In response to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth appealed to Gov. David Ige (D) for the reinstatement of pretravel testing for every person traveling to the Hawaiian Islands.
Roth penned a letter to formally urge the governor to re-implement pretravel testing.
“The consistent rise of COVID-19 cases within the state of Hawaii and across the country has reached record heights and has put an unbearable strain on our health systems and communities at large,” Roth stated in his letter. “On Hawaii Island alone, our hospitals are at capacity and are unable to intake any more critical care patients.”
The Roth administration has requested that the governor adjust the state’s Safe Travels Program to add mandatory testing for all trans-Pacific airline passengers — both tourists and residents of the state, as well as those who can prove they have been fully vaccinated, Big Island Now reported.
Big Island Times recently reported that the governor’s office had reinstated social gathering mandates.
Proactively, Roth has decided to postpone the IRONMAN World Championship from its original date of Saturday, Oct. 9, until Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, according to Big Island Now. The mayor also mentioned that the Big Island intends to shut down county parks and beaches to prevent mass gatherings.