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Covid-19 Pandemic in Hawaii
On March 6, 2020, the Hawai'i Department of Health announced the first positive COVID-19 case on the island of Oahu. Twenty-one positive cases were reported on the same Grand Princess cruise ship which the Oahu passenger had boarded. As the toll of total cases continues to climb, the state steps up on preventive measures. On March 10, private laboratories began testing for coronavirus. Hawai'i governor David Y. Ige issued a Supplementary Proclamation on March 16, 2020. On March 18, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell ordered the mandatory closure of restaurants and nightclubs for 15 calendar days. All events scheduled must abide by CDC guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that events for groups of 250 people or more be canceled, and that all U.S. events of ten or more people be canceled or held virtually. On March 21, 2020 Gov. Ige mandates 14-day quarantine for all incoming travelers to Hawai'i. A range of restrictions continue to be implemented on schools, businesses, gathering, and travels. Hawai'i has the lowest fatality rate in the United States, and followed a consistent decreasing trajectory in new cases in May. The state's reopening activity began in April 2020. As of December 10, Governor Ige announced a predicted $1.4 billion shortfall in the general fund for each of the next four years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Economy
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the rates of unemployment in Hawai'i has increased to almost 24% in April and May. Over 97,000 new unemployment claims have been filed in the month of March. This number drastically surpasses the total number of unemployed statewide in 2019. According to the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, twenty thousand unemployment claims are received per day. This number in a single day alone is more than that of the whole year in 2019, which was around 19,000 claims. Due to this significant surge in unemployment, many experienced major issues in filing for unemployment insurance. The state's unemployment insurance system became vulnerable from the overwhelming volume of applications. As a result, the Hawai'i Department of Labor launched a new online application form. Additional staff were also hired to meet the demands. The number of claim processors ran around forty five, which increased from seven workers prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Restaurants were one of the first few businesses to close following the pandemic. Many small businesses suffered from financial instability, resulting in permanent closure. With tourism being the main economy source, the decline in demand for travel in Hawaii impacted the economy negatively. With the decline in tourists, Hawaiian airlines reported of reduction in earnings. Wages and benefits paid during the quarter were $19.5 million, an 89% decline from the $182.9 million paid out during the same period a year before. In September, the company entered a CARES Act loan agreement with the U.S. Treasury that allows Hawaiian to borrow up to $420 million. As of Sept. 30, Hawaiian had borrowed $45 million under the program.

By September, Hawaii's unemployment rate has declined significantly compared to the start of the pandemic. The state's jobless rate improved from 23.8% in April to 13.5% in July. However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in August that Hawaii's 12.5% seasonal adjusted unemployment rate was tied for third-highest in the nation. More than 124,000 people continued to file for weekly unemployment claims from September 6 through 12. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations continues to hire call center operators to resolve the thousands of pending cases. Following the resumption of tourism in October, Hawai'i shows encouraging signs of recovery.

Tourism
On March 19, the Hawai'i Department of Transportation prohibited passengers to disembark. By March 22, Hawaiian Airlines drastically reduced flight schedule systemwide. Passenger revenue was down by 95% from the previous year. 32% of the workforce were laid off. Coinciding with Governor David Ige's 14-day self-quarantine order for travelers, the number of daily arrivals to Hawai'i has decreased in the initial months of lockdown. Daily arrivals dropped from 30,000 to a few hundreds. The decrease of tourist activity greatly affected Hawaii's tourism-centric economy. On June 2, Gov. David Ige announced the 14-day self-quarantine requirement for inter-island travelers will be lifted starting June 16. Restrictions on out-of-state travel will remain in effect. Governor Ige extended the state’s travel restrictions through June 30, which require visitors from outside the state and inter-island travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days.

On July 14, Gov. David Ige announced he was extending the quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers through Sept. 1. Previously, Ige had said a new program would take effect Aug. 1 that would allow visitors to avoid the quarantine requirement by presenting a negative coronavirus test. Pre-travel COVID-19 negative test results must be in hand prior to departure for Hawai'i.

In December, Gov. David Ige reduced the state's mandatory self-quarantine period for travelers from 14 to 10 days. This applies to travelers entering Hawai'i and traveling between counties. The Safe Travels Program is a form mandatory for all travelers.

Reopening
In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) on March 18, 2020. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27. The acts provided flexibility for unemployment insurance agencies as well as additional funding to relieve economic impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 18, 2020, Gov. David Ige released Hawaii's reopening plan, Beyond Recovery: Reopening Hawai'i. The reopening plan consisted of four phases, each corresponding to COVID-19's varying levels of disruption to daily life. Hawaii entered Phase 1 on May, 7. Corresponding with the "Safer at Home" disruption level, Hawai'i began the stabilization phase by reopening low-risk businesses. Floral shops, car washes, and pet grooming services gradually reopened in early May. With stable COVID-19 case activity in Phase 1, all counties have entered Phase 2, the Reopening Phase which corresponds with the "Act with Care" impact level. The focus of Phase 2 is to focus on reconnecting local activities in Hawai'i. The Reopening Phase consists of opening medium-risk businesses, and later reopening high-risk businesses. Phase 2 also considers the discussion of lifting the 14-day travel quarantine with adequate screening protocols. Beginning, on June 1, Hawai'i and Maui counties opened personal care services as well as places of worship. On June 9, state beaches and parks opened for passive use. The reopening of public schools was delayed until mid-August. Mask wearing in public is mandatory by law.