HAWAI‘I COVID-19 JOINT INFORMATION CENTER DAILY NEWS DIGEST

News Release from Hawaii Department of Health, April 19, 2020

Department of Health:

Tenth COVID-19 Death Reported

The State extends its condolences to the family and friends of the adult male visitor who is the 10th death in Hawai‘i associated with COVID-19. The individual was an adult male from Washington state in the 40-59-year age group who had no previous medical conditions and a history of travel. He had been hospitalized for an extended period in serious condition at Maui Memorial Medical Center. Six (6) new positive cases of COVID-19 were also reported by DOH Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 580. Three (3) were on Oʻahu, two (2) on Maui, and one (1) on Hawai‘i.

LABORATORY* TESTING DATA

• 24,028 -- Total Number of Individuals Tested by Clinical and State Laboratories  (Editor's Note: Yesterday the total was 23,215 yielding an increase of 813.  6/813 = 0.7%)
• 578 -- Positive
• 23,415 – Negative
• 35 test results were inconclusive.

*Electronic Laboratory Reporting

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Counts as of 12:00 noon, April 19, 2020

** Refers to positive cases that have an unknown county of diagnosis at the time of this report. As more information becomes available for these cases, they are assigned to the proper County of Diagnosis. A negative number indicates the number of previously unknown cases that have now been assigned to a county.

Hawaiicovid19.com

Maui Memorial Medical Center Death, Cluster Update

An adult male who was hospitalized at Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) is the 10th COVID-19 death reported in Hawai‘i. The patient was in the 40-59-year age group and had no previous medical conditions. Exposure history may be travel-related.

Meanwhile, three additional people are under investigation as being potentially associated with a cluster of positive COVID-19 cases at MMMC. The DOH’s investigation at MMMC continues, and it appears the outbreak may have begun with a healthcare worker who reported to work while ill. A total 45 people (29 staff and 16 patients) are now associated with this cluster of cases. All have been appropriately isolated to prevent further spread of infection.

Update on Kona Restaurant Cases

The Department of Health reports there have been a total of 30 confirmed cases associated with a cluster of cases among McDonald's restaurants in Kailua-Kona, up one case from Saturday. The new case is an employee at a third McDonald’s located at 75-5729 Kuakini Hwy. That location has voluntary closed at this time. The total now includes 18 employees and 12 household members. DOH is conducting contact tracing for new cases and continuing to monitor employees and family members, all of whom are in isolation or quarantine. The DOH investigation of cases is ongoing.

“Our highest priority is to protect the health and well-being of our people. We’ve been informed that additional employees from our Kona Commons, McDonald’s of Walmart Kona and Kailua-Kona locations have tested positive for the coronavirus and are connected to the previous set of confirmed cases. As soon as we were notified of the first confirmed cases, we immediately closed the restaurants to conduct a thorough sanitization procedure and notified The Hawaii State Department of Health. Additionally, we previously added protective barriers to limit contact in our restaurants. We’ve identified and reached out to all restaurant staff who had been in close contact with the employees who contracted the virus and advised they self-quarantine for 14 days. Under the guidance of the Hawaii State Department of Health, we have offered universal testing to our employees at each location. We are continuing to work closely with the Hawaii Department of Health to ensure the safety of our crew and customers.” - Patrick Lim, McDonald’s Owner Operator. Additional information from the MCDonald’s USA regrading COVID-19 prevention and safety actions: – LINK

It is critical that the community continues to be vigilant with practicing social distancing policies and preventive measures such as staying at home when sick, avoiding others that are sick, washing hands, sneezing and coughing etiquette and wearing a cloth face mask per Governor Ige's fifth supplemental proclamation.

Department of Land and Natural Resources:

Officers Out in Full Force Educating and Enforcing Beach Closures

Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and the Honolulu Police Dept. were out patrolling O‘ahu beaches Saturday, educating people on temporary rules put in place by Gov. Ige. Under a new emergency proclamation revealed Friday, all beaches under State of Hawai‘i jurisdiction are closed. People are only allowed to access State beaches to get to the ocean for exercise, and they must be following proper social distancing measures. DLNR Chair Suzanne Case and DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla commented, “This is necessary to try and flatten the curve of coronavirus infections, so life can begin to return to normal in Hawai‘i.” Violations of the emergency rules can carry fines up to $5,000 and a year in jail.

HD Video – Waimanalo area beaches & DOCARE Officer

Photographs- Waimanalo area beaches & DOCARE Officer

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority:

454 Passengers Arrive on Saturday

Yesterday, 454 passengers arrived in Hawai‘i, including 109 visitors and 157 residents. In comparison, 30,000 people arrived daily during this time last year. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel. – LINK 

Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism:

DBEDT is reporting the following interisland passenger numbers for Hawai‘i airports for April 16, 2020. – LINK

Media Contacts:

Hawai‘i COVID-19 Joint Information Center

Phone: 808.354-4263

Email: hawaiicovid19@gmail.com

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SA: Hawaii health officials announce 10th COVID-19 death as statewide coronavirus cases rise to 580