Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth called on Big Island residents to employ ‘mindful masking’ strategies as on-island as COVID-19 case counts continue to rise.

‘Mindful masking’ encourages the use of masks when in large gatherings, grocery stores, indoor gathering places, aboard public transportation, and in bars and restaurants when not actively eating and drinking. No mandate currently exists on Hawaiʻi Island, although private property and business owners are entitled to make their own rules related to COVID precautions and regulations.

The ʻmindful masking’ suggestion comes as Hawaiʻi County has reported over 1,400 new cases over a 14-day period. The State reported nearly 12,000 new cases over the same period.

In a press release Mayor Roth said,“We are just asking our residents to continue to be mindful in their interactions with each other.  Although we have moved on to a time where we are learning to live with the virus, it is still very much a threat, and there are many individuals with health issues that make the virus a serious risk to their wellbeing. We don’t want to move back to a period of mandates to help control the spread. We’ve been there, done that, and we know what works at this point in the game. That’s why we are again calling on our community to keep each other safe and get us through the current surge — safely.”

Big Island residents are reminded to test for COVID-19 anytime they have known contact, returned from a trip, or experienced COVID-19 related symptoms.  Free test kits can be found at special.usps.com/testkits.  In addition, testing locations remain available around this island. Visit hawaiicounty.gov/coronavirus for more information.