Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim has announced the closure of all County and State Beach Parks on Hawai‘i will be extended for two additional weeks, reopening at 7:00 a.m. on October 1.  The intent of the closures is to prevent the further spread of the virus by limiting gatherings at the beaches.  Kim has said that a number of COVID-19 cases, especially in East Hawaii, have resulted from large gatherings at beaches, with no masks, and no distancing, although both have been required for many months.

Department of Health contact tracing has shown that large gatherings are a key source of the virus’s spread, with several clusters being linked to social gatherings.
“Everybody has been really cooperative and have observed the rules to keep us all safe,” said Mayor Harry Kim. “The past two weeks have shown a tremendous improvement, and we want to make that we keep slowing the spread of the virus.”

Beach parks and coastal parks may be used for direct access to and from the ocean in order to engage in exercise, fishing and gathering food. Park restrooms and showers will be open during the hours of 7:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. daily.