RES 572 Draft 01 2018-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Honorable Donald J. Trump April 1, 2020 Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige ("Governor Ige") also issued an Emergency Proclamation on March 4, 2020 and Supplementary Proclamations on March 16, 2020, March 21, 2020, and March 23, 2020, all related to reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the State of Hawaii. Governor Ige mandated that all persons entering the State of Hawaii be subject to self- quarantine for 14 days, with certain exceptions,to be in effect until May 20, 2020. Recently, Governor Ige extended the 14-day quarantine measure to include visitors arriving from neighbor islands, and ordered people state-wide to generally stay at home through April 30, 2020. Similar to Hawaii, other states—Alaska,New Hampshire, and Massachusetts—have mandated that travelers arriving from out of state must self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival into those states. At your direction,the United States has already taken action consistent with this request to limit travel to Hawaii; including the travel ban for certain passengers from China to the United States that you issued on January 31, 2020, and your initiative to Slow the Spread of COVID-19, which was recently extended. Despite these restrictions to reduce travel and the spread of COVID-19 infections, individuals continue to arrive in the State of Hawaii. Domestic and international airlines have dramatically reduced their round trip airfares to Hawaii, which has and will continue to encourage people to risk travelling to Hawaii—especially those who otherwise may not have been able to afford to come. On March 30, 2020, 681 domestic and international travelers arrived in the state, and it appears arrivals may be increasing due to the drop in air fares. Based on arrival data for just two of the five counties, 783 people travelled to the state on March 31, 2020. All such travelers pose a heightened risk of spreading COVID-19 throughout our state. In addition,these travelers are putting additional strains on our already scarce resources during this emergency period, including our hotels, homeless shelters,hospitals, and stores with limited inventory. Unless something is done at the federal level, such travel to Hawaii will continue and lead to an avoidable healthcare crisis and tragedy in our state. As of March 31,2020, Hawaii has 224 positive cases of COVID-19. This is an increase of nearly 150%from the week before. And, Hawaii just suffered its first fatality from COVID- 19, with more likely to come. In order to preserve and protect the health, safety, and well-being of the State and its residents, and consistent with the White House's extended Slow the Spread initiative, I respectfully request that you order a ban on all non-essential travel to the State of Hawaii until April 30, 2020. Yours sincerely, DIRK W. CALDWELL Mayor City and County of Honolulu 2