Updated 12/21/20, 11:55 a.m.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell is repeating his request that inmate coronavirus cases not be included in Oʻahu s case count numbers.
The latest state Department of Health report adds one new death, and a total of 204 new infections statewide. 180 of those new cases were on Oʻahu.
During a Sunday press conference, Caldwell said DOH officials have unofficially told him that as many as 93 of the latest cases may have come from Halawa Correctional Facility.
Last week, Caldwell asked Governor David Ige to remove infected prisoners from the city s daily case tally. Caldwell says he recently discussed his request to Ige, but noted that the prison outbreak still has an impact on Oʻahu s healthcare system.
Updated 12/21/20, 3:49 p.m.
Governor David Ige has released his proposed state budget for lawmakers to consider in the 2021 legislative session. Ige says the two year spending plan reflects the difficult decisions forced on the state by the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent of the state s projected revenue loss means that permanent and ongoing changes must be made to the way state government operates, Ige said during a Monday press conference. Regrettably, we are unable to shield our employees and priority programs from reduction. In addition, we will continue to evaluate those that are necessary to bring out
The proposed budget includes cuts to all departments, including the K-12 public education system and the University of Hawaii.