In Spring 2020, Hawaii was presented with a unique opportunity to combat the rapid spread of the virus because of their distance from the mainland. On March 6th, a returning cruise ship passenger brought Hawaii its first presumptive case of the COVID-19 Virus. As the virus spread through the state, Hawaii’s response was delayed like many others. With 16 statewide cases, the first wave of closures began on March 17th. The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced a closure of all state parks, then two days later the state announced the closure of all schools and daycares. On March 21st, Hawaii Governor David Ige, issued an emergency proclamation requiring any incoming travelers to quarantine for 14 days. Later this was modified to include interisland travel. The following day, Hawaii issued an immediate shelter-in-place order.
This immediate shutdown of the state proved beneficial to Hawaii. On March 31st, 224 cases had been recorded statewide, and as March turned into April, 319 cases were recorded. By April 17th, 551 cases were recorded with 9 deaths. Despite rising statewide numbers, most of Hawaii was safe. Due to the urbanization of Honolulu and its dense population, Oahu led the island’s cases by a substantial amount. Meaning, more desolate islands such as Kauai and Big Island remained largely untouched for most of the initial surge of Covid-19 cases. 164 passengers arrived in Hawaii on April 21st, compared to 30,000 at the same time in 2019. On April 23rd, face masks became mandatory for all places of business or on public transportation.
Governor Ige’s plan seemed to be a success for the state, as Hawaii regularly recorded 0 recent cases on several of its islands. In May 2020, the state began to flirt with a re-opening plan. With no fresh cases reported on May 8th and seven other days in May, the state reopened all beaches for recreation as long as social distancing was followed. Ten days later, businesses classified as medium risk were allowed to reopen under new guidelines. For the first time in months, Hawaiians had access to theaters, salons, churches, and restaurants.
Leading into Summer 2020, returning to normalcy seemed within reach for the state of Hawaii. All state beaches and some parks reopened in Honolulu County and across the Hawaiian Islands. As an unassuming summer continued, July 7th came with a reality check. 41 new cases were reported, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic, and four days later that record was broken with 42 new cases. On July 23rd, an unprecedented three-day surge began with 55 new cases, following with 60 on July 24th, and 73 on July 25th. On July 31st, the statewide total reached 2,111 cases compared to the 706 reported on June 12th.
On August 3rd, with 207 cases reported, gatherings were officially limited to 10 people or less. The month of August only continued this downward spiral, COVID-19 was no longer an Oahu problem, Hawaii as a state was compromised. The number of daily cases rose to the hundreds on many of the Hawaiian Islands. On August 31st, 7 deaths were announced, making it the worst day since the commencement of the pandemic.
As of September 7th, 2020, Honolulu reached an unthinkable level in 9000 cases, with Big Island coming second at 517 cases, 358 on Maui, and 58 on Kauai, making for 9959 confirmed cases and 86 deaths. In the past week, Honolulu County saw a growth of 1,309 cases. The state relaxing its regulations too early is a failure of the Hawaiian Government and not solely on the people, but that does not mean the people are excused either. Failing to social distance or wear masks will only continue to cripple the state. State beaches and parks are now closed until September 18th. Shutting down the beaches and parks will halt major spread, but it is up to the individual to determine the fate of their state.
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