Mayor Harry Kim announced today the opening of a Central Command Post to expand operations to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i County. 

The purpose of the umbrella organization is to better coordinate programs of County, State, and Federal agencies, and private sector entities to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Luau Hale is being converted into an emergency operation center, under the direction of Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim and Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno,  and will house staff from County and State agencies tasked with, but not limited to:

–Public education
–Enforcement
–Contact tracing
–Monitoring of incoming passengers from both interisland and trans-Pacific flights
–Quarantine/isolation facilities
–Hospitalization
–Care facilities

Since the start of the surge of cases on the Big Island, Kim has expressed concern, because the cases are at this point community spread. Thursday afternoon he said it has become clear that these efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic are going to be much longer term than expected.  He said he’s had staff in some rented space and this will allow everybody to come together for better coordination.  He spoke with Department of Health Director Bruce Anderson today and said Anderson is supportive of the effort, which will include the State DOH on the Big Island.

Kim announced the change as the island reached at least 226 active cases, with outbreaks spreading around the island.  There are outbreaks in the small West Hawaii fishing village of Miloli’i as a result of a party and in East Hawaii from memorial gatherings and parties, all with people not distancing and not wearing masks.   One of the biggest concerns is not just the number of cases, but how many might require hospitalization and whether our island’s three critical care hospitals can handle the load. Right now the island’s hospitals are not overwhelmed–North Hawaii Community Hospital has zero cases, Kona Community Hospital had one patient with COVID-19 as of noon today, and Hilo Medical Center has 9 COVID-19 patients.  The East Hawaii outbreak has led to the death of 5 residents at the Yukio Okutsu Veterans Home, all within the last week.

“The Governor’s Office and the State Department of Health, along with County and other State agencies will be part of the Command Center,” Mayor Kim said.
“We will all be working as a team on the same goal: to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community and to keep our people safe.”