Updated 12/29/20, 11:59 a.m.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell believes Lori Kahikina is perfect to lead the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. On Monday, HART announced Kahikina will be interim Executive Director and CEO of the semi-autonomous agency starting later this week.
Kahikina leads the city s Department of Environmental Services, which oversees Oahu s wastewater and trash.
Caldwell says he has never discussed or given his thoughts on HART s personnel decisions. But he praised the announcement yesterday, saying she is the right person for the job at this time. She knows how to relocate utilities in our roads throughout this island and she does it well and she knows how to acquire property when that s necessary to rebuild our sewer system, Caldwell said.
Where we stand
The state Department of Health reported 129 new cases and no new fatalities Thursday.
According to the state s numbers, Oʻahu had 79 new cases, Maui 33, Hawaiʻi County 11, Kauaʻi 1, Lanai and Molokaʻi had none.
The latest state counts bring the Oʻahu total to 17,356, Hawaiʻi County 1,848, Maui 838, Kauaʻi 139, Lanai 106 and Molokaʻi 22. The number of out-of-state cases totals 341.
Since the pandemic began, the state has tallied 20,650 cases. The death toll stands at 285.
DOH Prepares Vaccine Distribution To Healthcare Providers
The State Department of Health is working with major healthcare facilities to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to independent practices for widespread distribution.
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Oʻahu will be adjusting its tiered reopening plan by removing new cases from the Halawa Correctional Facility cluster. Under the changes, Honolulu will be subtracting new cases among the prison population from its weekly averages, but will still count positives among prison guards and staff.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced the city will be making the changes to its weekly case averages to avoid the island from going back to the most restrictive tier in the plan.
The state Department of Health on Monday reported 104 new cases of COVID-19 on Oahu. 55 are connected to the Halawa prison cluster.
Dec 23, 2020
HONOLULU (AP) Honolulu officials will no longer count COVID-19 cases among prisoners at Halawa Correctional Facility in metrics used to decide whether to tighten or loosen pandemic restrictions on Oahu.
The city will still include infections among prison guards and staff, Hawaii Public Radio reported Tuesday.
Honolulu consults weekly averages of confirmed positive cases on the island to determine whether it’s safe to allow more businesses to reopen or whether it should force more to close.
The state Department of Health on Monday reported 104 new cases on Oahu. Of these, 55 were connected to Halawa prison.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the outbreak at the prison is inflating the island’s numbers and that residents and businesses shouldn’t be punished for that. He said the city wants to avoid going back to its most restrictive rules.