Short-Term Vacation Rentals Allowed to Operate Starting Next Week

Short-term vacation rentals will be allowed to operate starting on June 15.

Gov. David Ige approved Hawai‘i County Mayor Harry Kim’s emergency rule 9, which allows for the reopening of most businesses, operations and activities after more than two months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bars and nightclubs remain closed.

“With the decline of active COVID-19 cases in the County of Hawaiʻi, reopening of more medium risk operations and activities can be allowed,” county officials stated in a press release Friday afternoon.

Unless otherwise specified in this rule, county officials say, all businesses, operations, and activities are permitted to re-open June 15, 2020, but remain subject to all restrictions and physical distancing requirements, the State Department of Health Reopening Hawai‘i Safe Practices, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and industry guidelines.

The following businesses, operations and activities identified below shall remain closed:

• Bars
• Nightclubs
• Public Swimming Pools
• Large indoor venues (concerts, sports, conventions, expos)
• Large outdoor venues (concerts, sports, conventions, expos)
• Road races (marathons, triathlons, etc.)

Travel to engage in minimum basic operations of the businesses and operations identified above is allowed, including the minimum necessary activities to maintain the value of the business’s inventory, ensure security, process payroll and employee benefits, and related functions as well as the minimum necessary activities to facilitate employees of the business being able to continue to work remotely from their residences. Minimum basic operations do not include in-person public/customer contact.

Kim’s rule 9 allows for an increase in gathering sizes — for indoors 10 to 50 and for outdoors 10 to 100. Outdoor and indoor gatherings are required to social distance. Under this new rule, the use of park pavilions and picnic tables may resume.

Additionally, no events or activities within county parks will be allowed if there is the potential to generate gatherings in excess of the permitted maximum number of people. At the county’s discretion, groups that exceed the permitted number of individuals allowed to gather may be approved if adequate safety measures are in place and prior approval from the Parks and Recreation director is given.

No contact sports events (i.e.: scrimmages, exhibitions, games, tournaments, etc.) are permitted. Controlled practices are allowed provided physical distancing can be adhered to at all times.