Hawaii’s Governor David Ige talked about his newest Emergency Proclamation, which he said will be issued shortly.  The Twelfth Emergency Proclamation will extend the mandatory 14-day trans-Pacific travel quarantine for incoming travelers through September 30.  The interisland travel quarantine is also currently in place for travel to any neighbor island, but not interisland travel to O’ahu.

It will also extend the eviction moratorium through September 30, though the Governor urged landlords and tenants to discuss the situation, and those with mortgages to reach out to their lenders to talk about how and when to make the payments.  Kuikahi Mediation Center and West Hawaii Mediation are offering a free landlord-tenant mediation program which can be helpful in easing the communication.

Gov. Ige’s order also reinforces mandates that all persons must wear masks in compliance with the county orders, rules and directives approved by the governor.  In Hawaii County, everybody is required to wear a mask in stores all the time and in restaurants unless sitting at the table eating and drinking.

Gov. Ige was joined via Zoom by Kaua’i Mayor Derek Kawakami and Maui County Mayor Mike Victorino, talking about a new option that resorts may opt to use in advance of the lifting of the 14-day trans-Pacific travel quarantine.  Formally, it’s called the an Enhanced Movement Quarantine (EMQ).

Mayor Derek Kawakami said that Kaua’i County is offering a 14-day “resort bubble,” which requires opting in on the part of the resort and the travelers.  The trans Pacific travelers would come to Kaua’i and be required to stay in the resort area for 14 days.  The county is deploying a technology called Aqua, a tracking tool to ensure that guests do remain on property.  It would be a band the visitor would voluntarily wear, that would alert if they moved outside of the resort area, or if they try to take it off.   Security personnel with the resort would be the first line of enforcement, and resorts would be required to show that they have a plan to educate guests.  The resorts would also have to offer the same opportunity to stay to local residents, but the challenge is figuring out how to separate locals from out-of-state travelers to minimize the risk.  The resorts would also have to have capacity to house any travelers who might become ill, plus isolation spaces for close contacts of those people who become ill.

Mayor Kawakami said there are rumors of privatizing beaches, and those rumors are not true.

Mayor Michael Victorino said Maui County is also planning to offer “resort bubbles” on Maui Island, to allow visitors to come to the island and stay at a resort for the 14-day period, and enjoy the resort amenities as long as they do not leave.  He said many details are being worked out.  He said his preference would be that resort employees would work in groups, and stay at the resort as well for 5 days of work, so they would be part of the “resort bubble.”

He said Maui Memorial Hospital has had a surge of cases, but it is under control.

Mayor Victorino announced that the filming of the television show “Temptation of Island” is being delayed rather than have the cast and crew come during this time of a COVID-19 case surge, which is worst on O’ahu but is affecting Maui.  Production crew were reportedly expected to arrive this weekend and stay at Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort.

Both Mayor Kawakami and Mayor Victorino said they have smaller hospital capacity than O’ahu, so they have to be very cautious about allowing in visitors–hence the controls.

Gov. Ige said the State is ready to support adding hospital capacity via federal resources, if needed.

Participation in the “resort bubble” concept is optional for hotels, as they may also opt to wait for the pre-travel test program.

Gov. Ige and the Mayors all encouraged people to support the local economy, especially the small retailers.  Gov. Ige said the state is also offering retraining and grant programs to help the small businesses.  They also said the solution to living with the virus is wearing masks, stopping or limiting social interactions, and practicing excellent hygiene.

Click here for Gov. Ige’s Twelfth Emergency Proclamation.