Indoor Gathering Sizes, Restaurant Capacity to Increase in Hawai´i Soon

Restrictions on gathering sizes and restaurant capacity in Hawai´i will soon be relaxed.

Gov. David Ige on Monday, June 7, set additional vaccination benchmarks for gatherings and restaurants. They are as follows:

When the state achieves a 60% vaccination rate:

• Social gatherings: 25 allowed indoors and 75 allowed outdoors
• Restaurants: Up to 75% capacity (with maximum groups size of 25 indoors and 75 outdoors)

Statewide vaccination goals will not affect the counties’ COVID-19 policies regarding structured events, weddings, etc. This applies only to travel, social gatherings, and restaurants. As of Monday, 53% of the state had been fully vaccinated, while 60% had received at least one dose.

When the state achieves a 70% vaccination rate:

All restrictions terminate. Social gatherings are no longer restricted and restaurants will continue to be regulated in the normal course by the Department of Health (DOH), which may establish new, permanent rules in light of the pandemic.

All of this is subject to continued monitoring by the DOH for the impact of variants on COVID-19 case numbers, health care capacity, etc. The state/counties will make appropriate adjustments as needed.

“As Hawaiʻi’s public health outcomes improve and our economic situation appears to be stabilizing, I am ending several of the emergency provisions that have been in place for over a year,” said Gov. Ige. “By August, I hope the public health situation will allow me to do the same for others. We can get there if people become informed about their safe and effective vaccination options and choose to get their injections. Remember – the state pushed back the Aug. 15 rollout of the Safe Travels program to Oct. 15. While challenging at the time, it was necessary.”

Gov. Ige also signed a 21^st emergency proclamation related to COVID-19, which officially brings the inter-county Safe Travels program to an end at 11:59 p.m. on June 14. As of June 15, no inter-county testing/quarantine will be in effect and all Safe Travels and other restrictions will end for inter-county travel.

Other provisions of the 21^st emergency proclamation:

• Reflects the legislature’s enactment of SB540 and the possibility that the counties and judiciary will designate emergency period infractions.
  • SB540 allows for lesser emergency period penalties to be adopted by the governor or a mayor.
  • As of June 7, the governor has not signed SB540. He has until June 21 to decide whether he may veto the bill and until July 6 to veto, sign the measure or allow it to become law without his signature.
• Clarifies that all persons seeking a vaccination exception to the travel self-quarantine must provide consent and authorization to allow the DOH and providers to use and access vaccination information as expressly allowed in the Safe Travels program.
  • Exhibit B contains the amended Rules Relating to COVID-19 Screening Process and Travel Self-Quarantine.
• Restores the Hawaiʻi public procurement code, including the purchase of health and human services.
• Restores licensing requirements for occupational and physical therapy.
• Restores administrative support for child support enforcement.
• Includes rules for the Child Care Grant Program.

While the 21^st emergency proclamation extends the eviction moratorium for those unable to pay rent, renters and landlords are encouraged to seek and accept the rental assistance relief being distributed in each county.

The proclamation also allows for the extension of expirations for driver’s licenses, state IDs, and instructional permits that expired during the emergency period. This extension allows county driver’s licensing centers to recover from the ongoing effects of the pandemic on availability of services.

“If current trends hold, I expect both the eviction moratorium and the driver’s licensing provisions to expire in August. We’ve learned a lot about acting with care, and I am hopeful these lessons will carry us forward,” the governor said.

The 21^st emergency proclamation is effective immediately and will expire on Aug. 6, 2021. The 21^st emergency proclamation can be found here.