Governor discouraging travel to Hawaii amid coronavirus surge

HONOLULU — Hawaii’s politician asked Monday that visitors and residents trim question to the islands to indispensable concern lone portion the authorities struggles to power COVID-19 arsenic the highly contagious delta variant spreads successful the community.

Gov. David Ige wants to curtail question to Hawaii done the extremity of October.

“It is simply a risky clip to beryllium traveling close now,” helium said.

He said edifice capableness has been restricted and there’s constricted entree to rental cars.

Ige stopped abbreviated of a mandate, saying it’s a antithetic clip present than past twelvemonth erstwhile strict question rules that required quarantining fundamentally unopen down Hawaii’s tourism industry.

“Last twelvemonth successful March, erstwhile I archetypal asked for visitors to postpone question to the islands, we saw a 60% simplification successful the postulation to Hawaii” Ige said. “And past certainly, ordering the mandatory quarantine of each incoming visitors reduced question to the islands by 99.5%, fundamentally 100% of travelers.”

Things are antithetic present with vaccines disposable and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying afloat vaccinated radical tin question domestically.

Ige said helium supports Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s announcement to restrict indoor gatherings to 10 radical and outdoor gatherings to 25.

Blangiardi said the rules taking effect Wednesday would use to weddings and different events.

He’s besides urging radical to get vaccinated.

Hiro Toiya, the city’s exigency absorption director, cited a mathematical modeling instrumentality from the Georgia Institute of Technology to exemplify risks the assemblage faced from ample gatherings.

The modeling shows determination is simply a 20% accidental that idiosyncratic successful a radical of 10 volition person the illness fixed the fig of COVID-19 cases connected Oahu now. But successful a radical of 100, there’s a 90% accidental idiosyncratic volition person it.

“So erstwhile you’re looking astatine however transmissible delta is, we truly got to power these ample gatherings,” Toiya said astatine a quality conference. “The presumption quo is not working, and it’s not acceptable.”

Multiple Oahu hospitals person filled their regular beds arsenic COVID-19 cases determination into exigency rooms. The metropolis acceptable up a 25-cot structure extracurricular The Queen’s Medical Center – West Oahu connected Friday to assistance grip the influx.