Full state shutdown may be coming

Lt Governor Josh Green says full state lockdown may come if the COVID-19 infection rate doesn’t come down.

Views expressed in this Hawaii State News summary are those of the reporters and correspondents.

Content provided by “Hawaii Business Magazine Newsletters.”

Accessed on 13 August 2020, 1846 UTC, Post 21,326.

Source: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/13dioy446bwjt/?&th=173e90b67bf84588&v=c

Please click link or scroll down to read your selections.

Locally Owned, Locally Committed Since 1955

Today's Hawaii News - Hawaii Business Magazine

08.13.2020

TOP STORIES

Green says full shutdown might be necessary if COVID-19 cases don’t declineLt. Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday that if the daily statewide COVID-19 case numbers continue to be in the 150-200 range in a week, he’d advise Gov. David Ige “to do the full shutdown and go back to a four-week period of stay-at-home” mandates. “We have some of the highest transmission rates right now in the country,” he said. “And that’s a reflection of having had so few cases before. We had very little immunity.” The DOH reported 202 new coronavirus cases Wednesday and two new deaths, Tribune-Herald.Lt. Gov. Green says hospitals could be overwhelmed within a month if COVID-19 surge continues. KHON2.
DOH to expand contact tracing teamHawaiʻi’s top health officials have turned their contact tracing program over to new hires, following record numbers of COVID-19 cases and a call for the removal of the state’s health director and epidemiologist. By the end of the week, there should be more than 100 contact tracers spread across the state, including 18 “contact tracer team leaders” from the Hawaii National Guard and approximately 20 contact tracers hired through a University of Hawaiʻi training program. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.Governor Ige defends health director and state epidemiologist in face of growing criticism. Hawaiʻi Public Radio.State pension fund pops in final quarter to end year in the blackIt was a get-well quarter for the state’s largest public pension fund as it overcame the effects of COVID-19 to post a 6.2% investment return and edge into positive territory for fiscal year 2020. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.HMSHost may layoff up to 500 furloughed Hawaiʻi airport food service staffIn a notice to the State Labor Department, HMSHost, which runs most of the food stands at Hawaiʻi’s airports in Honolulu, Kahului, and Līhuʻe, says it began furloughing employees back in March. KHON2.

Veteran Hawaiʻi lobbyist John Radcliffe diesJohn Radcliffe, a familiar presence around the Hawaiʻi State Capitol for decades and an advocate for death with dignity legislation, is dead. Radcliffe, 78, passed away at his home in Honolulu around 8 p.m. Tuesday after ending his life with prescribed medication. Civil Beat. KITV4.Over 220 Securitas employees get back pay for Fair Labor Standards violationsSecuritas is paying more than 220 employees $176,000 in back wages. The U.S. Department of Labor found the private security company wasn’t paying staff that went back on the job during meal breaks. Hawaii News Now.Vote-by-mail helped perk up Hawaiʻi turnout but so did some competitive racesWhile all voting districts experienced increased turnout this election, certain areas like the Waiʻanae Coast and parts of Maui saw less of an increase in the number of voters casting ballots than areas that have traditionally seen high rates of voter participation, like East Oʻahu. Civil Beat.People in Hawaiʻi are struggling. The nonprofits that help them are tooThe pandemic will force some nonprofits to close. Others will have to change and adapt to survive. Civil Beat.

SPONSOREDVideo: Mark Mugiishi of HMSA Discusses the Importance of CHANGEDr. Mark Mugiishi, president and CEO of HMSA, sat down with Hawaii Business Magazine’s events director Anthony Bagnoli to discuss the importance of the CHANGE initiative as the state faces unprecedented challenges and uncertainty… watch now.

OʻAHU

Caldwell denies potluck was source of COVID-19 infections at Honolulu HaleTwo days after a cluster of COVID cases led to the closure of Honolulu Hale, the Department of Health reports the virus may have spread at an employee potluck at the city building ― and that 11 cases are “potentially linked” to the luncheon. Hawaii News Now. Civil Beat. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. KHON2.16 cases at OCCC after 7 more inmates test positive for COVID-19The Department of Public Safety announced today that seven inmates at the Oahu Community Correctional Center have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of inmates at the facility with the virus up to 16. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. KITV4.Mainland college students seek rentalsThere’s high demand from mainland college students who want to rent homes together in Hawaiʻi to ride out the pandemic, but one realty company says it’s rejecting the new business. Principal Broker of Realty Group Hawaii Fannie Cline says she gets 10 to 15 inquiries per day and 90 percent are mainland college students wanting to rent in Hawaiʻi for 3 to 6 months while they do their studies online. Hawaii News Now.North Shore businesses closing as tourist torrent slows to a trickleIt’s not just Waikīkī that’s been hit hard by the drop in visitor numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic. An estimated ten million people visited the North Shore last year, with tourists lining the sidewalks and rental cars jamming Kamehameha Highway in Haleʻiwa. Not now. Hawaii News Now.Mayoral race analysis shows Blangiardi won 26 of 34 districts in primary electionA Hawaii News Now analysis also shows that Blangiardi won in all but eight House Districts and held double-digit percentage point leads in places like Hawaiʻi Kai and Kailua. Hawaii News Now.

HAWAII BUSINESSLocal Black-Owned Businesses: Elite Prep Hawaii LLCSeleena M. Harkness-Lee describes herself as an educational consultant, coach, teacher and mentor. Her business, Elite Prep Hawaii, offers comprehensive college advice, including standardized test preparation, college list development, application essay writing, interview coaching, resume and portfolio development… read more.

HAWAIʻI ISLAND

Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi to transition to distance learning ThursdayKamehameha Schools Hawai‘i will transition to distance learning for at least the rest of August after a case of COVID-19 was identified in a high school student on its Big Island campus Wednesday. Big Island Now. Tribune-Herald.Maunakea protest camp spurs ethics complaint: Ethics Board debates jurisdictionThe Board of Ethics considered a citizen petition Wednesday asking why Hawaiʻi County isn’t enforcing laws on Maunakea ranging from last year’s blockade of the mountain’s access road to the construction of unpermitted structures near the protest site. West Hawaii Today.Location chosen for student telescope on MaunakeaThe precise location preferred by scientists for the new UH-Hilo student telescope was revealed this week, as the process to decommission the Hōkū Keʻa observatory on the summit of Maunakea continues. Big Island Video News.

HAWAII BUSINESS
Interview: Isar Mostafanezhad, Founder and CEO, Nalu Scientific“I think we’re still in the middle of a massive transition, and the ‘new normal’ won’t take shape for months. But I can say that as scientists and engineers, we’re comfortable both setting and testing limits, forging ahead into the unknown in the hopes of being rewarded,” says Mostafanezhad… read more.

MAUI COUNTY

Maui County may see bump in COVID-19 case numbers soonThere was one new COVID-19 case reported on Maui, but officials say there may be a bump in COVID-19 cases reported on the island within the next few days. KHON2.Maui County flooded with traveler quarantine exemption requestsIt is day two of the inter-island travel quarantine requirement and Maui county has already received thousands of exemption requests. Hawaii News Now.Kamehameha Maui campus announces full distance learning through August 31The Kamehameha Maui campus transitions to a full distance learning program today, through at least the end of the month. Maui Now.

KAUAʻI

Kaua‘i looking to limit outdoor gatheringsMayor Derek Kawakami requested an additional amendment to an emergency rule that would bring the maximum number of people at a social outdoor gathering from 100 down to 25. Garden Island.FTA funds to replace six in Kaua‘i Bus fleetThe County of Kaua‘i received $1.4 million in funds, as part of a Federal Transit Administration package of $9,596,669 to purchase new buses on Kaua‘i, Maui and Hawai‘i Island. Garden Island.

JULY/AUGUST ISSUE