Green Confirms Highest Daily Case Total of COVID-19 Since Pandemic Began

Lt. Gov. Josh Green. PC: Office of the Governor

Hawai‘i reported 41 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest one-day total since the virus reached the islands.

Lt. Governor Josh Green confirmed the daily tally to multiple news sources Tuesday morning. The statewide total of COVID-19 cases now stands at 1,071.

Despite the surge in cases, which has been a trend for several weeks since Hawai‘i began reopening its economy, the state’s plans to bring more visitors back to the islands starting Aug. 1 remains in place.

A pre-flight testing program will allow visitors to get tested for COVID-19 within 72 hours of boarding their planes. If a test comes back negative, that traveler will be exempt from the out-of-state, 14-day quarantine.

Gov. David Ige addressed concerns involving visitors contracting the virus within that 72-hour period after procuring negative test results, saying Monday that he believes the state’s contact tracing program and hospital capacity are prepared to deal with new cases that might make their way into Hawai‘i.

However, the governor also said that if data show the safety of residents is in question, he may consider pushing back the Aug. 1 date for the quarantine exemption program.

Hawai‘i County Civil Defense on Tuesday reported eight active cases of COVID-19 on the Big Island. The state’s virus map showing the location of active cases can be accessed here.

The county-by-county case count is as follows:

• Honolulu: 788
• Maui: 128
• Hawai‘i: 95
• Kaua‘i: 42
• Pending: 0
• Out-of-State Diagnoses: 18

To date, 119 people have been hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 infection, while 19 have died. A total of 797 individuals have been released from isolation and are considered recovered.