Editor’s Note: Questions about stay-at-home orders can be submitted to tinyurl.com/TGIQ-A and The Garden Island staff will do our best to find you an answer by contacting county officials and Kauai District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman. Be aware these answers are informed with the latest directives from officials and can change as official rules and recommendations change. Contact the Hawai‘i Department of Health or your physician for official COVID-19 symptoms and steps to take if you think you have the virus.
Q: For unemployment benefits, have they made any changes to the requirement that you contact at least three possible employers every week?
A: On Mar. 25, Gov. David Ige waived the three-job search requirement as well as the one-week waiting period.
Ige and the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations have worked on expanding the online claims filing system capacity and increased phone facilities for assisting with filing claims.
For more information on how to apply for unemployment, visit labor.hawaii.gov.
Q: I live in Lawai, but my mail goes to my P.O. box in Kapa‘a. With primary ballots, census documents, stimulus checks and unemployment documents poised to be delivered, am I able to check my mail?
A: Yes. Mail offices are considered essential businesses. Travel to “engage in, receive or obtain goods or services from the essential businesses or operations” is allowed, according to the mayor’s emergency rule No. 5, amendment No. 1. It should be noted, too, it’s recommended that only one person per household leave the house at a time. This recommendation is to limit the exposure of other household members to the virus.
Q: Is there a specific number of Kaua‘i residents who have been tested for COVID-19?
A: This answer is from Berreman: “The state DOH is tracking tests statewide, and we know that more than 16,000 tests have been performed in Hawai‘i. The total number is updated daily on the DOH website: health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/what-you-should-know/current-situation-in-Hawaii/. DOH is working on providing information about testing numbers by island, so please check back at the website to see when that information is published.”
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Sabrina Bodon, public safety and government reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.
