Hawaii-Japan travel bubble on the horizon, schools may delay reopening, Honolulu may close bars amid COVID-19 outbreak, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Waikiki street scene pre-COVID ©2019 All Hawaii News

Travel Bubble With Japan Inches Closer To Reality. Hawaii is among a dozen destinations that received the green light for travel by Japan’s government, but no date is set. Civil Beat.

Hawaii is included on Japan’s list of travel sites. Hawaii officials have been working for months on forming a “travel bubble” with Japan that allows for relaxed travel restrictions between the two destinations as a way to help tourism safely start rebounding from the 98.9% plunge that it took in May. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii makes list of destinations Japan considers opening up international travel with. Hawaii is among the international destinations Japan is considering allowing travel to and from in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hawaii News Now.

Hawai'i is on Japan's list of safe destinations for international travel. The country is working on a new program that includes pre-travel testing and an examination of travelers upon entry to Japan. KITV4.

Japan Considers Hawaii For List Of 12 Destinations To Resume Travel. Hawai‘i officials say they are honored to be considered by Japan to be on the list of global destinations to resume safe international travel in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Big Island Video News.

Hawai‘i Included on Japan’s list of 12 Global Destinations to Resume International Travel. Hawaiʻi is included on an exclusive list of a dozen countries and regions identified by leaders of Japan as areas they are looking at to resume safe international travel. Maui Now.

Hawaii included in list of 12 possible travel partners for Japan. Hawaii is among just 12 destinations that Japan has identified as possible international travel partners. Pacific Business News.

Travel to Japan could resume. Hawai‘i has been included on an exclusive list of 12 countries and regions to resume safe international travel to Japan. Garden Island.

Mayor Kim, others optimistic about restarting Japan-Hawaii travel. Mayor Harry Kim said an announcement by Japanese officials that Hawaii is on a list of 12 countries and regions being considered as safe destinations for international travel is very good news for both the Big Island and the state. Tribune-Herald.

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HSTA, DOE Strike Deal To Push Back Start Of New School Year. The Hawaii State Teachers Association, joined by other school-affiliated labor unions, struck a provisional deal with the Department of Education on Monday to push back students’ return to school to Aug. 17. Star-Advertiser.

Dept. of Education agrees to ask school board to delay return of students until Aug. 17. Superintendent Christina Kishimoto has agreed to ask the members of the state Board of Education to delay the time frame in which students would return to Hawaii’s public school campuses. Hawaii News Now.

Board of Education to vote on start date for Hawaii public schools. The Board of Education is holding a special meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday to consider postponing the start of the new academic year for public school students and allow staff more time to prepare. Star-Advertiser.

DOE Will Ask Education Board to Delay Start of School for Nearly 2 Weeks. The Hawai‘i Department of Education will ask the state Board of Education to delay the start of in-person instruction at public schools this fall semester until Aug. 17, 2020. Big Island Now.

Department of Education agrees to push back the reopening of public schools. The Department of Education is submitting the recommendation to the Board of Education. KHON2.

Status of schools uncertain, Hawaii families explore homeschool options during pandemic. With plans for reopening public schools still up in the air, more Hawaii families are considering homeschooling their children. Hawaii News Now.

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Bar closures and the 14-day interisland quarantine could return as virus cases continue to spread. The recent surge in coronavirus cases in Hawaii has prompted officials to consider reinstating the 14-day interisland travel quarantine, prohibiting gym classes, closing bars and restricting gatherings to 10 people on Oahu. Star-Advertiser.

‘Modified’ lockdown sought for WWII event. Planners of the upcoming 75th anniversary of the end of World War II are seeking a “modified quarantine” and travel bubble for World War II veterans, dignitaries, warbird pilots and crew and media arriving in Hawaii from the mainland or other countries. Star-Advertiser.

VIRUS TRACKER — JULY 27: 28 New COVID-19 Cases; Bar Clusters Emerge. State officials said the drop in new cases is likely because fewer tests were conducted over the weekend amidst a hurricane threat. Civil Beat.

Hawaii sees 28 new cases of coronavirus; health officials advise patrons of 2 Oahu bars to get tested. The number of new cases dropped todaybecause the Department of Health’s State Laboratories Division was closed Sunday due to Hurricane Douglas and private labs also did not conduct all of their coronavirus testing, the DOH said. Star-Advertiser.

The Latest: 28 New Cases, Bar Patrons Alerted; Douglas Now History, Ige Looks To Lessons Learned. Health officials say the surge in cases that the state has been seeing recently are threatening the state's reopening. There are calls for rollbacks to restrictions that had been imposed when daily cases were even lower than where they are now. Hawaii Public Radio.

28 New COVID-19 Cases on O‘ahu; Health Investigators Search for Bar Patrons for Contact Tracing. Maui Now.

Oahu

After COVID-19 Clusters, Caldwell Asks Ige To Close Oahu Bars Again. Oahu has taken several steps toward reopening, but a step back is necessary, the mayor said. Civil Beat.

Amid COVID-19 surge, Mayor Caldwell considers rolling back bar reopenings. The state is asking anyone who recently patronized two Honolulu bars linked to clusters of COVID-19 to contact their physicians. The state is also investigating a cluster of at least 36 cases associated with recent funerals. Hawaii News Now.

Caldwell plans to close bars again amid COVID-19 spread. The state Department of Health wants to monitor possible COVID-19 symptoms of customers who visited Brix and Bones and Arena 808 between July 16 to July 26, this announcement comes as a dozen cases were linked to the bars. KHON2.

Foodland employee tests positive for COVID-19, closing School Street store. Foodland closed the store at 1:30 p.m. after notifying its 50 employees of the COVID-19 case and hired a professional sanitization service for thorough cleaning and sanitation, the company said in a news release. Star-Advertiser.

Foodland confirms employee at School Street store tested positive for COVID-19. The store let its 50 employees know that one of their coworkers tested positive, then it closed the store at 1:30 p.m. July 27. KHON2.

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New Super PACs Pour Money Into Honolulu Races. The independent expenditure committees are taking out ads for mayoral and council candidates as voters cast their mail-in ballots. Civil Beat.

About one-third of ballots on Oahu for primary vote may have been submitted. An estimated one-third or more of those casting votes in this year’s first-ever all-mail primary election may have already voted, Honolulu City Clerk Glen Takahashi said. Star-Advertiser.

Getting A Ballot In The Mail For Your Dead Relative Is Not As Weird As It Seems. Elections officials are reluctant to purge voter rolls. But cases of people actually voting on someone else’s behalf almost never happen. Civil Beat.

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A majority of Oahu residents believe that the Honolulu Police Department should get the same amount of funding it has been receiving — no more and no less, according to the results of the Hawaii Poll taken last week. *Star-Advertiser.

Oahu homelessness has gotten ‘worse’ in past year, poll finds. The official annual homeless census, known as the nationwide Point in Time Count, does not match the dramatic response that was measured in The Hawaii Poll. Star-Advertiser.

64% polled say Chinatown still feels safe. Honolulu’s original neighborhood — the 52.2-acre parcel of land known as Chinatown — still feels “safe” to 64% of registered voters despite complaints about homelessness, crime and concerns early this year that it could be the source of COVID-19. Star-Advertiser.

Off-Roaders Could Soon Be Blocked From This East Honolulu Beach. Illegal vehicles at Wawamalu Beach are threatening monk seals and endanger native plants. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Concerns raised about quarantine enforcement as number of mainland travelers to Hawaii increases. Hawaii’s traveler quarantine has been touted repeatedly as a significant reason the state has contained the coronavirus more effectively than any others in the nation. West Hawaii Today.

Results Negative for 499 KCH Employees Retested for COVID-19. The third and final round of facility-wide testing for COVID-19 at Kona Community Hospital yielded all negative results, officials announced Monday afternoon. Big Island Now.

County seeks applicants for PONC lands stewardship grants. The county Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking applicants for a stewardship grant program to maintain and preserve key lands around the island. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Humane society over capacity with cats. Kitten season and the COVID-19 pandemic have put the cat population at Maui Humane Society at a “critically high level beyond shelter capacity,” the organization said. Maui News.

Kauai

Kauai County limits the size of social gatherings again as statewide cases rise. Mayor Derek Kawakami said Gov. Ige approved his orders to re-limit the size of indoor gatherings like parties, and other social events. Hawaii News Now.

Opening Kai Bar, pandemic or not. The opening of Kai Bar in Kilauea has been a long process, beginning about seven years ago when the Garcias chose the Kilauea Lighthouse Village for their new location. Garden Island.

Lanai

New focus put on indoor farm venture on Lanai. The billionaire owner of Lanai and a business partner announced changes to their indoor farm venture on the island Thursday, including a new leader and severance from resort operations. Star-Advertiser.