COVID-19

...Double Nat'l Unemployment at Height of Great Depression....

...Protocols for testing, along contact tracing and quarantine as needed, are key components in UHʻs plans to resume in-person instruction at UH....

... like the business closures, curfews, checkpoints and drones ....

...TMC Lab will collaborate with Community Health Centers across Oʻahu and provide capacity to perform up to 50,000 COVID-19 tests and 49,000 antibody tests through the end of 2020....

...A total of 41,205 individuals have been tested in the state....

...two weeks ago Hawaii was the most restrictive state....

...Malama Meals has provided nearly 350,000 free meals to individuals impacted by the Coronavirus Crisis....

...The House also passed SB 3139 SD1 HD1 to transfer the remaining $635 million of the CARES Act money into the State’s Emergency Budget Reserve or “rainy day” fund to hold until decision can be made in June how to best use the funds....

...According to the plan – the state will start to gradually re-open medium-risk businesses and operations beginning in June – assuming the state’s COVID-19 activity remains manageable....

...no new hospitalizations, no new deaths....

...Fully one-third of our economy has evaporated. We need to rectify this, at least partially, immediately....

... no new deaths, no new hospitalizations .... 

... In the Seventh Supplemental Proclamation on May 6, the Administration backed off a bit ....

...Hawaii has a 5,000 test per day capacity, yet access to testing is restricted and day after day only a few hundred tests are performed....

...Hawaii’s economy has tanked and local tax revenues are plummeting, leaving the state and counties in danger of going bankrupt — starting with the state's public pension and health-benefits systems....

...Caldwell's 11th order on the COVID virus authorizes drive-in church services on Oahu starting May 15th....

...Leading salon industry panelists demonstrated today in a live online forum hosted by Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine, that they are ready to open for business.... 

...one new hospitalization, no new deaths, seven released....

...To possibly develop draft legislation for 2021, the Office of Information Practices (OIP) wants to hear from you....

"...If a request is not acknowledged, the requester may ask the Office of Information Practices to verify that the agency received the UIPA Request...."

...state policymakers seem to believe that the answer to the worst economic crisis in decades is to borrow and spend — and very likely raise taxes....

...no new deaths, no new hospitalizations--but COVID is back on the Big Isle....

...It's not too late to sign 'Let Hawaii Work' petition....

"...We've arrested people for sitting on our beaches, and today we learned that violent prisoners will be let loose in our communities...."

“I encourage state leaders to move at the speed of the virus and establish a contact tracing program that is fully operational as soon as possible. There’s simply not any time left, but there is plenty of money to get this done,” said Senator Schatz....

...32.2% of Hawaii's workforce has filed an unemployment claim....

...that'll stop the virus....

...starting Friday, May 15, outdoor sport fields and courts will be open for one-on-one sports or exercise with limitations, as well as drive-in services (e.g., spiritual/religious services) that follow specific guidelines....

...out of 866 new tests....

...Keli'i Akina Challenges Lawmakers' Plan to Increase Borrowing and Spending....

...Mālama Meals, a new group formed by Da Spot and other partners, currently provides more than 10,000 meals a day to kupuna and others in need....

...extensive contact tracing is a key component to prevent the spread of the virus while relaxing stay-at-home-orders and restarting Hawai‘i’s economy....

...online registration system available to register new students for fall....

... lax protocols at airport--DoH allowed feverish passenger to go home ....

...He Says Hawai’i Shouldn't Have To Rely On Ineffective Post-Arrival Quarantine....

...“Hunters have asked us to increase open hunting days to help them feed our community,” said Sheri S. Mann, Kaua‘i Branch Manager for DLNR-DOFAW....

...Small Business Relief and Recovery Fund using $25 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding....

...companies indicated difficulty generating sales, and cited customer uncertainty as a primary driver of declining sales volume....

...Hawaii has the lowest share of population diagnosed with COPD....

...Politician's Trick: Put off future raises rather than cancelling them outright and/or giving back past raises....

...the state deficit for fiscal year 2021 could grow to between $710 million and $1.8 billion....

...Big Island and Kauai are now COVID-free....

"...The Department is still on schedule to prepare 1,300 lots statewide over the next five years, and we hope this rental relief will keep applicant families on track to assume those lots once they are ready....”

"...Thousands of people in Hawaii are calling upon the governor to 'Let Hawaii Work' again...."

...out of 252 tested....

...Grassroot testimony outlines the problem and suggests some reforms....

... Revised down to one case ....

...Buried on the 19th page of a 68-page the document is a sentence suspending “Section 237D-6.5(b), distribution of the transient accommodations tax.”....

...if Hawaii’s lawmakers wish to save our state economy from its current freefall, they must not be afraid to reduce state spending....

... stopgap measures which could help prevent public employees from feeling the slightest suffering...for now....