Gov. David Ige has taken a leap towards a more normal pre-pandemic way of life by lifting mask requirements outdoors, allowing ocean sports and announcing that several counties in Hawaii are on track to have fewer pandemic restrictions for businesses and social gatherings.
Ige's lifting of the outdoor mask mandate was applicable to every island and took effect the very day he made the announcement on May 25.
"I spoke with the county mayors, and we agree this is the right next step," Ige wrote in a May 25 Facebook post. "We've been seeing fewer cases of COVID-19 and have been making good progress on vaccinations. We do highly recommend mask wearing if you are in large groups, even if you're outdoors. The indoor mandate will remain in place for a little longer, as we get more people in our communities vaccinated, but we are getting closer. If our vaccination program is successful, I also expect to make changes to the Safe Travels program next month. Thank you all for doing your part to keep our community safe."
Gov. David Ige
| Wikimedia Commons
Social gatherings are still capped at 10 people on the island of Oahu, according to Hawaii News Now.
However, both Hawaii and Maui are considering making changes to their social-gathering size restrictions.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced that changes are coming and will be a part of the system put into place as part of the island's reopening plan.