Thu. 5/21 COVID-19 Daily Update
Local 5 on Facebook Live
Join us for another Facebook Live session, featuring youth organizers from AiKea and their campaign to register more voters! Go to www.facebook.com/uniteherehawaii/live at 5 pm!
World: Cases: 5.1M (+100k). Deaths: 333k (+5k).
USA: Cases: 1.57M (+20k). Deaths: 94.7k (+1.3). Total Tested: 13M (+400k).
Hawaii: Cases: 647 (+4). Deaths: 17 (+0). Hospitalized: 83 (+1). Recovered: 579 (+1).
Gov. Ige approves Kaua’i’s plan to re-open more businesses Friday (KITV, May 21, 2020)
Kauai’s hotels’ “common areas” will be allowed to reopen tomorrow, May 22nd, subject to infection control restrictions. Kauai’s Emergency Order 10 also churches, public and private pools, outdoor-based tours, salons and barber shops, and one-one-one services including massage and personal training.
The article speaks of a “broad consensus” that pre-flight testing is the only way to revive Hawaii’s tourism industry while keeping the virus out. Rep. Gene Ward said
he got word from the White House on Wednesday that the state can require travelers to show a negative coronavirus test before they board a flight to avoid quarantine once here. State transportation officials have volunteered Honolulu’s airport as one of 12 test sites for the TSA to do temperature checks before flights, possibly saving Hawaii some of the $36M of COVID funds directed to airport thermal cameras.
Maui County sets a date for allowing dining in at restaurants (Hawaii News Now, May 21, 2020)
Maui dine in restaurant service will be allowed on June 5th, drive through religious services and salons will start reopening on Friday and Monday, respectively.
Hawaii unemployment passes 22% in April (Star Advertiser, May 21, 2020)
The state is saying is using a total workforce of 627,450, out of that, 139,900 are unemployed leading to a statewide rate of 22.3% in April. However, we know around 220,000 people filed for unemployment and there is still a backlog of UI claims so this unemployment rate may be low.
Flying Food issues WARN lay off notice for workers on outer islands after laying off its 500+ workers on Oahu in April.
Strikes erupt as US essential workers demand protection amid pandemic (The Guardian, May 19, 2020)
Workers have started taking direct action in response to corporate apathy about safety and quality of life.
COVID-19 Strike Wave Interactive Map (Pay Day Report)
This site is gathering data in map form on actions and wildcat strikes that have taken place around the country, so far it has gathered 220 of various sizes and types. The list is far from exhaustive and fails to capture all the worker strikes and actions that have taken place.
CDC quietly releases detailed guidelines for reopening America (CNBC, May 20, 2020)
Guidelines are quietly released after the Trump administration shelved the long-awaited CDC reopening guidance earlier this month.
