking each time we learn of another resident who passes away from this virus. We are reminded daily of the devastating effect this virus is having here at home and across the country, where it is devastating communities in states like New York, Washington, Louisiana and California.” He said, “We can’t let this happen here. We need to stop the spread. We need to stop it now.

The coronavirus has no boundaries.” (more below on additional efforts being introduced across the state)

Lt. Governor’s Office:

Lieutenant Governor Josh Green, State COVID-19 Healthcare Liaison, provided an update today during the 2:30 p.m. daily news briefing:

Statewide Hospital Capacity Update as of April 6, 2020

*Numbers based on reporting from hospitals and other healthcare facilities statewide.

Testing for Critical Infrastructure Workers

A medical team has been established in partnership with the Emergency Operations Center to complete COVID-19 testing for critical infrastructure workers. This team is comprised of healthcare workers from across the state and will immediately activate to test critical infrastructure workers, like healthcare providers, EMS, police, firefighters and other others, should they be exposed to a COVID-19 positive case without wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) or develop COVID-19 symptoms themselves. This team is an essential resource in the fight against COVID-19 because it allows quick identification and isolation of possible cases of Hawaii’s front-line workers.

Fabric Masks Reminder

Lt. Gov. Green is among the state leaders pleased to see the community helping one another when it comes to cloth masks. As a reminder, cloth masks do not prevent individuals from contracting the virus. As such, it’s important for people to continue to stay home, follow shelter-in-place orders and continue social distancing practices in public, even if they’re wearing a cloth mask.

Domestic Violence Cases on the Rise

Individuals needing support can contact the Hawaii Department of Health hotline via text at 605-956-5680 or phone call at 808-531-3371. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For assistance outside those hours, individuals can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which is available 24/7, at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

In an emergency, call 9-1-1.

https://health.hawaii.gov/injuryprevention/home/violence-abuse-prevention/information/

Department of Health:

First Maui Death Reported

A Maui man, over 65-years-old is the fifth person in Hawai‘i to pass away from COVID-19. DOH is still investigating the circumstances behind the man’s death but it’s believed he had underlying medical conditions. He did have exposure to travelers, but it’s not known whether this was a risk factor associated with his death. One (1) of the new cases is a minor (below 18-years-old) and the other 15 are adults. Five (5) of the new reported cases are travel-associated, two (2) are community related, and nine (9) are unknown at this time. There is a total of 387 cases reported in Hawai’i since Feb. 28, 2020.

LABORATORY TESTING DATA

18 test results were inconclusive

HAWAI‘I COVID-19 COUNTS AS OF 12 NOON, APRIL 6, 2020

++Includes two positive case on Molokai. 

*“Refers to positive cases that have an unknown county of diagnosis at the time of this report. As more information becomes available for these cases, they are assigned to the proper County of Diagnosis. A negative number indicates the number of previously unknown cases that have now been assigned to a county.

Fabric Face Masks Are No Substitute For Physical Distancing

Residents throughout the State are volunteering to take steps to further reduce the spread of COVID 19 in Hawaiʻi. After the 14-day self-quarantine order for any out-of-state and inter-island traveler, fewer cases are being reported associated with travel. Only two days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided guidance on the use of hand-made or store-bought fabric/cloth masks, many more people are wearing them. Across the State, more customers and staff at pharmacies, supermarkets, and take-out food establishments are wearing cloth masks. Over the weekend, numerous local and national chain stores established controls on how many customers can enter a store at one time. “We’re very pleased to see how quickly people are responding. We encourage all stores to immediately implement physical distancing measures, throughout their businesses, not just at the check-out counters. Wearing a cloth or fabric mask complements other mitigation measures and can help prevent transmission of the disease to others,” said Bruce Anderson, DOH Director.

https://health.hawaii.gov/news/submenu/hawaii-department-of-health-reminds-everyone-that-face-masks-are-no-substitute-of-physical-distancing/

Storefront Posters Being Distributed Today Online

To encourage continuation of physical distancing practices that will flatten the curve of new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i, the COVID-19 Joint Information Center has produced 8X10, printable store-front posters. Business owners who have direct contact with customers are being encouraged to post these posters at all entrances – to clarify that while masks are good to help protect others from spreading the virus, social distancing is GREAT and in addition to hand washing remains the most important step everyone can take to avoid disease transmission. Download the poster here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/f3crddhm1dvx1e0/AADYxpbepZ5d_dpKPWFopOJHa?dl=0

Only People with Symptoms Should be Tested

The DOH continues to support CDC guidance that only individuals with COVID-19 symptoms and only at the direction of their personal health care professional should be tested for the virus. Dr. Bruce Anderson, DOH Director said, “There is recent evidence of pre-symptomatic transmission, but we are not relaxing our testing requirements. Only those people who are symptomatic should be tested to avoid overtaxing private clinical labs and in recognition that there is a national shortage of testing kits and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to protect healthcare workers who collect the specimens and lab workers who run the tests.”

Department of Transportation:

National Guard Begins Conducting Medical Screenings at Airports

Early this morning The Hawai‘i National Guard began supporting HDOT with the medical screening of incoming and departing passengers as well as airline crews at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and Hilo International Airport. Guard support for other state airports will be starting soon. Honolulu airport firefighters trained Guardsmen on their first day of this support mission. For departing passengers today, one of the locations that the Guardsmen conducted temporal scanning was in front of the TSA security area at Terminal 1. “HDOT is grateful for the help and support of the Hawaiʻi National Guard members who are working to keep the public safe at our airports and in the community,” said Director Jade Butay, Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation. “Passenger volumes remain down 99 percent from this time last year and the few who are traveling are having their temperature taken as another layer of precaution.”

Video: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/746060/hawaii-national-guard-start-medical-screening-airports-hawaii-during-covid-19-pandemic

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority:

Airline Arrivals Drop by 100 Passengers Saturday-to-Sunday

On Sunday, 583 people arrived in Hawai‘i, 100 fewer than the previous day. This includes 126 visitors and 233 residents. Mandatory 14-day, self-quarantine is required for all passengers arriving from out of state and also covers interisland travelers. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel.

https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/4420/040620-passenger-count-press-release.pdf

Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism:

DBEDT Begins Publishing Interisland Air Travel Stats

The department has begun posting interisland air travel statistics. The DBEDT website has additional charts. This is for arrivals on April 1, 2020.

https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/economic/covid19/

Department of Human Services:

Pankaj Bhanot assured the community today that DHS is providing services and support for people applying for SNAP/Financial and Med-QUEST. He reiterated Lt. Gov Green’s information on domestic violence and other abuse: Domestic violence, child and adult abuse and neglect has no place in our island state.  If you are afraid in your home, if you are afraid for you or your loved ones safety, please know that help is available. You are not alone. For resources please visit: https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/ssd/