LIHU‘E — The County Kaua‘i moved forward this week with plans to repeal the COVID-19 tier system as local spread of the virus continued.
Emergency Rule No. 27, which was submitted to Gov. David Ige earlier this week, would do away with the six-tiered system while maintaining statewide restrictions and guidelines, Mayor Derek Kawakami announced. Ige will have to approve the new rule
before it can take effect.
The decision to move away from the tier system, under which the dropping of COVID-19 restrictions had been anticipated once 70% of people had been vaccinated, has been attributed to the rise of the delta variant.
“We will continue to enforce state rules on travel, face coverings, social-gathering sizes, business-capacity limits and other statewide mandates,” Kawakami said in the Thursday COVID-19 briefing.
The news came as COVID-19 continued to spread among Kaua‘i residents this week.
According to state Department of Health Kaua‘i District Health Office Deputy District Health Officer Lauren Guest, 17 new cases were reported on Thursday, all residents. Fifteen of those were acquired from community spread, while two were related to travel.
Five of the cases reported on Thursday were children.
Community spread has accounted for the lion’s share of cases on the island recently. Eighteen new cases were reported on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and of those 36 cases, only five were linked to travel.
The number of active COVID-19 cases on Kaua‘i stood at 130 on Thursday, with seven hospitalized. Guest noted that the majority of those in the hospital due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
Guest reported 10 active clusters: three in restaurants, two in places of worship, two in educational settings, two in occupational settings and one in the travel, lodging and tourism sector.
Kawakami again urged those who have not yet done so to get vaccinated.
Vaccines are available free of charge to those age 12 and older through the county’s mobile clinic, which will be in Koloa today and Hanalei Saturday, from noon to 3 p.m. each day. A team will also be available at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m.
Other locations where vaccines are available can be found at kauai.gov/vaccine.
Booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine are also available to those age 65 and older, individuals with underlying health conditions and those who are at high risk of occupational exposure who have already received the full Pfizer vaccine.
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Kaleb Lay, general-assignment reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or klay@thegardenisland.com.
