Dr. Lawrie Ignacio and Dr. Graham Taylor join Mayor Kirk Caldwell at Honolulu Hale to announce the Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project. Leaders from the Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project joined Mayor Kirk Caldwell today to announce a new program to provide support for the psychological well-being and mental health needs of individuals seeking help during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, conceptualized by Dr. Lawrie Ignacio and Dr. Graham Taylor and coordinated by the Hawai‘i Psychological Association, offers free mental health services provided by a Pro Bono Service Provider to uninsured residents on Oʻahu and throughout the state. The Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project is a multi-disciplinary initiative that unites several mental health care communities with the common goal of ensuring that more Hawai‘i residents have access to quality mental health care. “This in an incredibly stressful time for all of us, but the COVID-19 pandemic has also brought out some of the best in our island community,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “It’s very touching to see local residents stepping forward to take care of one another, and we can all be proud to stand with the Hawaiʻi Psychological Association whose members are giving their time and talent freely to our underserved neighbors.” Economic stress, social distancing and the constant stream of news related to COVID-19 is creating anxiety and stress across the nation. In response, many insurers and providers have opened up new opportunities for telehealth not previously available and some insurers are making mental health more accessible. Many residents may find that their insurance now covers the mental health services they need, and the providers in this program can help navigate that process to save the pro-bono slots for residents who have no access to insurance at all during a time of record unemployment. “While our state faces unprecedented times during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project realizes that the mental health and well-being of Hawai‘i’s residents is of upmost importance,” says Dr. Ray Folen, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Psychological Association. “Everyone has something to give in this moment, and the Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project is proud to provide mental health resources to residents who may not otherwise be able to afford it.” To ensure proper physical distancing during the Mayor’s “Ho’oulu i Honolulu” Order, all therapy and counseling services under the program will be provided exclusively via online telehealth platforms. People can access the service on a first-come, first-serve basis by logging on to https://www.hawaiipsychology.org/ and clicking on the “Please click HERE for more information” link under the heading: Hawai'i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project. The link will direct the individual seeking services to a description page outlining the terms of the Project, where he or she can then click on another link to submit a request for services. Once a request is submitted, the individual seeking services will be contacted by a Project coordinator who will assist in linking the individual to an available provider. “The COVID-19 crisis puts pressure on people from all walks of life across Hawaiʻi – but especially folks who may have lost their income and health insurance along with their job,” said Dr. Lawrie Ignacio of the Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project. “Dr. Taylor and I are coordinating this project to make sure that more of our residents have access to quality mental health care. We hope that this project will help to alleviate stress on those who need our help most.” The Project coordinators are asking for patience up front from those seeking mental health services provided by the Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project, as mental health providers are in high demand and matching requests with available providers at any given time may require a waiting period. The program does not offer a triage service, so interested residents may need to contact other community mental health services in order to secure timely services. Additionally, services being provided through the Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project are not suitable for urgent and crisis situations as the Project will not be able to immediately connect individuals in severe distress with an available provider. Those experiencing severe distress, or an emergency, are asked to call emergency and crisis personnel who can provide an immediate response. “Our personal resilience is all about staying connected, and our island resilience in the face of COVID-19 is directly related to how well we stay connected as a community,” said Josh Stanbro, Executive Director of the City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency. “One of the first actions we took as a City was to stand up a call center where residents who need information can speak to a real person instead of a recording or automated system. We may not always have the answers, but every conversation lets people know we’re all in this together—and now we have a resource to share with Oʻahu residents who need professional mental health.” Along with the City’s 768-CITY information helpline, the City also created a website at www.oneoahu.org to provide information about Mayor Caldwell’s Emergency Order, provide updates on the availability of City services, and direct residents to quality, trusted COVID-19 healthcare information. For residents who do not find the information they are looking for on the website, residents can also email covidresponse@honolulu.gov to ask questions and get a response from City staff. To learn more about the Hawai‘i Mental Health Pro Bono COVID-19 Project visit https://www.hawaiipsychology.org/

Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami has signed the first supplementary emergency proclamation on May 26, 2020, for the County of Kaua‘i as a result from flash flooding during the March 2020 rain event on March 27-28, 2020. The first supplementary emergency proclamation further declares the provisions of the previous emergency proclamation. The disaster emergency relief period shall now continue until terminated 60 days after May 26, 2020, or by a separate proclamation – whichever comes first. The purpose of the emergency proclamation is to provide continued relief for disaster damages, losses, and suffering, and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Kaua‘i residents and visitors. To view a copy of the first supplementary emergency proclamation and previous emergency proclamations, visit the www.kauai.gov/kema.

Every business in Hawai‘i has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including Young Brothers. The company is part of the state’s critical infrastructure that keeps goods moving to and between the islands. We will be considering the request as part of the recovery and resiliency efforts underway. --Governor David Y. Ige

The City and County of Honolulu today reopened its driver licensing centers and resumed serving residents on an appointment-only basis as well as requiring masks or face coverings during in-office visits. Appointments are available for residents whose driver licenses and state identification cards expire in June. This includes March expirations that were granted a 90 day extension to June. Appointments can be made at AlohaQ.org. Later this month, appointments will be offered for those whose driver licenses and state IDs expire in July, which includes April expirations that had been extended 90 days to July. O‘ahu residents with a hardship or special need outside of these parameters can call (808) 768-4177 for assistance. Since in-office visits were suspended nine weeks ago, more than 44,000 driver license and state ID appointments had to be canceled. “For those whose driver licenses and state IDs are not yet expired, we ask for your patience as we assist those with greatest needs first,” said Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services. “We have added cleaning time between appointments and made physical changes to our centers to create a safe environment for both our customers and staff.” To help ease the demand for appointments, the city mailed 50,000 letters to Oahu residence who qualified for driver license and state ID services either online or by mail. In addition, the federal government has extended the start date for REAL ID enforcement by 12 months to Oct. 1, 2021. Reconstructed vehicle inspections have restarted and are also appointment only. Procedures for written and road driving-tests are being reviewed and will be announced later. For more information, visit honolulu.gov/csd.

Yesterday, 1028 people arrived in Hawaii. During this same time last year, nearly 30,000 passengers arrived in Hawaii daily, including residents and visitors. The state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started on March 26th for all passengers arriving in Hawaii from out of state. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1st to include interisland travelers. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel. This data was collected from the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new Mandatory Travel Declaration Form. The DOT’s new Mandatory Travel Declaration Form does not include a question about the type of accommodation. For Hawaii Tourism Authority and state updates regarding COVID-19 visit: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/news/alerts/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/

News Release from the County of Hawai'i Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our Shared Ride users are unable to use their Shared Ride Taxi Coupons within the timeframe allowed. For the convenience of our users, the Hawai‘i County Mass Transit Agency is extending the expiration date from April 30, 2020 and May 31, 2020 to June 30, 2020. Please do not alter the expiration dates on the coupons as they will not be accepted. The Mass Transit Agency has notified the participating taxi companies of this extension. For further information, please call Mass Transit at 961-8744. Please be safe and remember, we’re all in this together.

The County of Kaua‘i announces the following County-related changes in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Transportation Agency in order to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Kaua‘i from the potential spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Effective May 31, The Kaua‘i Bus will be increasing service to all routes to provide hourly mainline and shuttle service and will reinstate limited service to Wailua Homesteads and Houselots. All schedules will be the same for weekdays, weekends, and holidays. Schedules will be posted at bus stops throughout the island and printed schedules will be available on buses and at The Kauai Bus office by May 31. Updated bus schedules are currently available on the Kauai Bus website at www.kauai.gov/transportation. To improve routing and service times, the Hanapēpē Multipurpose Building will no longer be utilized as a bus stop. The nearest stop is located fronting the Armory on Kaumuali‘i Highway. While we routinely clean all public transit vehicles, the Kaua‘i Bus continues to take enhanced proactive steps to increase cleaning of frequently-touched areas onboard The Kaua‘i Bus, including seats, grab bars, and door entrances and exits. However, we need your help and urge our passengers, residents, and visitors to practice enhanced hygiene by: Keeping your face covering on at all times when riding he Kauai Bus and while waiting with others at Kauai Bus stops; Avoiding touching others when possible, including handshaking and other greeting gestures; Avoiding the touching of your face, eyes, nose, and mouth; and Washing your hands frequently, and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds For the most up to date information, please reach The Kaua‘i Bus at 246-8110, on Facebook at The Kauai Bus, or online at www.kauai.gov/transportation. To view a copy of the emergency proclamation, visit the County of Kaua‘i’s website at www.kauai.gov/covid-19. For more information and to sign up for daily updates from the State Department of Health relating to current COVID-19 information, visit https://health.hawaii.gov/news/covid-19-updates/ or http://www.kauai.gov/COVID-19

Yesterday, 966 people arrived in Hawaii. During this same time last year, nearly 30,000 passengers arrived in Hawaii daily, including residents and visitors. The state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started on March 26th for all passengers arriving in Hawaii from out of state. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1st to include interisland travelers. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel. This data was collected from the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new Mandatory Travel Declaration Form. The DOT’s new Mandatory Travel Declaration Form does not include a question about the type of accommodation. For Hawaii Tourism Authority and state updates regarding COVID-19 visit: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/news/alerts/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/

Grab-and-Go school meals to be extended at over 35 schools by four days during transition to summer feeding program Grab-and-Go school meals to be extended at over 35 schools by four days during transition to summer feeding program. On June 4, HIDOE will transition to its summer food service program at a reduced network of 46 sites. Photo Credit: Department of Education The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) Grab-and-Go school meals program will be extended at over 35 meal sites for an extra four days beyond the end of the school year on May 28 through Jun. 3. The schools will continue to provide breakfast and lunch free of charge to children 18 years or younger, regardless of eligibility for free or reduced price meals. On May 29, 34 distribution sites will stop serving meals during the summer break. Kauai school sites will stop serving on May 29 and restart on Jun. 8, at which time, 44 school sites will continue to serve meals through Jul. 17, 2020. Sponsor sites at public agencies, churches and nonprofit organizations will begin serving meals to children at additional locations in communities to support keiki. The Grab-and-Go school meals program will be extended at over 35 sites for an extra four days beyond the end of the school year on May 28. Photo Credit: Department of Education “The Grab-and-Go program has been an incredible support for our children and their families during this time of economic uncertainty and we thank our dedicated cafeteria workers, staff and administrators who have worked tirelessly to keep the daily meal distributions running smoothly,” Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto said. “As we transition to the summer break, many of our 10-month employees will not be available to staff current sites, but partner organizations will be stepping forward to keep summer meals available at other sites in our communities.” Parents are urged to check the new SSO school distribution list below, as the Grab-and-Go sites they currently visit may be closing. Meal distribution at SSO sites will continue to provide grab-and-go servings in walk-up and drive-thru lines. Dine-in options will not be available. All children ages 18 and younger can receive one school breakfast and one lunch daily. Children do not have to be enrolled at the school distribution site and do not have to be public school students. For special diet accommodations, please send an email to ​specialdiets@k12.hi.us​ with as much detail as possible. Parents may pick up student meals without their child(ren) present but must provide one of the following verification documents: Official letter or email from school listing child(ren) enrolled. Recent student report card(s). Attendance record(s) from parent portals of school websites. Birth certificate(s) of child(ren). Student ID card(s). Driver’s permit/license(s) for high school students. State-issued ID of the student. Most sites will serve breakfast and lunch while others will offer lunch only (indicated in list below). Breakfast will be served from 7:30 to 8 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon. School Meal Sites continuing on May 29 through Jul. 17 (serving breakfast and lunch, unless otherwise indicated) The locations above will be updated as new sites begin service. Click here for the latest updated information.

HONOLULU – Yesterday, 1,117 people arrived in Hawaii. During this same time last year, nearly 30,000 passengers arrived in Hawaii daily, including residents and visitors. The state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started on March 26th for all passengers arriving in Hawaii from out of state. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1st to include interisland travelers. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel. This data was collected from the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new Mandatory Travel Declaration Form. The DOT’s new Mandatory Travel Declaration Form does not include a question about the type of accommodation. For Hawaii Tourism Authority and state updates regarding COVID-19 visit: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/news/alerts/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/

The Special Committee will convene to assess and advise the Senate regarding the State of Hawaii's COVID-19 plans and procedures to include, but not limited to: 1) Confirm the development of the state departmental plans and procedures; 2) Review and assess current state departmental plans and procedures; 3) Review and assess whether state departmental plans and procedures are properly and timely implemented to safeguard public health and safety; 4) Review and assess the management of federal aid packages; and 5) To communicate and disseminate information obtained therefrom. The committee will be meeting with the following: 12:45 p.m. Office of the Governor Ms. Linda Takayama, Chief of Staff Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Ms. Alexandra Slous, State Disaster Recovery Coordinator Department of Health Dr. Bruce Anderson, Director Department of the Attorney General Ms. Clare Connors, Attorney General Please note that there may be committee members or invited speakers participating remotely via video or teleconference. The meeting will be available for live viewing on ‘Olelo Channel 49 on O‘ahu and will go out live for pick-up by neighbor island public access channels. It can also be viewed live online at olelo.org/49. No public testimony will be accepted. If you require special assistance, please call 586-6800 or email your request to waysandmeans@capitol.hawaii.gov

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) released its second quarter 2020 Statistical and Economic Report today. In the report, DBEDT projected that Hawai‘i’s economic growth will fall by 12.1 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Current economic conditions On March 4, 2020, Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation to protect the health and safety of Hawai‘i’s citizens and mitigate damages caused by COVID-19. Since then, the governor has issued eight supplementary proclamations with a stay at home or place of residence order (effective March 25, Gov. Ige changed stay at home to safer at home in his 7th supplemental emergency proclamation signed on May 7th), self-quarantine for 14 days for all people arriving into the state (effective March 26), and self-quarantine for 14 days for all interisland travelers (effective April 1). Overall, the pandemic has weakened consumer demand, particularly in tourism and other sectors that require large social gatherings or personal close contact. Initial unemployment claims started to surge during the week of March 16, and totaled 232,893, as of the end of May 16, 2020, increasing 2,081 percent from the same period a year earlier. Data from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations show that Hawai‘i’s unemployment rate in April 2020 jumped to 23.5 percent (not seasonally adjusted) with Hawai‘i ranking the third highest in the nation after Nevada and Michigan. 121,000 non-agriculture payroll jobs were lost in April as compared with April in 2019. The job loss was the highest for Accommodations at 64,000, followed by Food Services and Drinking Places at 41,000, and Retail Trade at 9,700. Overall the Hospitality sector lost 70,000 payroll jobs. After declining 53.7 percent in March, the number of visitor arrivals was only 3,565 in the full month of April, while the average daily visitor arrivals in 2019 was 28,562. During the first 21 days of May, visitor arrivals to the state totaled 5,397, the daily visitor count (257 per day) now is more than double the April daily count (120 per day). According to the Business Pulse Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau between April 26 – May 2, which was a month into Hawai‘i’s stay at home order, 56.6 percent of the Hawai‘i businesses surveyed said that COVID-19 has had a large negative effect on their businesses and 81.1 percent of respondents said their operating revenues decreased in the week before the survey. 58 percent of responding businesses decreased employee hours, and 37.3 percent of respondents cut their workforce in the last week. Of the Hawai‘i businesses which responded, 39.3 percent thought that it will take more than six months for business to return to normal. Most businesses surveyed had applied for some type of federal financial assistance, but half of businesses had not received assistance when they were surveyed. The first week of the survey corresponded with the opening of the second wave of federal funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). Businesses that did not get their applications submitted in time for the first round of funding were eligible to have their applications reviewed during the second round, which is still ongoing. A survey conducted by the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization and the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i released on May 5, 2020 indicated that statewide job losses between January and April 2020 were 41.7 percent for full time jobs and 41.3 percent for part time, respectively. Neighbor island counties were hit harder than Honolulu County in terms of jobs loss. When asked about the current business status in April, 36.1 percent of the respondents said they were completely shut down, 59.1 percent of the responded businesses were open with adjustments, only 4.8 percent of the responded businesses remained open regularly. The U.S. Census Bureau released its second survey – the Household Pulse Survey on May 20, 2020. The results show that 55.1 percent of Hawai‘i workers that are on payroll and self-employed indicated that they lost employment income during the week of April 23-May 5, 2020. Hawai‘i was ranked the second highest state in percentage of workers who lost income in that period. During the week of May 5-May 12, 2020, the percentage of workers that lost employment income increased to 59.2 percent, making Hawai‘i the highest ranked state in the nation. At the national level, the U.S. economic growth rate was at 0.3 percent during the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter in 2019. The Blue Chip Economic Indicators report from May 10, 2020, which is the consensus of 50 economic forecasting organizations, projected that the U.S. economic growth rate for 2020 will decrease by 5.8 percent with quarterly economic growth rate at -9.4 percent for the second quarter, -7.3 percent for third quarter, and -5.9 percent for fourth quarter. The report projected a positive 4.0 percent U.S. economic growth for 2021, with the first quarter of 2021 at -3.1 percent. Its forecasts for foreign countries were all negative except China and India which showed small positive growth. Assumptions Since the global COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying tourism shutdown are unprecedented, Hawai‘i’s economic forecast cannot be generated using past trends; however, basic relationships between economic variables remain unchanged, such as the relationship between job count and unemployment, personal income and GDP. Due to the government assistance programs, there will be a significant increase in personal transfer receipts from the federal government, which consists of income payments to households in which no current services are performed. The federal assistance will be reflected in household spending. The forecasts are based on the following facts and assumptions: • Total non-agriculture job loss in the state in April was 121,000. Of that, 90,000 were lost in tourism-intensive industries (hospitality, trade and transportation), and the rest were in the non-tourism intensive industries. • Small Business Administration PPP loans to Hawai‘i businesses totaled $2.6 billion as of May 20, 2020 and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) totaled at $83.5 million, for a total small business loan of $2.7 billion. • Assume 75 percent of $2 billion from SBA loans are being used for payroll. • Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, total number of private employees was 546,700 and total private workers compensation was $34.3 billion in 2019 with an average compensation per employee at $62,682. • Average compensation per month per worker is calculated to be $5,223 per month. • Total jobs supported by small business loans should be equivalent to 382,900 workers. • PPP loans need to be spent within eight weeks, then jobs supported should be 191,400 jobs for May and June. • Assume visitor industry will start opening in September 2020 and will recover 30 percent of arrivals (from same month in 2019) in September and 45 percent in December 2020. • No cruise visitors until second half of 2021. • It will take six years for visitor arrivals to recover to the 2019 level, this is based on the 2009 Great Recession pace. • It will take two years for local (non-tourism intensive sector) businesses to recover to the 2019 level, in terms of job count. This is based on the 2009 Great Recession pace. Forecasting Results Based on the above assumptions, DBEDT projects that Hawai‘i’s economic growth rate, as measured by the real gross domestic product GDP), will drop by 12.1 percent in 2020, then will increase at 0.7 percent in 2021, 0.6 percent in 2022 and 1.1 percent in 2023. Hawai‘i will welcome 3.4 million visitors in 2020, a decrease of 67.5 percent from the 2019 level. Visitor arrivals will increase to 6.2 million in 2021, 8.3 million in 2022, and 9.4 million in 2023. Visitor arrivals will not reach the 2019 level until 2025, based on the assumptions. Visitor spending will decrease more during the next few years due to the decrease in daily spending. Non-agriculture payroll jobs will shrink by 9.5 percent in 2020, then will increase by 4.1 percent in 2021, 2.9 percent in 2022 and 1.3 percent in 2023. It is the same as the GDP, non-agriculture payroll jobs will not recover to the pre-crisis level until 2025. Although the unemployment rate reached 23.5 percent in April, it will improve in May and June due to the PPP and EIDL funds. Overall for 2020, the average annual unemployment rate will be at 8.6 percent, then decrease to 7.3 percent in 2021, 6.5 percent in 2022 and 6.2 percent in 2023. These rates are much higher than the average Hawai‘i unemployment rate of 2.5 percent between 2017 and 2019. Nominal personal income is expected to decrease by 10.2 percent in 2020. This includes $6 billion in federal government transfer payments which consists of the SBA’s PPP and EIDL loans, the federal stimulus checks, and unemployment insurance. Without the federal assistance, personal income would have decreased by 23 percent in 2020. From 2021 and on, personal income will increase between 2.6 and 2.8 percent. The Hawai‘i consumer inflation rate, as measured by the Honolulu Consumer Price Index for urban consumers, will increase at rates between 0.5 to 1.7 percent for the next few years, these growth rates are lower than previously projected at about 2 percent. Hawai‘i’s population is expected to be unchanged in 2020 and increase only at 0.1 percent in 2021, 0.3 percent each year thereafter. Although international migration (usually net in migration) may be stopped in 2020, domestic migration (usually net out migration) is likely to be on hold as well in 2020. Hawai‘i was one of the hardest hit states economically, but is one of the safest states in the nation during this COVID-19 pandemic,” said DBEDT Director Mike McCartney. “While our economy will not recover overnight, Hawai‘i is well positioned because of our strong human will, innovative spirit and physical infrastructure. We are well positioned to go beyond recovery and evolve into a more balanced and diversified economy.” The DBEDT Quarterly Statistical and Economic Report contains 136 tables of the most recent quarterly data on Hawaii's economy as well as explanations of the trends in these data. The full report is available at: dbedt.hawaii.gov/economic/qser/. Source: DBEDT