Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim this morning on the morning Civil Defense update said that the cases on the Big Island in the last week–37 since August 1–are mostly community spread.   As a result, Kim says policy changes may be coming.

Kim said this morning that the State Department of Health will announce that the island has 4 new cases today, all in Hilo, which would mean the county will have added 41 new cases since August 1.  Right now, 23 are active.  One person is hospitalized.

Note that the location of cases is the residence of those who have COVID-19, and doesn’t address where they may work nor where they may have contracted the disease.

Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno said that 3 of the newest cases are related to exisiting cases, but in general, the virus is widespread in the community.  He also said he believes the State Department of Health is doing appropriate contact tracing on this island.  He said State DOH has 77 contact tracers on the Big Island, which is the same number Dr. Bruce Anderson, DOH Director, quoted as working on O’ahu during yesterday’s press briefing.  Magno said the 77 include everybody employed by DOH on this island, including those normally doing vector control, the public health nurses, and more.

Kim said many people have not been following the policies of gatherings, distancing and wearing of face coverings.   He said he’s reviewing possible policy changes to address the growing spread of the virus.  Right now, there is a mask mandate on the island that people must wear masks in any business.

On O’ahu, the virus has become so widespread that on Tuesday, Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Gov. David Ige announced numerous restrictions for that island, including requiring masks virtually everywhere and limiting gatherings to 5, in public or private.  Gov. Ige has also pushed back the start of trans-Pacific travel with people able to forgo the 14-day quarantine if they have a negative COVID-19 test until at least October 1.