The State Department of Health reports there are 39 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. That brings the state’s total count to 14,068, with 2,803 active cases.

The state is reporting 187 deaths. That includes only 18 of the Big Island’s 40 deaths.   Two deaths have been at Kona Community Hospital and 38 have been in Hilo.

O’ahu has 30 new cases, there are 2 new cases in Hawaii residents out of state, and neither Kaua’i nor Maui County added any cases.

The Big Island has 7 new cases. The island’s total is now 1,059 total cases. There are approximately 244 active cases.

This morning in an online discussion with Yunji Denies and Ryan Tsuji for the Honolulu Star Advertiser, Gov. David Ige noted that the counties of Maui and Kaua’i now have an interisland travel quarantine waiver, if travelers take a test in advance.  The Big Island has not yet implemented such a program, although trans Pacific travelers may bypass the island’s 14-day quarantine with an advance test and a County-funded, County-provided COVID-19 test at the airport.  Gov. Ige said Mayor Kim is being cautious because the positivity rate on the island is higher than in both Kaua’i and Maui Counties, and many districts on both O’ahu and Big Island are higher than 5%, which is considered a threshold.

The State Department of Health has personnel assigned to pay a daily visit to every person confirmed to have an active case of COVID-19 as well as people with whom they were in contact during their presumed infectious period.  COVID-19 positive people and their contacts have confirmed the DOH is following up, in person.

It’s critical for anybody who does confirm as a positive COVID-19 case to inform the State Department of Health who they were in contact with for more than 15 minutes, even if both people were wearing masks.  Ideally, victims would advise their contacts right away, even before DOH calls to do contact tracing so they can isolate from other vulnerable family members or friends.  Anybody who has been a close contact must quarantine for 14 days–i.e. not leave home–but is also encouraged to get a COVID-19 test at one of the many COVID-19 community testing sites.  Leaving home for testing or medical care during quarantine is allowed by the State DOH.

The State Department of Health noon report: