Vaccine passports for Hawaii on hold, Gov. David Ige says

Sumary of Vaccine passports for Hawaii on hold, Gov. David Ige says:

• Kauai began allowing trans-Pacific travelers to go through Safe Travels Hawaii on Monday, but no other changes — including accepting a vaccine passport or lifting interisland quarantines — are expected until at least May..
• David Ige, who joined the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Spotlight Hawaii on Monday morning and held an afternoon news conference, said the state is testing the technology needed for a vaccine passport with CommonPass and CLEAR but that they still aren’t ready..
• “I believe that (CommonPass and CLEAR) will be amongst the first two companies that actually get a working vaccine passport, and we’re just glad that they are working with us because that means Hawaii would be able to incorporate that much, much ahead of other jurisdictions..
• Ige said Monday morning that he prefers to wait to lift the interisland quarantines until after May 1, when most everyone over the age of 16 who wants a vaccine in Hawaii will have had an opportunity to get vaccinated..
• State Department of Health officials Monday reported 95 new coronavirus infections statewide, bringing Hawaii total since the start of the pandemic to 30,228 cases..
• Officials say they consider infections reported in the past 14 days to be a “proxy number for active cases.”.
• State health officials reported no new coronavirus- related deaths as the statewide death toll remained at 467..
• The state official coronavirus-related death toll includes 369 fatalities on Oahu, 53 on Hawaii island, 41 on Maui, one on Kauai and three Hawaii residents who died outside the state..
• Monday new statewide infection cases include 54 on Oahu, 23 on Maui, 14 on Hawaii island and four Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state, according to health officials..
• He said effective enforcement is needed to stop large social gatherings and events, boost mask-wearing and stop the proliferation of illegal vacation rentals, where guests may be at higher risk of violating coronavirus-related restrictions..
• Ige appeared supportive of the concept of a Quarantine Kapu Breakers’ bill to allow retired law enforcement to be deputized for a special task force to assist the Honolulu Police Department and the state Attorney General Office..
• coronavirus- related death toll Monday was more than 555,000, and the nationwide infection tally is nearly 31 million..
• Hawaii low infection rates relative to other states is a rallying point for those who want to see a vaccination travel exemption..
• At the least, those in favor of loosening Hawaii travel restrictions would like to see interisland quarantines lifted..
• Still, Ige and the more cautious of his constituents want to see cases come down and more widespread vaccination rates throughout Hawaii before easing interisland or trans- Pacific travel restrictions…

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From Star Advertiser - April 6, 2021