Honolulu City and County Mayor Kirk Caldwell held a press conference on Thursday to announce that everybody on O’ahu must now wear a face covering when indoors, or when outdoors and physical distancing is not possible.

He also says it’s still critical to stay at least 6 feet apart and avoid large groupsl

Although Hawaii has low numbers compared to most other states, in the last month, since June 1, cases have started increasing at a rate higher than before.  The United States has also been hitting high rates of new cases.  States such as California, Arizona, Florida, and Texas continue to  have new daily cases between 4,000 and 6,000.

Caldwell said New York’s example showed that although physical distancing and hand hygiene is important, their numbers really started turning around and going down once it was mandated that people wear face coverings.

Between June 1 and July 2, O’ahu’s case count went from 421 to 676, an increase of 255.  Caldwell said he wants the people on O’ahu to keep the COVID situation under control, especially because the plan at this point is to reopen travel from out of state on August 1, when the potential for infection will increase even more.

Children under 5 are exempt, and first responders are exempt if the masks impede their duties.  Children in child care or education facilities must adhere to the facility’s rules.

Those with medical conditions that mean a mask cannot be worn are encouraged to wear a face shield even though it is not as protective to others as is a mask.

Dr. Jill Omori, the City and County’s infectious disease physician, who is also with John A. Burns School of Medicine, said if everybody wears facial coverings we can prevent the spread of the disease even more than having a lockdown.   Dr. Omori said with studies now showing that 40% or more of people with COVID-19 are symptom free, it’s very important to wear a mask to protect others.

This mandate has been approved by Gov. David Ige and is effective immediately for people on the island of O’ahu.