In observance of Veterans Day, County of Kaua‘i offices will be closed on Nov. 11, along with all refuse transfer stations, the Kekaha Landfill, and the Waimea and Kapa‘a swimming pools. HI5 operations in Kekaha and Kapa‘a will continue, but the Puhi Metals Recycling Center and all other locations HI5 Recycling locations will be closed. The schedule for residential refuse pick-up will remain unchanged. The Kaua‘i Bus will be operating on its current daily schedule. Normal business hours for county offices and services will resume on Nov. 12. For more information on normal pool hours, please visit the Department of Parks and Recreation website, www.kauai.gov/Parks, or call 241-4460. For more information about The Kaua‘i Bus, please visit the Transportation website, www.kauai.gov/transportation, or call 246-8110. For more information about recycling and waste disposal, please visit the Recycling website, www.kauai.gov/recycling, or call 241-4841.

Initial results indicate less than 1 out of 1,000 of travelers testing positive for COVID-19 post-arrival to Hawaiʻi Since the launch of the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi pre-travel testing program on Oct. 15, the first round of post-travel testing indicates very few travelers have tested positive for COVID-19 after arrival to Hawaiʻi. From Oct. 19 to Nov. 2, there have been 10 confirmed positives out of 11,027 tests conducted for a positivity rate of .091%. The Safe Travels Testing Evaluation Program, or strategic surveillance study, collects and evaluates data from COVID-19 testing of travelers post-arrival to Hawaiʻi. The program is intended to gauge the frequency of COVID-19 among returning residents and visitors and determine the effectiveness of the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi pre-travel testing program. “This surveillance study is one more layer of safety to complement the overall Safe Travels Hawaiʻi pre-travel testing program,” Lt. Gov. Josh Green said. “We are at a critical point in the COVID-19 pandemic when we need to balance public health and safety with the economic well-being of our Islands, which as we know is also very much tied to the health of Hawaiʻi’s people. We anticipate this study will serve as a guide for state leadership and policy makers on how to move Hawaiʻi forward.” To participate in the study, individuals must have also participated in the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi pre-travel testing program, which requires travelers to receive a negative nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) from a trusted testing partner 72 hours prior to departure to Hawaiʻi in order to avoid the State of Hawaiʻi’s mandatory 14-day quarantine. Individuals are chosen via representative systematic selection to participate in the program by getting a second test one to four days after their arrival to Hawaiʻi. The second test is voluntary and free of charge to participants. The State of Hawaiʻi has partnered with pharmacies, healthcare facilities and hotel properties to conduct testing on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island. The following are testing and sharing data for the study: Premier Medical Group, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, The Queen’s Health Systems, Doctors of Waikiki, Kaiser Permanente, Adventist Health Castle, The Resort Group and select Walgreens locations. Additionally, the study is evaluatingpost-arrival testing data from counties. Dr. DeWolfe Miller, epidemiologist from the University of Hawaiʻi’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, is leading the study in coordination with Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), Governor’s Office, Lt. Gov. Josh Green and testing partners. “The results of this study will demonstrate if screening for symptoms and an NAAT test for COVID-19 is negative prior to travel to Hawaiʻi will be sufficient to keep Hawaiʻi safe from additional introduction of COVID-19 infection,” Dr. Miller said. “To do that the project is screening (re-testing) a sample of arrivals.” The State of Hawaiʻi will fund up to $1.5 million for the program via CARES Act funding, as the program provides a critical layer of security for the overall Safe Travels Hawaiʻi pre-travel testing program. The program began on Oct. 18 and will run through Dec. 31, 2020. Regular updates will be given to policy makers and data updates will be available once-weekly to media and the public. The Safe Travels Hawaii pre-travel testing program may be adjusted based on the program’s findings in the coming weeks. An overall report will be finalized once the study concludes. For more information, please check https://hawaiicovid19.com/

Kapolei High School is transitioning to a full distance learning model for all students and teleworking for all staff, effective Wednesday, Nov. 4 through Wednesday, Nov. 11, with school facilities expected to reopen Nov. 12. Out of an abundance of caution, school officials announced today that the Kapolei High School campus will be closed to students and staff after three employee-related COVID-19 cases were reported in the last four days. Kapolei High School (KHS) is transitioning to a full distance learning model for all students and teleworking for all staff, effective Wednesday, Nov. 4 through Wednesday, Nov. 11, with school facilities expected to reopen Nov. 12. (Tuesday is a state holiday and the campus was already scheduled to be closed.) The school will continue to monitor the situation and will inform staff and families if the anticipated reopening date has to be updated. In the meantime, grab-and-go meal service at the campus will be discontinued until further notice. Families can pick up grab-and-go meals from any nearby campus. See a list of participating schools here. The school’s planned learning hub to facilitate additional on-campus learning for prioritized students is also being postponed until further notice. The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) COVID-19 Response Team is coordinating professional cleaning and sanitizing efforts while the campus is closed A timeline of the cases and mitigation efforts taken by the school, in consultation with the response team and DOH, are below: Case No. 1: KHS made aware on Thursday, Oct. 29. This employee was last on campus Thursday, Oct. 22 and had minimal contact with staff and students. Potential close contacts have been notified and impacted areas on campus were professionally sanitized on Friday, Oct. 30. Case No. 2: KHS made aware on Friday, Oct. 30. This employee was last on campus Friday, Oct. 16. Due to timing of the case on campus and symptom onset, it does not fall into the window of time where staff and students are impacted. The professional cleaning and sanitizing from the previous case addressed the impacted areas for this case. Case No. 3: KHS made aware on Monday, Nov. 2 (pending confirmation). This employee was last on campus Wednesday, Oct. 21. HIDOE continues to investigate this case and is in touch with DOH. According to DOH, officials have ruled out a connection between Case No. 2 and the others. HIDOE will continue to follow up with DOH on their findings and guidance. While it is not standard practice for HIDOE to publicly disclose school-level cases, broader notification is made under certain situations, including closure of a school. Anyone with concerns about these cases is encouraged to contact their health care provider or DOH using these options, health.hawaii.gov/docd/contact-us/ HIDOE urges all staff, service providers, parents and students to perform a wellness check prior to arrival at a HIDOE facility or before they have any educational or work-related interaction, bit.ly/HIDOEWellnessCheck. If an individual is exhibiting symptoms or if they have been directed to quarantine by DOH, they should stay home and contact their health care provider.

Broad-based testing of 1,011 Hawai‘i inmates was completed Thursday at the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, AZ.  Of the 1,011 tested, 575 (57%) were negative, 317 (31%) were positive and 46 (5%) were inconclusive. There are 73 inmates results still pending. The total number of Hawai‘i inmates in medical isolation at Saguaro with active positive COVID-19 cases is 378. There are six (6) inmates in the hospital. The rest of the Hawai‘i inmate population that tested negative and/or has a pending test are in quarantine as a precautionary measure.  Per CDC recommendations, all negative inmates will be retested in 3-7 days. “The Department of Public Safety is in constant communication with the Saguaro facility administration. They have assured us they immediately enacted the facility’s isolation and quarantine protocol upon receiving the test results,” said Fred Hyun, acting PSD Director. “Saguaro does not have an overcrowding issue and, therefore, can provide adequate space for isolation and quarantine. All positive offenders have been medically isolated, and Saguaro staff will continue to monitor the negative inmates for any symptoms." On top of the monitoring and testing, the Saguaro staff assured PSD that the facility will continue to implement stringent sanitation and hygiene measures to limit potential exposure and mitigate the spread of coronavirus to inmates and staff. There are currently 1,081 Hawaiʻi inmates housed at Saguaro. For more information on Saguaro Correctional Center operations and CoreCivic’s COVID-19 procedure please go to CoreCivic’s COVID-19 web page. The address is https://www.corecivic.com/en/corecivic-statement-on-covid-19-prevention On this page you will find a lot of information including the items below, implemented at Saguaro, to limit potential exposure and prevent the spread of coronavirus to inmates and staff: Enhanced cleaning/disinfecting and hygiene practices Suspended inmate social in-person visitation as of March 18 Suspended all volunteer visits to the facility Implemented enhanced screening of employees with no-touch infra-red thermometer and verbal health screening questionnaire Conducting bi-weekly town hall meetings with all inmates –sharing information and, reminders of importance of good health habits and reporting of fever, cough and/or respiratory issues immediately Suspended medical co-pays Temporarily suspended non-essential programming Placed posters/signage in housing units and staff areas showing how to stop the spread of germs Medical screened the entire Hawai‘i population and identified inmates in the higher risk category due to ongoing health issues. These inmates have been moved to separate housing units away from the general population. For more information on PSD’s planning and response to COVID-19, inmate testing data, and information detailing the efforts made to safeguard the inmates, staff and public, visit our webpage at: http://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/. PSD is also working on establishing a Department of Public Safety COVID-19 information hotline with recorded updates.

The Kaua‘i District Health Office reports two new positive cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. Both individuals were close contacts identified through contact tracing efforts related to other active cases and were already under quarantine. One individual is a male visitor. The other individual is a female resident. Department of Health contact tracing efforts are ongoing, but officials are not expecting many additional contacts to be identified since the individuals were already under health-directed quarantine. Kaua‘i’s current status as of Sunday morning is six active cases. Kaua‘i’s cumulative case count is 66 and one probable case. Post-travel testing is available to both residents and visitors who traveled to Kaua‘i from the mainland and participated in the state's Safe Travel Program. Testing is available no sooner than 72 hours after arrival and up to 14 days, but the preferable time is five to seven days after arrival for best results. Many travelers are not on island that long and in those cases, a test three days after arrival is encouraged. For more information on the post-travel testing program, visit www.kauai.gov/COVID-19 For more information on the state’s COVID-19 cases or the state's Safe Travels program, visit hawaiicovid19.com.

Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami today announced the percentage of residents and visitors who have taken voluntary post-travel tests for COVID-19, and urged more travelers to participate. For arrivals between Oct. 15 to 26, about 20% of eligible returning Kaua‘i residents took a post-travel test, while only 2% of visitors participated. To qualify for a post-travel test, out-of-state travelers must have participated in the state’s pre-travel testing program and received a quarantine exemption from Safe Travels, and have arrived on Kaua‘i 72 hours or more prior to post-travel testing. “We urge all incoming mainland travelers – both residents and visitors – to take a post-travel test no sooner than 72 hours after arrival,” said Mayor Kawakami. “The ideal timeline to test is five to seven days after arrival, but we understand many visitors won’t be on island that long. In those cases, a post-travel test three days after arriving is preferred.” “Our recent cases on Kaua‘i have all been related to out-of-state travel,” said Dr. Janet Berreman, Kaua‘i District Health Officer with the state Department of Health. “We are seeing cases in people who have had negative pre-travel and post-travel tests, and later began to feel sick. The incubation period for COVID-19 is up to 14 days. That means that from the day you are exposed to someone with COVID-19, it can take up for 14 days for you to feel sick or to have a positive test result if you are tested.” For more information, please visit: Visitors: kauai.gov/visitorposttest Kaua‘i residents: kauai.gov/residentposttest Post-arrival test participants receive their results the same day. “Please get that second test,” said Dr. Berreman. “It helps protect you, and helps protect our community and our island, for those who live here and those who enjoy visiting.” Arriving quarantine-exempt passengers on Kaua‘i receive a flyer about post-travel testing times and locations. Hotel partners are providing the information to guests, and the county is running print, radio, and online public service announcements for residents.

Out-of-state healthcare staff helping Hawaiʻi respond to pandemic; Gov. Ige praises Hawaiʻi-based employees of The Ching Villas and Ohana Pacific Management Company for “extraordinary commitment” in caring for local kūpuna As part of a $17 million CARES Act allocation, Gov. David Ige today visited an onboarding session for about 50 out-of-state healthcare workers. The visit, conducted in a strictly controlled, socially distanced environment, was held at St. Francis Healthcare System in Liliha where the visiting nurses are learning the operations of Hawaiʻi’s long term care facilities. In total, more than 170 medical employees are in Hawaiʻi now through December 26, 2020. They were contracted by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) with Ohio-based ProLink Services to bolster staffing at Hawaiʻi’s hospitals and long-term care facilities because of the pandemic. The effort to staff post-acute care facilities is being coordinated by the DOH and the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH). The job roles were strategically selected to provide maximum value to the state. Individual staff may not remain at the same facility for the duration of their employment. Employees can be quickly mobilized into a “strike team” to assist specific nursing homes or hospitals, should a COVID-19 cluster emerge. “I thank the Dept. of Health and our many partners for making today a reality,” said Gov. David Ige, who visited both the traveling personnel and local healthcare employees who have been working on the frontlines since the early stages of the pandemic. “Our local healthcare employees have been working diligently, around the clock, making many personal sacrifices to ensure that the facilities they work in and our communities are safe and the spread COVID-19 is prevented. These traveling medical professionals will support and bolster Hawaiʻi’s healthcare workforce, should we experience a surge in cases.” Dept. of Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char said, “All arriving personnel have met rigorous health and safety standards in the fight against COVID-19. They are licensed, fully trained and ready to work in Hawaiʻi’s long-term care facilities.” ProLink’s supplemental personnel working in Hawaiʻi’s acute care hospitals have already undergone orientation and are on the job across the state. Prior to greeting the incoming healthcare workforce, Gov. Ige thanked the employees of The Ching Villas, part of Ohana Pacific Management – a 119-bed post-acute care facility – and praised their commitment to Hawaiʻi’s kūpuna. “During this pandemic, Hawaiʻi relies on you and the many others who provide care for our vulnerable seniors,” he said. “We greatly appreciate your support in protecting public health as Hawaiʻi revives our economy and begins our recovery.” Richard Kishaba, founder of Ohana Pacific commented, “We are thankful that through our relationship with St. Francis, we were able to work with the state of Hawaiʻi and HAH to expand the capacity of our healthcare workforce. By working together, we can continue delivering great care to our community and kūpuna. This has been a trying time for all of us in the healthcare community, and it’s comforting to know that we now have extra support.” HAH President and CEO Hilton Raethel said, “On behalf of Hawaiʻi’s healthcare delivery system, we appreciate the foresight of Gov. Ige and the Dept. of Health. This staffing assistance should assure Hawaiʻi that we are prepared for anything that may occur, from a third wave of COVID-19 to a severe flu season. The healthcare workforce has been stretched thin since the onset of the pandemic, and these reinforcements are coming at the right time and with ideal skill sets.” ProLink CEO and Cofounder Tony Munafo said, “ProLink is proud to have partnered with Hawaiʻi’s healthcare leaders in implementing clinical workforce solutions throughout these critical weeks and months to ensure patient care delivery across the islands.” ProLink Director of Clinical Solutions Mary Hamilton added: “Leading up to – and throughout – these assignments, the ProLink team is in constant communication with our clinicians, coordinating everything from regulatory compliance, to onboarding itineraries and monitoring with regular status checks. These clinicians are tested for COVID prior to beginning patient care and are following the DOH and CDC guidelines throughout their assignments. This collaborative effort has, and will continue to provide continuity of high-quality patient care for Hawaiʻi’s community.” Link to photos here (please note photo credit on individual photos) Link to the Fact Sheet CARES Act funding for statewide medical workers here

County of Kaua'i News Release: The Kaua‘i District Health Office reports a new positive case of COVID-19 on Thursday. Kaua‘i’s newest case is an adult male resident who recently returned home from travel. The man did participate in the state’s pre-travel testing program with a negative test result, but a post-travel test ordered by his provider came back positive. The case is in isolation at home. The Department of Health's contact tracing investigation has identified several close contacts, all of whom are in quarantine and will be offered a test. Additionally, the Department of Health reported a COVID case earlier this week which involved a female resident who works for the Department of Education. Upon further investigation and subsequent testing of this individual, the Department of Health has determined that this case was a false positive. This individual is no longer considered an active case and all close contacts of that individual have been released from quarantine. “There are varying sensitivities of COVID tests, but even the best tests are not 100% accurate,” said Kaua‘i District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman. “This is why our case investigation is critically important. We determine a patient’s medical information, exposure and travel history to get a comprehensive assessment. In this case, the test results did not match the assessment. The individual was re-tested twice, using a PCR test on a nasopharyngeal swab, which is considered the ‘gold standard’ of tests. Both results returned negative and we are confident that her initial test was a false positive and she did not have COVID-19.” Kaua‘i’s current status as of Thursday morning is three active cases involving two residents and one visitor. All cases are travel related. The DOH has identified 11 close contacts of these cases who are now in quarantine. Kaua‘i’s cumulative case count is 63 and one probable case. Post-travel testing is available to both residents and visitors who traveled to Kaua‘i from the mainland and participated in the state's Safe Travel Program. Testing is available no sooner than 72 hours after arrival and up to 14 days, but the preferable time is five to seven days after arrival for best results. Many travelers are not on island that long and in those cases, a test three days after arrival is encouraged. “Kaua‘i’s recent cases remind us that this is a complicated disease and there is still a lot we don’t know,” said Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami. “What we do know is that the best way to avoid getting infected is to wear our mask, keep our distance from others, wash our hands, and avoid large gatherings. If you must travel, please consider a full 14-day quarantine upon your return home. If that’s not possible, take a pre- and post-travel test.” For more information on the post-travel testing program, visit www.kauai.gov/COVID-19. For more information on the state’s COVID-19 cases or the state's Safe Travels program, visit www.hawaiicovid19.com

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order that introduces a phased approach for the safe and responsible resumption of passenger cruises.  The Order establishes a framework of actionable items for the cruise line industry to follow so they can resume passenger operations with an emphasis on preventing the further spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships and from cruise ships into communities, and to protect public health and safety. The Order applies to passenger operations on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Recent outbreaks on cruise ships overseas provide current evidence that cruise ship travel facilitates and amplifies transmission of COVID-19—even when ships sail at reduced passenger capacities—and would likely spread the disease into U.S. communities if passenger operations were to resume in the United States without public health oversight. “This framework provides a pathway to resume safe and responsible sailing. It will mitigate the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks on ships and prevent passengers and crew from seeding outbreaks at ports and in the communities where they live,” says CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “CDC and the cruise industry have a shared goal to protect crew, passengers, and communities and will continue to work together to ensure that all necessary public health procedures are in place before cruise ships begin sailing with passengers.” Cruising safely and responsibly during a global pandemic is very challenging. The Framework for Conditional Sailing Order requires a phased approach to resuming passenger operations.  A phased approach is necessary because of the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, risk of resurgence in countries that have suppressed transmission, ongoing concerns related to restarting of cruising internationally, and need for additional time for the cruise industry to test the effectiveness of measures to control potential COVID-19 transmission on board cruise ships with passengers without burdening public health. “CDC and the cruise industry have the same goal: A return to passenger sailing, but only when its safe. Under the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, cruise lines have been given a pathway to systematically demonstrate their ability to sail while keeping passengers, crew and their destination ports safe and healthy,” said former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, co-chair of the Healthy Sail Panel. During the initial phases, cruise ship operators must demonstrate adherence to testing, quarantine and isolation, and social distancing requirements to protect crew members while they build the laboratory capacity needed to test crew and future passengers. Subsequent phases will include simulated (mock) voyages with volunteers playing the role of passengers to test cruise ship operators’ ability to mitigate COVID-19 risk, certification for ships that meet specific requirements, and return to passenger voyages in a manner that mitigates COVID-19 risk among passengers, crew members, and communities. “Our member lines are 100 percent committed to helping to protect the health of our guests, our crew and the communities we serve, and are prepared to implement multiple layers of protocols informed by the latest scientific and medical knowledge,” said Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). “We look forward to reviewing the new Order and are optimistic that it is an important step toward returning our ships to service from U.S. ports.” CDC will help ships prepare and protect crew members during the initial phases by: establishing a laboratory team dedicated to cruise ships to provide information and oversight for COVID-19 testing, updating its color-coding system to indicate ship status, updating its technical instructions, as needed, and updating the “Enhanced Data Collection (EDC) During COVID-19 Pandemic Form” to prepare for surveillance for COVID-19 among passengers. CDC will continue to update its guidance and recommendations to specify basic safety standards and public health interventions based on the best scientific evidence available. For more information about COVID-19 and cruise ships, please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/cruise-ship/what-cdc-is-doing.html and www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise.

SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON COVID-19 VISITS HAWAIʽI CONVENTION CENTER TO ASSESS PROGRESS OF CONTACT TRACING AND UNEMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, the Hawai’i Senate Special Committee on COVID-19 performed a site visit to the Hawaii Convention Center to assess the latest contact tracing efforts from the Department of Health's Disease Investigation Branch and Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Members of the Committee received an in-depth briefing from the agencies regarding their progress in rebuilding the Department of Health's contact tracing program. Dr. Emily Roberson, who has been heading the branch since July, highlighted the critical components of their restructuring of the program and how the branch's approaches have changed since the Committee's last visit to the Convention Center. Dr. Roberson noted that the re-alignment has allowed the branch to achieve its initial goal of performing its first outreach call on 100% of new cases within 24-hrs. However, the program is still hindered by cases of inaccurate or missing contact information and individuals who do not answer their phones. Dr. Roberson added that the restructuring has also allowed for more significant data collection and regional trend identification, which has added significantly to the effectiveness of their program. This has also contributed to their ability to better identify high-risk populations so that these cases can be expedited to mitigate the additional risk. Finally, the department has emphasized building up the program's capacity within individual ethnic communities through the enlistment of translators and the hiring of individual community leaders, identified by the respective communities themselves. According to Dr. Roberson, these efforts have shown to have had a remarkable impact on the program's effectiveness. The Committee asked that certain indicators be included in the Department of Health's informational dashboard so that the program's effectiveness could be continuously monitored by the public. Following the Contact Tracing update, members attended a briefing presented by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Unemployment Insurance Division (UI). They received a report of the division's latest efforts and plans to ensure the financial stability of local residents in the coming months. During the visit, Director Anne E. Perreira-Eustaquio guided the Senators through a tour of their current operations. The members of the Committee spoke at length with the Director about UI's continued focus on the adjudication of pending claims, which represents the vast majority of the remaining outstanding cases. The Director highlighted the efforts of DLIR staff and the countless volunteers that have donated their time and legal backgrounds towards this cause. In addition, Director Perreira-Eustaquio presented the department's newest efforts to roll out the Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Extended Benefits program, which launched on October 27, 2020. This program would extend benefits after an unemployed individual exhausts their twenty-six weeks of state unemployment and thirteen weeks of federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation allotments. In response to questions from the Committee, Director Perreira-Eustaquio provided an overview of the department's continued efforts to identify fraudulent claims. During the discussion, a DLIR employee mentioned that it felt like nearly half of all new unemployment claims appeared to be fraudulent. The Director reassured the Senators that appropriate measures were being taken to detect the fraudulent claims and turn them over to the appropriate authorities. "We really want to thank everyone still working on unemployment for their hard work," added Senator Fevella. "If you have a claim in and are still waiting to get paid, please answer your phones. These guys are working seven days a week, even on Sundays, trying to get these checks out to you guys." "We’re very pleased with the progress made in increasing the number of contact tracers, as well as with UI's continued efforts in processing unemployment claims." Stated the Committee's Chair, Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz. He added, "I am concerned, though, about how these operations are going to continue when CARES Act funds end in December."

More than 700 participants have taken COVID-19 tests as part of the County of Maui’s free voluntary testing programs, which started Oct. 17. So far, only one case has been confirmed out of the tests administered. The test is offered for residents and visitors traveling into Maui County. “This is a free and easy way for our residents and visitors to help keep themselves and our community safe and healthy,” Mayor Michael Victorino said. “Results will be available within an hour. This is a small investment of time to ensure that everyone arrives healthy, stays healthy and returns home healthy.” Visitors must have taken a pre-departure test to be eligible for the free post-arrival test. Visitors should take the second test 72 hours or later after they arrive into Maui County. Participants must pre-register for the voluntary tests at www.MinitMed.com. If you have any problems pre-registering, please call (808) 667-6161, ext. 7. “We thank Minit Medical for partnering with us for this program and supporting our efforts to keep Maui County healthy,” Mayor Victorino said. Testing Site Locations Please DO NOT enter the clinics. This testing is at the community sites ONLY, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (808) 667-6161 or visit www.MinitMed.com to set an appointment at one of the following community sites: Lahaina/West Maui – 305 Keawe Street (parking lot by highway); open every Monday and Thursday in October and November. Kihei/Wailea – 1280 South Kihei Road (behind Ace Hardware); open every Tuesday and Friday in October and November. Kahului – 348 Lehuakona Street (behind Maui Marketplace); open every Wednesday and Saturday in October and November. Mobile Testing Unit Visitors should check with participating hotels regarding the dates and times the Mobile Unit will be arriving. Please book your test during the designated time frame. Test results are expected to be produced within an hour. NOTE: All travelers are reminded to follow all County Public Health Emergency Rules, including wearing masks in public, keeping 6-feet away from others and avoiding large gatherings. For more information about COVID-19 in Maui County, visit www.MauiCounty.gov or www.MauiNuiStrong.net.

Federal Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Begins Nov. 1 and continues until Dec. 15 for Health Insurance Coverage to Begin January 2021 The Med-QUEST Division of the Hawai‘i Department of Human Services is sharing an important deadline - residents who need affordable health insurance and who do not qualify for Medicaid coverage have 45 days to enroll in an affordable health plan through the health insurance marketplace, the federal website called HealthCare.org. The open enrollment period is from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 for health coverage that begins January 2021. Applicants are able to create an account at www.healthcare.gov to determine their eligibility for coverage for health plans and subsidies that help make the plans more affordable. The following chart provides income guidelines to applicants to determine if they are qualified for federally subsidized health insurance from the federal marketplace at www.healthcare.gov In addition to the website, interested applicants can apply over the phone by calling 1-800-318-2596. If you have health coverage through the marketplace now, you may review and update your application at HealthCare.gov and report any life changes. To speak with an interpreter, applicants may call 1-800-318-2596 and say “Agent” or press “0.” Once an agent is on the line, say the name of the language you need. TTY users may call 1-855-889-4325. In Hawai‘i, the Med-QUEST Division of the Hawai‘i Department of Human Services assists with community outreach and education for the federal marketplace, which manages eligibility and enrollment functions.