Nearly 200 Honolulu events submit mitigation plans due to new rules on large groups
The decision to curtail large events in Honolulu was made because COVID-19 case counts are up dramatically, as are hospitalizations and the need for acute care. Hawai’i’s healthcare workers especially are being pushed beyond their limits. The Queen’s Medical Center West O‘ahu declared a disaster over the weekend as a result of reaching capacity and health experts have advised that others may follow suit with the current trajectory.
The City and County of Honolulu announced that all large organized gatherings on O‘ahu will be suspended, effective tomorrow, Wednesday, August 25, 2021. The suspension will be in place for 28 days through Wednesday, September 22, 2021, and may be extended based on current conditions and impacts to the medical providers.
“First and foremost, after extensive discussions with the Department of Health and healthcare providers, we believe large gatherings are the fundamental cause of communal spread and consequently we will suspend all large gatherings for 28 days,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “We strongly believe the best way to protect yourself and our community is vaccination, and we urge the unvaccinated to get vaccinated now as our best weapon against this disease.”
Large gatherings are a singular organized occurrence as opposed to a daily happening. Some examples of gatherings that are suspended are listed below:
• Conferences and meetings
• Trade shows
• Conventions
• Concerts and live events
• Ticketed sporting events
• Sports tournaments
• Gatherings in connection with weddings and funerals
Day to day activities that will be allowed to continue operations include:
• Organized recreational sports
• Spiritual services
• Social establishments continue operations as a restaurant/bar
• Farmer’s markets and craft fairs, with no entertainment
While these day-to-day activities will be allowed to continue, community transmission is happening and everyone should continue to exercise caution by wearing a facial covering, maintaining physical distancing and being mindful that increased physical contacts means increased potential exposure to COVID-19.
As of last Friday, there were 28 events with more than 1,000 attendees, 46 events with more than 500 attendees and 113 events with more than 200 attendees that submitted mitigation plans to the City. These and other events scheduled within the 28-day restricted period will be canceled.
To view Mayor Blangiardi’s amended order and proclamation, please visit http://www.honolulu.gov/mayor/proclamations-orders-and-rules.html
O‘ahu residents are encouraged to visit https://www.oneoahu.org/reopening-strategy for more information. If they do not find what they are looking for on the website, the City’s COVID-19 information call center remains open every day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on holidays. People can call the 768-CITY (2489) information hotline or email [email protected]
