LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i District Health Office reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i District Health Office reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Two cases are adult residents, and two are adult visitors. Three are travel-related, and one is still under investigation but appears to be community-acquired. One case is hospitalized, and all other active cases are in isolation. Close contacts are being identified, directed to quarantine, and offered testing.
Wednesday’s cases bring the number of on-island active cases to 16, with 137 cumulative cases. Kaua‘i’s cumulative case count includes 120 confirmed locally, one probable, and 16 positive cases diagnosed elsewhere, as they received their pre-travel test results after arriving on island.
Governor David Ige on Friday approved Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami’s Emergency Rule 23, which sets a temporary moratorium of the Safe Travels program and returns to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The rule is in effect and applies to all incoming travelers, including mainland, inter-island residents, and visitors.
The county’s modified quarantine program remains in place for critical infrastructure workers, essential medical travel, or other special circumstances. To apply for a modified quarantine, please visit www.kauai.gov/COVID-19 and click on the “modified quarantine request” button at the top of the page.
For more information on the county’s COVID-19 response, visit Kauai.gov/COVID-19.
For information on the state’s COVID-19 cases or the Safe Travels program, visit hawaiicovid19.com.
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Holy Moly
shuttem down already!
Hoping that there is still a window..
Hopefully not too late
While we now have a rule that you must have a negative test to come to Hawaii, it is unclear who is enforcing it. When asked by a SF news agency that followed up on our two POSITIVE returning KAuai residents, how they got on the plane, United responded – “The health and safety of our employees and customers is our highest priority, which is why we have various policies and procedures as part of a multi-layered approach to create a safer travel environment,” United said. “While we don’t require proof of a negative COVID-19 test before travel, customers are required to complete a ‘Ready to Fly’ checklist acknowledging they have not been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.”
Clearly it is up to the county of Kauai to ensure our community’s safety. The Safe Travels program is hardly safe! United and other tourist driven industries are not motivated by our well being. Those two people traveling with a 4 year old child knowingly exposed an entire airport waiting area and a plane full of tourists which then ended up on our island, free to interact and with no knowledge of their exposure. The other passengers couldnt have behaved safely even if they wanted to . A quarantine period would have ensured that anyone exposed during that flight would not spread disease further into our community. Any guesses about how many of those passengers are going to be positive? Any guesses about how many other people they are going to expose? And yes these people were local residents. Its the traveler not where they are from that pose the risk. And the people that they willfully disregarded are not to blame, but still pose a signficant risk to our community.
Testing, quarantine and retesting is the only solution. Enforcement is necessary.
Is there any way the county can post the location by zip code of where the cases are located?
Why aren’t these people arrested coming in the county with a positive test!?
Isn’t this why our Mayor set the 14 day quarantine?
How dare these people arrive to jeopardize our Ohana!
Do something Mayor!
According to reports, they were arrested when they arrived. But by that time they had potentially exposed a plane full of people. Their child was 4 and was untested. I would guess also positive. I’m sure a 4 year old child is not the best at not touching their nose and everything else on the plane and in the gate waiting area. Children under a certain age are exempt from mask laws…….
More reason for a quarantine?
Two of the positive people were Wailua residents returning home. They tested positive before boarding the flight and flew back knowing the were infecting the whole plane. They were arrested on arrival.
Let’s place blame where it belongs.
https://apple.news/Ax_hdqT9aQ4agZKjkFeNbjA
Does anyone know if they are still requiring testing prior to flights now that the 14 day quarantine is required?
Thanks Mayor, thanks Ige! Your indecision and gross pandering to the tourism industry allowed all these infected virus-tourists to walk right into Kauai and spread their disease. Now that it has permeated into our community, you are pretending to take action. But it’s too late. This stuff is going to spread here like 28 Days Later – and on an island with only 7 available ICU beds. GREAT JOB!!!