Senator Bennette E. Misalucha (District 16 - Pearl City, Momilani, Pearlridge, ‘Aiea, Royal Summit, ‘Aiea Heights, Newtown, Waimalu, Hālawa and Pearl Harbor) will be hosting a virtual community prayer rally on Saturday, September 11 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9- 11 terrorist attacks. September 11 is also designated as National Day of Service and Remembrance. This interfaith, multi-denominational event will gather organizations from Senate District 16, including ‘Aiea Hongwanji, Tenrikyo Koshinokuni Hawaii Church, St. Timothy’s Church, St. Elizabeth’s Church, Our Savior Lutheran, Pearlside Church, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Iglesia ni Christo (Church of Christ), and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Newtown Ward. Participants will deliver a message, a meditation or prayer during the event. Pastor Winston Lum, a seventh-generation resident of ʻAiea and Associate Pastor of Hawaiian Pentecostal Full Gospel Assembly, will be the opening speaker for the event. Musical interludes include performances by Mrs. Hawaiʻi USA 2021 Lei Llanos, Honolulu Symphony violinist Daniel Padilla, Broadway star Kristian Lei and an ensemble from Pearl City High School. WHAT: Senate District 16 Virtual Gratitude Prayer Rally WHEN: Saturday, September 11 at 10:00 a.m. WHERE: Zoom The community has been invited to attend the virtual prayer rally. To view the event, please register here: https://bit.ly/3E652n5. “As we mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, we are also saddened by today’s sad conditions around the world due to COVID, natural disasters and ravages of war. This event is an opportunity for our ‘Aiea/Pearl City communities to gather together in unity, to focus on the things we can be grateful for. Whatever religious affiliations we may be part of whatever challenges we may face, as a community, we have reasons to hope.” said Senator Misalucha. For more information, please call 808-586-6230.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) announced that 89% of its salaried employees are fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccination rate is as of Aug. 31 and represents 19,559 out of 21,980 active salaried employees at schools and offices statewide. The HIDOE imposed a requirement beginning Aug. 30 that all employees be tested once a week for COVID-19 to comply with Gov. David Ige's Aug. 5 emergency proclamation and to provide a safe school and work environment for students and staff. If an employee certifies and provides proof of vaccination, the employee is not subject to the weekly testing requirement. “Keeping our schools safe and open for in-person learning takes effort from all of us,” Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. “Increasing vaccination rates within our communities continues to be one of the best ways we can protect ourselves and those around us from COVID-19. I’m proud that our employees are doing their part to contribute to the health and safety of our students and school communities.” At the complex area-level — groupings of high schools and their elementary and middle/intermediate feeder schools — vaccination rates are currently as high as 94% in both the Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani and Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt Complex Areas. The Department’s state offices have a combined vaccination rate of 95%. Gov. Ige's Aug. 5 emergency proclamation requires all state and county employees to attest and provide proof to their respective department, office, or agency whether they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, partially vaccinated for COVID-19, or not vaccinated for COVID-19. HIDOE employees can attest to their vaccination status, upload documentation, and/or provide weekly COVID-19 test results via the Department’s electronic human resource system (eHR).

Gov. David Ige and Doug Murdock, chief information officer, Office of Enterprise Technology Services today unveiled the state’s Hawaiʻi SMART Health Card. The card will enable individuals who received their COVID-19 vaccinations in Hawaiʻi to create a state-issued digital Hawaiʻi SMART Health Card that may be used to confirm their vaccination status to businesses and venues that require it. The program is voluntary and begins on Sept. 10. Individuals who received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of Johnson and Johnson, followed by a 14-day waiting period, are eligible for the digital card. The Hawaiʻi SMART Health Card gives individuals a convenient option of presenting their vaccination status through a digital device rather than a physical CDC vaccination card or other document. Vaccination information provided by individuals obtaining the Hawaiʻi SMART Health Card will be automatically verified against the state vaccination database. “Participation in the SMART Health Card program is purely voluntary, but it aims to make it easier and more convenient for patrons to present proof of vaccination at restaurants, gyms, other businesses and establishments that require it,” said Gov. Ige. “The digital Health Card supports counties that require proof of vaccination at certain businesses and venues. It’s another step toward protecting the health and safety of our residents and visitors, while also balancing the need to support local businesses and Hawaiʻi’s economy.” “SMART Health Cards are growing as a standard to show proof of vaccination across the nation. Hawaiʻi joins states such as New York, California and Louisiana, in implementing an application that allows people to share their vaccine status to businesses and venues in a safe and secure way,” said Murdock. The Hawaiʻi SMART Health Card QR code cannot be used for traveling to Hawaiʻi. Travelers arriving in Hawaiʻi are required to use the Travel Exemption/Exception feature on the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi Digital Platform to receive a travel entry QR code. Here’s how the Hawaiʻi SMART Health Card works: 1. Go to the Hawaiʻi Safe Travels Digital Platform, https://travel.hawaii.gov 2. Create an account or use your existing account. 3. Click on the SMART Health Card logo. 4. Take a picture of your vaccination card and upload it. 5. Enter your vaccination information. 6. If you are a parent or guardian and have COVID-19 vaccination records for minors, upload each digital vaccine record request separately. 7. Once validated by the system, you will receive a QR code that you may present to business and establishments that require proof of vaccination status. 8. Your QR Code will be available for display in the Hawaiʻi SMART Health Card section of the Safe Travels platform. 9. Businesses and establishments may use a SMART Health Card verifier app to verify status. (The app can be downloaded to any Apple device -- iPhone or iPad -- or to an Android device to scan the QR code. For the app go to https://thecommonsproject.org/smart-health-card-verifier). At this time, the Hawaiʻi SMART Card allows for the upload of vaccinations cards issued in Hawaiʻi only. Individuals not vaccinated in Hawaiʻi may present a hard copy of a vaccination document as proof of vaccination. Please note: For visitors to Hawaiʻi, this policy may vary by county. In addition, the state is looking into developing a system to allow the upload of negative COVID-19 test results. For now, patrons may present a physical copy of their negative COVID-19 test result where required. It is important to note that the state data base does not electronically verify some vaccination records. Entities not submitting vaccination data to the state’s database are the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, selected Federal Agencies (that have received the federal vaccine), and some pharmacies under the long-term care facility program (nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, etc.). If the state’s database cannot verify vaccination data, individuals may present a physical document such as a CDC vaccination card or COVID-19 PCR test result, depending on what the jurisdiction will accept. Hawaiʻi SMART Health Cards follow the format recommended by the Vaccine Credential Initiative and is currently being used by vaccination providers such as CVS. The state is required by various federal and state laws to protect health information, including vaccination information submitted by SMART Health Card participants. The state has designed the Hawaiʻi SMART Health Card, through the Safe Travels Program, to be in compliance with these laws. For video click here For photos click here

COVID-19 testing is continuously being conducted in the state prisons and jails as well as in the contracted Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, AZ. The Department of Public Safety (PSD) continues to encourage all staff and inmates to voluntarily get tested and receive the COVID-19 vaccination. The latest testing updates received for the correctional facilities are as follows: Oahu Community Correctional Center – 45 inmate test results: 12 positive, 33 negative. There was one (1) positive employee case reported. Kauai Community Correctional Center – Six (6) inmates tested positive. There were also 16 negative inmate test results and one (1) inmate recovery reported. Halawa Correctional Facility – 86 negative inmate test result and 53 negative staff test results were received. Women’s Community Correctional Center – 58 negative inmate test results. Maui Community Correctional Center – Seven (7) negative inmate test results. Hawaii Community Correctional Center – Five (5) negative inmate test results were received. For more detailed inmate testing data, PSD’s Pandemic Plan and information on response efforts made to safeguard the inmates, staff and public, visit the dedicated COVID-19 webpage at: http://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/.

The Senate Special Committee on COVID-19 convened an informational briefing on Friday, September 3 to receive an update and assessment on the current pandemic situation from the Hawaiʻi Pandemic Applied Modeling (HiPAM) organization, the Department of the Attorney General, the Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi (HAH) and the State Department of Health (DOH). HiPAM: COVID-19 FORECAST MODELS Director Victoria Fan, Thomas Blamey and Dr. Monique Chyba of Hawaiʻi Pandemic Applied Modeling (HiPAM) provided the committee with the current forecast on COVID-19 transmission and other relevant data. As part of their finding, they reported that the County of Hawaiʻi, the County of Maui and the City and County of Honolulu are all experiencing an increase in test positivity and a decrease in the number of tests being administered. The average positivity rate statewide is 7.5% (8.3% on Oʻahu, 8.2% on Hawaiʻi Island, 7.0% in Maui County and 5.2% on Kauaʻi). Due to this situation, the forecast model indicates that there is likely a large underreporting of cases. The group emphasized to the committee the importance of continuing to promote mass testing. Forecast models also indicated that hospitalization on Oʻahu for COVID-19 would surpass by 500 by September 13 (448 individuals were hospitalized as of Friday, September 3). Thus, HiPAM warned the committee of potential emerging issues: • There is a risk of a flu and COVID-19 co-occurring epidemic this fall. • Waning vaccine efficacy and increased susceptible population will increase transmission of COVID-19. • Impacts of the coronavirus on pregnant women and children can be long-lasting due to development impacts, not only of COVID-19 but also from co-occurring stress, economic and educational conditions. • Risk of ongoing variants that are not preventable by vaccine. o Avoid extremes (protocols vs. Laissez-faire) and continued need for the main pillars of prevention: testing, tracing and isolation/quarantine; and masking, social distancing and washing hands. DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL: ENFORCING COVID-19 VIOLATIONS Attorney General Clare Conners provided the committee with information on her departments effort to enforce the current Safe Travel’s program for visitors, specifically focusing on the recent vaccination fraud attempts. Through the screening process at the airport and reports from the community, law enforcement officials with the Department of the Attorney General have arrested seven individuals who entered the state using fraudulent vaccination cards; and also arrested 60 individuals for violating Hawaiʻi’s quarantine rules. She shared that the Department of the Attorney General has assisted county law enforcement officials in conducting over 4,000 compliance checks since the beginning of the pandemic. Attorney General Connors indicated that the recent passage of Act 185 will help to address the issue of the judicial backlog, due to the 60,000 emergency order violations that were issued on Oʻahu in 2020. Act 185 provides the Governor and the four county mayors with flexibility to implement lesser penalties for emergency order violations. This will help by increasing fairness and judicial efficiency while still providing a substantial deterrent to alleged violators. Attorney General Connors also explained to the committee that the pre-travel testing requirement for visitors is legal because it does not restrict travel to Hawaiʻi; it only requires additional safety measures for visitors to follow while in the State that is based on public health guidance. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIʻI: HOSPITAL CAPACITY AND OXYGEN Hilton Raethel of the Health Care Association of Hawaiʻi (HAH) and Dr. Libby Char of the Department of the Health provided the committee with information regarding the State’s hospital capacity and the current medical oxygen situation. Mr. Raethel shared with the committee that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is supporting Hawaiʻi’s healthcare partners by deploying 650 registered nurses, respiratory therapists and other technicians to healthcare facilities across the State. Most of these personnel will be in Hawaiʻi by mid-September. He also shared that there is an increased need for post-acute care staffing. He indicated that there is a staffing shortage in long-term health (LTC) care facilities, assisted living facilities, home healthcare and hospice care. To address this issue, HAH presented a $10,628,000 proposal for an eight-week deployment of 242 post-acute personnel to increase capacity at various facilities statewide. HAH is currently seeking funding for the aforementioned proposal. The committee learned that FEMA has tentatively approved a request from the State Department of Health (DOH) to provide six teams to support subcutaneous monoclonal antibody (MOAB) treatment at various facilities, including Queens Medical Center – West, a Hawaiʻi Pacific Health facility on Oʻahu, Maui Memorial Hospital, Hilo Hospital, Kaiser – Moanalua and Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. There are currently three monoclonal antibody products under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients, who have tested positive for COVID-19 and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death This treatment will help to limit the number of hospitalizations for individuals with COVID-19. Mr. Raethel also briefed the committee on the status of the liquid oxygen (LOX) supply in Hawaiʻi. The State’s two oxygen producers, Matheson and Air Gas Hawaiʻi are operating at maximum capacity and producing medical oxygen exclusively to help meet the healthcare demand. Demand for medical oxygen has increased significantly due to the number of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Chief Medical Officers (CMO) at the various healthcare facilities statewide are working in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi School of Engineering to review oxygen conservation strategies and provide needed support. Oxygen conservation measures are being implemented statewide. HAH is also searching for additional intermodal containers (ISOs) for lease or purchase to help with the interisland shipment of oxygen. Due to swift action by state and federal agencies, a crisis was averted and there is enough medical oxygen in the State to meet the demand should Hawaiʻi reach its peak of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks. As of September 3, 2021, 446 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19; an increase of over 330% since August 1 (when 134 individuals were hospitalized). Of the 223 licensed adult intensive care unit (ICU) beds statewide, 224 adult patients are hospitalized in the ICU. Mr. Raethel notified the committee that Hilo Medical Center, Adventist Health Castle, Queens Hospital – Punchbowl, Wahiawa General Hospital, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Medical Center, Kuakini Medical Center are above their licensed ICU bed capacity. Every hospital on Oʻahu (except for Tripler Army Medical Center and Kapiʻolani Medical Center) are either at or above their licensed ICU bed capacity. Given this situation, Mr. Raethel expressed deep concern that hospitals are near the point where they may not be able to provide ICU care for all patients needing it; leaving patients with the possibility of not receiving the optimal level of care that they need. Of the 224 adult patients in ICU statewide, 99 of those individuals are COVID-19 positive. “The information provided to our committee is very alarming and indicative of the need for us as a State to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” said Senator Donovan Dela Cruz (District 22 - Mililani Mauka, Waipi‘o Acres, Wheeler, Wahiawa, Whitmore Village, portion of Poamoho), chair of the Senate Special Committee on COVID-19. “If we don’t take action now, our hospitals will continue to operate above maximum capacity and people in our community who need proper healthcare will suffer greatly.” To view a rebroadcast of the 9/3/21 informational briefing, click here.

COVID-19 testing is continuously being conducted in the state prisons and jails as well as in the contracted Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, AZ. The Department of Public Safety (PSD) continues to encourage all staff and inmates to voluntarily get tested and receive the COVID-19 vaccination. The latest testing updates received for the correctional facilities are as follows: Oahu Community Correctional Center – 274 inmate test results: 12 positive, 262 negative. Two (2) employees have recovered and returned to duty. Hawaii Community Correctional Center – 44 inmate test results: Five (5) positive, 39 negative. There were also 44 negative staff test results reported. For more detailed inmate testing data, PSD’s Pandemic Plan and information on response efforts made to safeguard the inmates, staff and public, visit the dedicated COVID-19 webpage at: http://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/.

The Hawaiʻi State Senate has released employee COVID-19 vaccination numbers today and found that as of September 1, 98.6% of the 140 Senate personnel (which includes Senators, employees, volunteers and interns) are fully vaccinated. Effective September 1, 2021, Senate personnel are required to be fully vaccinated. Members and/or staff with a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief are able to request reasonable accommodations in lieu of vaccinations, and if approved, will be subject to alternative safety and preventive measures such as weekly COVID-19 testing. As of today, zero requests for medical or religious accommodations were received. “I am extremely pleased with the Senate’s vaccination rates,” said Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi (District 8 – Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. “As elected officials and dedicated public servants, it is important for us to be the role models for our communities and do our part to stop the surge of COVID-19 across the State.”

The situation in the state is dire whereas crisis standards of care will need to be implemented and decisions will need to be made regarding which patients do or do not receive oxygen. The state has two liquid oxygen plants. Both are operating at full capacity, and both have switched to medical gas only. The combined local capacity of the on-island plants is approximately 13,000,000 liters per day. Coincidentally, the current daily consumption statewide for medical grade oxygen is approximately 13,000,000 liters per day, which is approximately a 250% increase since the beginning of August. Generally, oxygen is not shipped in from the mainland as the current plants produce sufficient oxygen. Current projections are that Hawai'i will run out of medical grade oxygen by early September. A plan needs to be established to have ISOs shipped from the West Coast to Hawai'i in early September, with additional ISOs shipped in subsequent weeks until either the current surge subsides, or, on-island capacity is enhanced. The Special Committee will convene to discuss and hear from the following: Hawai'i Pandemic Applied Modeling (HiPAM) Provide the current forecast on COVID transmission and data; Results on policy interventions on COVID transmission; and Scenario and decision support of different interventions. Department of the Attorney General – Strategy to Prevent Labor Day Surge Discuss the statewide strategy and restrictions to avoid large gatherings and super spreader events heading into Labor Day weekend. Department of Health and Healthcare Association of Hawai'i – Hospital Capacity and Oxygen Shortages Determine the total threshold amounts for hospitalizations to avoid a crisis; Determine the triggers to implement restrictions to avoid a crisis; To avoid hitting a point where consumption of oxygen will exceed on-island supply, what options are being explored such as bringing commercial oxygen generators to support smaller hospitals, the cost, logistics, and approvals; Determine if the shipping of filled ISO tanks can be expedited; Determine if the shipping of unfilled ISO tanks can be airlifted to the West Coast to be refilled and returned roundtrip back to the state; Determine hospitals oxygen plumbing capacity, what is the maximum capacity of each hospital's system to deliver oxygen to patient rooms, what is the maximum number of patients requiring low flow and high flow, and ventilator oxygen combined; and Identify potential oxygen conservation and implementation strategy. No public testimony will be accepted. The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you require other auxiliary aids or services to participate in the public hearing process (i.e., interpretive services (oral or written) or ASL interpreter), please contact the committee clerk at least 24 hours prior to the hearing so that arrangements can be made. FOR AMENDED NOTICES: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored. If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT (808) 586-6800.

The City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services (DTS), in coordination with the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) and with funding from the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (Oahu MPO), is reviewing and updating its Right-of-Way Widths for Planned Streets. This update includes Rights-of-Way maps that reflect current conditions, land use and multimodal plans, as well as street type assignments to define priorities and guide implementation of future improvements in alignment with Honolulu’s Complete Streets ordinance. Complete Streets principles encourage appropriate street designs based on intended use and that promote multimodal solutions to balance the needs of all roadway users. The City’s Complete Streets Design Manual identifies eight different street types, including: Boulevard/Parkway, Avenue, Main Street, Street, Mall, Rural Road, Lane/Alley, and Scenic Byway. Within the updated Right-of-Way maps, a new street type – Major Street – is introduced to represent low speed neighborhood streets where pedestrian movement is a priority. DTS is requesting input on the preliminary street type assignments shown on the draft Right-of-Way maps presented here: ROW Update Storymap Comments are accepted on the website or can be submitted via email to completestreets@honolulu.gov by September 30, 2021. To learn more about Right-of-Way Widths, please watch this short video here. If you require special assistance, auxiliary aid and/or service to review and provide your input on the Right-of-Way Widths for Planned Streets, please contact Meredith Soniat at 808-768-6682 or email at meredith.soniat@honolulu.gov by September 16, 2021.

Enrollment at Hawai‘i's public and charter schools for the 2021-22 school year decreased to 171,600 students, compared with an enrollment of 174,704 students at the start of last school year — a difference of 1.7%. Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) schools enrolled a total of 159,503 students this year, compared with 162,491 students at the start of last school year, a 1.8% decrease. The figures include students enrolled in school, complex area, or state distance learning programs. The state's 37 charter schools, meanwhile, enrolled a total of 12,097 students, compared with 12,231 the previous year. Despite the overall slight decrease, enrollment for the current school year actually increased by 2,106 students since the end of the 2020-21 school year (See metric 17. The official enrollment count is taken 10 days after the start of the school year. Last school year, the Board of Education established a data metric to capture enrollment snapshots quarterly). “Public school districts nationwide have been seeing changes in enrollment as families adjust to living through a health pandemic,” Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. “One of the Department’s priorities for this school year is to reconnect and re-engage our students with their schools and with learning. Our schools have been doing a great job of reaching out into their communities to ensure that students and families know that schools are open and ready to support them.” Based on enrollment for the 2021-22 school year, the five largest HIDOE public schools by grade level are: High schools (grades 9-12): Campbell (3,075), Waipahu (2,797), Mililani (2,603), Farrington (2,339), Moanalua (2,108) Middle (grades 6-8) and Intermediate schools (grades 7-8): Mililani Middle (1,585), ‘Ewa Makai Middle (1,254), Maui Waena Intermediate (1,140), Waipahu Intermediate (1,075), Kalakaua Middle (978) Elementary schools: August Ahrens (1,219), Holomua (1,080), ‘Ewa (1,035), Waipahu (926), Keone‘ula (901) The five smallest HIDOE schools in the state include: Ni‘ihau High and Elementary (14), the Hawai‘i School for the Deaf and the Blind (46) and Maunaloa Elementary (46) tied for second, Olomana (68) and Kilohana Elementary (79). The five largest charter schools are: Hawai‘i Technology Academy (1,363), Kamaile Academy (919), Kihei Charter School (723), the Hawai‘i Academy of Arts and Science (706), and Ka Waihona o ka Na‘auao (632). The five smallest charter schools are: Ke Ana La‘ahana (41), Kula Aupuni Ni‘ihau A Kahelelani Aloha (KANAKA) (45), Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha (55), Hakipu‘u Academy (61), and Hālau Kū Māna (120).

Visitor arrivals for July 2021 increased from year ago, but remained below arrivals in July 2019 According to preliminary visitor statistics released by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) total spending by visitors arriving in July 2021 was $1.58 billion. Prior to the global COVID-19 pandemic and Hawai‘i’s quarantine requirement for travelers, the Hawaiian Islands experienced record-level visitor expenditures and arrivals in 2019 and in the first two months of 2020. Comparative, July 2020 visitor spending statistics were not available as there were no Departure Survey fielding between April through October 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Visitor spending decreased compared to $1.70 billion (-6.8%) in July 2019. A total of 879,551 visitors arrived by air service to the Hawaiian Islands in July 2021, primarily from the U.S. West and U.S. East. Only 22,562 visitors (+3,798.4%) arrived by air in July 2020. Visitor arrivals in July 2021 declined from the July 2019 count of 995,210 visitors (-11.6%). During July 2021, most passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure to Hawai‘i through the Safe Travels program. In addition, individuals who were fully vaccinated in the United States could bypass the quarantine order beginning July 8. There were no inter-county travel restrictions in July. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) enforced restrictions on cruise ships through a “Conditional Sail Order”, a phased approach for the resumption of passenger cruises to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19 onboard. The average daily census[1] was 265,392 visitors in July 2021, compared to 17,970 in July 2020, versus 286,419 in July 2019. In July 2021, 578,629 visitors arrived from the U.S. West, well above the 12,890 visitors (+4,388.9%) in July 2020 and exceeding the July 2019 count of 462,676 visitors (+25.1%). U.S. West visitors spent $961.0 million in July 2021, which surpassed the $669.8 million (+43.5%) spent in July 2019. Higher average daily visitor spending ($186 per person, +12.4%) and a longer average length of stay (8.95 days, +2.1%) also contributed to the growth in U.S. West visitor expenditures compared to 2019. There were 272,821 visitors from the U.S. East in July 2021, compared to 7,516 visitors (+3,530.0%) in July 2020, and 243,498 visitors (+12.0%) in July 2019. U.S. East visitors spent $558.8 million in July 2021 compared to $510.7 million (+9.4%) in July 2019. A longer length of stay (9.94 days, +2.6%) also contributed to the increase in U.S. East visitor expenditures. Daily spending ($206 per person) was lower compared to July 2019 ($216 per person). There were 2,817 visitors from Japan in July 2021, compared to 54 visitors (+5,162.0%) in July 2020, versus 134,587 visitors (-97.9%) in July 2019. Visitors from Japan spent $11.2 million in July 2021 compared to $186.5 million (-94.0%) in July 2019. In July 2021, 1,999 visitors arrived from Canada, compared to 94 visitors (+2,018.9%) in July 2020, versus 26,939 visitors (-92.6%) in July 2019. Visitors from Canada spent $5.5 million in July 2021 compared to $50.1 million (-88.9%) in July 2019. There were 23,285 visitors from All Other International Markets in July 2021. These visitors were from Guam, Other Asia, Europe, Latin America, Oceania, Philippines, and Pacific Islands. In comparison, there were 2,008 visitors (+1.059.5%) from All Other International Markets in July 2020, versus 127,510 visitors (-81.7%) in July 2019. In July 2021, a total of 6,275 trans-Pacific flights and 1,292,738 seats served the Hawaiian Islands, compared to only 741 flights and 162,130 seats in July 2020, versus 5,681 flights and 1,254,165 seats in July 2019. Year-to-date 2021 Through the first seven months of 2021, total visitor spending was $6.60 billion[2]. This represented a 37.5 percent drop from the $10.55 billion spent through the first seven months of 2019[3]. A total of 3,631,400 visitors arrived in the first seven months of 2021, an increase of 66.7 percent from a year ago. Total arrivals were 41.1 percent lower compared to the 6,166,392 visitors in the first seven months of 2019. Statement by Director Mike McCartney “Hawaii’s economy was on a clear path of recovery and was gaining momentum over the first seven months of 2021. We experienced strong expenditures and arrivals in July from the US market exceeding 2019 levels by 29 percent (+ $339.3 million) for expenditures and 21 percent (+ 145,267) for arrivals. Hawai‘i’s US guest spends about $113 more per person per trip in 2021. “These record numbers were aided by pent up consumer demand, an excess supply of aircraft, limited choices for international summer travel and an influx of federal stimulus money. The overall rate of recovery in July was at 88 percent with very limited international arrivals (two percent). “As we complete the high summer season and enter the slower fall season we will experience a natural decline in arrivals from the US market during this traditional shoulder period. During this time, we have no new projected international arrivals, so it is expected to be slower than normal for the overall market. The market is also anticipated to be softer as we see a decline in the future booking pace due to the uncertainty created around the COVID-19 Delta variant. We expect arrivals to slow in both September and October starting after the Labor Day weekend. Arrivals could dip between a range of 50 percent to 70 percent of the 2019 level. “If we can contain and effectively control the spread of the Delta variant and it’s negative impact on our health care systems we certainly can expect travel, including international travel, to start to come back strongly in mid-November and continue to grow through the holiday travel season in December 2021 and continuing into January, February and March of 2022.” View the full news release and tables here: http://dbedt.hawaii.gov/blog/21-31/

The Hawai'i State Senate voted today to confirm Sonja M.P. McCullen to fill a judicial position on the Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA). Her term of office will be for ten years. She was appointed by Governor David Ige on August 6, 2021 and will fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Associate Judge Derrick H.M. Chan last October. Judge McCullen has served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for a combined 11 years in the Appellate Division. Previously, she worked as an investigator for the Crime Victim Commission, was a staff attorney for United Public Workers, a judicial education specialist for the State of Hawaiʻi Judiciary, and law clerk for Justice Paula A. Nakayama of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court. In addition, McCullen was a social studies, Hawaiian studies, and Hawaiian Language teacher at Waiʻanae High School for five years. Senator Karl Rhoads (District 13 - Dowsett Highlands, Pu‘unui, Nu‘uanu, Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Punchbowl, Pālama, Liliha, ʻIwilei, Chinatown, and Downtown), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee stated, “Judge McCullen’s proven legal experience will serve her well as a member of the ICA.” Judge McCullen earned a B.A. in Liberal and Hawaiian studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and went on to earn her law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law.