Showing posts with label Tier 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tier 3. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Hawaii vaccine passports on hold, Honolulu mayor 'dead set' against tightening restrictions in wake of coronavirus upsurge, Kauai joins Safe Travels program, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

from Zoom
Hawaii Gov. David Ige from Zoom

Vaccine passports for Hawaii on hold, Gov. David Ige says. Gov. David Ige said the state is testing the technology needed for a vaccine passport with CommonPass and CLEAR but that they still aren’t ready. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Tribune-Herald. Big Island Video News. KHON2.

Hawaiian Airlines Hopes State Reconsiders Safe Travels Program Amid New CDC Guidelines. Hawaiian Airlines hopes the state will reconsider its Safe Travels Program after new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that fully vaccinated people can travel domestically at low risk to themselves. Hawaii Public Radio.

Officials wait to see how Easter weekend gatherings will impact COVID cases. Authorities got an uptick in complaints about illegal gatherings over the long Easter weekend. Some feel it was a mix of complacency over COVID, pandemic fatigue and mixed messaging over what’s allowed. Hawaii News Now.

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Labor Leaders Urge Lawmakers To Move Minimum Wage Increase. Teamsters, ILWU and Local 5 leaders ask House Speaker Scott Saiki to schedule a floor vote by Wednesday. Civil Beat.

Lawmakers Consider Adding ‘Coercive Control’ In Domestic Violence Cases. Supporters say the bill will make it easier to prosecute domestic abusers, but critics including law enforcement say its definition is far too broad. Civil Beat.

State parks seek input to update 5-year recreational plan. This spring, for the first time, the division will focus on how to manage competing cultural and recreational interests as part of its regular, five-year reevaluation and updating of its Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, and is seeking public participation in meetings Wednesday and Saturday. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiian stilt could shed endangered status
. Agency proposing to downlist bird to threatened category. Survey data and a recent population viability analysis indicate that the population of the ae’o, or Hawaiian stilt, has been “stable to increasing for several decades” across the state, with the trend expected to continue as long as conservation efforts are ongoing, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, which is proposing the change in the bird’s status. Maui News.

Hawaii businesses have taken in $1.26 billion from federal program this year.
Nearly 16,000 Hawaii businesses have benefited so far this year from potentially forgivable federal loans aimed at maintaining jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic. Star-Advertiser. Maui Now.

COVID-related unemployment eligibility disputes on the rise, Hawaii lawyers say. When Kailua resident Carol’s workplace reopened in July, she still felt it was too unsafe to return. Hawaii News Now.

April 5, 2021 COVID-19 Update: The state Department of Health reports that there were 95 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Hawai‘i on Monday, including 54 on O‘ahu, 23 on Maui, 14 on Hawai‘i Island, and four in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state. Maui Now.

Oahu

Honolulu Mayor Blangiardi is ‘dead set against’ city going back to Tier 2 despite rise in cases.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi is “dead set against” rolling the city’s reopening plan back to Tier 2 as the number of new cases in Honolulu continue to approach the designated limit of a two-week average of 50 new cases a day. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Under New Leadership, HART Purges Nearly Half Its Staff. The move aims to streamline HART, but some worry such severe cuts could hurt the struggling transit project in the long term. Civil Beat.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi working with legal adviser on agency abuses. In response to the federal bribery charges of five Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting employees, Mayor Rick Blangiardi is working with Dana Viola, one of Honolulu’s new chief legal advisers, to curb abuses within the department. Star-Advertiser.

Applications closed for rent relief 4 hours after city program launches. In less than four hours, the city received 8,000 applications for its Rental and Utility Relief Program, maxing out the amount it was willing to accept in this first round. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaii Island

No big changes recommended in 10-year solid waste master plan. As the county grapples with a pandemic economy, closure of the Hilo landfill and loss of overseas markets for recyclables, there are more general priorities than specific recommendations in a 395-page 10-year solid waste plan slated for consideration by the County Council. West Hawaii Today.

EHCC suit seeks removal of endowment trustees. The board of directors of the East Hawaii Cultural Center filed a lawsuit in Hilo Circuit Court asking that a judge remove five trustees of an endowment trust set up in 2009. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

List of Maui COVID-19 Vaccination Sites and Registration Information
. The Department of Health Maui District Health office is currently offering Moderna vaccinations to anyone 18-years and older on Maui. Meantime Maui Health is offering the Pfizer vaccine to individuals ages 16 and older. Maui Now.

Covered bus stop for Kahikinui keiki. A new covered bus stop was installed off Piilani Highway near Mile Marker 23 east of Ulupalakua for seven of the children living in the remote community who attend Punana Leo o Maui and Kula Kaiapuni schools. Maui News.

Kauai

County rejoins state’s Safe Travels.
Kaua‘i re-entered the state’s Safe Travels program for Trans-Pacific travelers, meaning both out-of-state and inter-island fliers can bypass the 10-day travel quarantine by providing a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departing to Kaua‘i. Garden Island. KHON2. KITV4.

Kauai elementary schools back to in-person learning. King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School’s Principal Jason Yoshida said they had 466 students returning to face-to-face learning with approximately 100 students still selecting distance learning yesterday. Garden Island.