Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim has released his Emergency Rule No. 11, which limits gatherings on the island, whether public or private, inside or outside, to 10 people.  There are several exemptions, including worship services and government operations and schools or adult care or childcare, which have no limits; sports practices (limited to 25); and sports competitions (limited to 50).

The Rule reinforces that everybody over 5 years old must wear a mask/face covering while in public.  There are some exceptions.

The rule regarding gatherings, indoors and outdoors, even with the limitation of 10 people, still requires people to wear face coverings.   It exempts members of a single residential or family group who share the same address.

A social gathering is defined as a planned or spontaneous event, assembly, or meeting that brings together multiple people from separate households in a single space or area, indoors or outdoors, at the same time and in a coordinated fashion.

A social gathering includes, but is not limited to, such get-togethers as a banquet, barbecue, concert, fair, festival, funeral, luau, parade, party, picnic, or wedding.

Exempted from the “gathering rule” are:

–Federal, state and county government operations and functions,

–Educational, adult and childcare facilities with adequate and active supervision and monitoring, enforcement capabilities, and established emergency response protocols,

–Businesses, operations, and activities other than nightclubs, large indoor or outdoor venues such as concerts, sports, conventions, and expos, which shall remain closed.  The Rule also prohibits marathons, triathlons and any kind of road race (Exhibit 5).

There are separate sections in the Rule 11 which pertain to the separate rules for:

–restaurants, bars, and food courts (Exhibit 1),

–County parks and recreational facilities (Exhibit 2),

–outdoor organized team sports — now limited to 25 participants including staff and players (Exhibit 2),

–competitive play–limited to 50 participants including players, staff, spectators, etc.(Exhibit 2)

–barber shops and beauty operators (Exhibit 3),

–places of worship, not subject to the limitation on gatherings, but still required to maintain physical distancing.  Places of worship are also not required to but encouraged to develop procedures to limit the spread of COVID-19, such as mask-wearing, consider avoiding buffet lines, consider finding a way for money collection that will limit personal contact. (Exhibit 4).

Click below for the full Emergency Rule 11, issued August 25, 2020:

2020-08-25-COH-Mayors-COVID-19-Emergency-Rule-No.-11-certified-and-signed