The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami advisory for the Hawaiian Islands effective on October 19, 2020 at 4:38 PM. An earthquake occurred near the South of Alaska with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter Scale. According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center: Based on all available data, a major tsunami is not expected to strike the State of Hawaii. However, sea level changes have been recorded at Hilo and Kahului just above advisory level that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbors and marinas. The threat may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival. Further messages will be issued hourly or sooner as conditions warrant until the threat to Hawaii has passed.

Gov. David Ige today announced the State of Hawai‘i will match a donation of half a million dollars from a hui of private-sector organizations toward the DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks program. DA BUX doubles the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits spent on locally grown food at participating grocery stores. Several private-sector organizations secured $500,000 for DA BUX to increase SNAP buying power for recipients at participating grocery stores, such as KTA Super Stores and Times Supermarket. The state match increases that amount to $1 million that will be available for SNAP recipients to purchase locally produced, fresh and nutritious fruits, vegetables and proteins at participating locations statewide. “DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks” is a triple-win solution because it supports local farmers with an increased customer base, low-income families who receive double the purchasing power for healthy, Hawai‘i-grown produce, and our entire community by keeping dollars in the local economy,” Gov. Ige said. Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, SNAP is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low and no-income individuals. Administrators are seeing a higher number of recipients as families continue to struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The last thing people living on little to no income during the pandemic should have to worry about is whether they can afford to feed themselves and their families. With DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks, everyone with a SNAP-EBT card can purchase fresh, nutritious Hawaiʻi-grown food to keep themselves and their loved ones nourished," said Elvin Padilla, Jr., director of food security at the Stupski Foundation. “Interest in expanding DA BUX was enthusiastic because of a desire to help and a shared recognition that a strong agriculture economy is critical to addressing Hawai‘i’s long-term food security and resilience issues,” said Murray Clay, president of Ulupono Initiative, one of the private-sector organizations contributing to the program. “These funds will uplift families and individuals who most need it while helping local agricultural food producers build their market base.” “DA BUX is an inspiring collaboration that strengthens all of us,” said Corbett Kalama, The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation Executive Vice President, Hawai‘i Office. “The Weinberg Foundation supports efforts to ensure our most vulnerable communities have access to healthy and nutritious food. With DA BUX, we have a unique opportunity to support our vulnerable neighbors while also helping farmers, local food systems, and the overall health of Hawai‘i’s communities.” The cross-sector partnership includes contributions by the following state and private partners: • State of Hawai‘i ($500,000) • Stupski Foundation ($200,000) • Ulupono Initiative ($200,000) • The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation ($50,000) • Kamehameha Schools ($25,000) • Anonymous ($25,000) The funds are in addition to $100,000 ($50,000 in each of fiscal years 2020 and 2021) appropriated toward the program by the Legislature last year, which has also been matched with philanthropic dollars to maximize a federal match. Act 153, SLH 2019, established the Hawai‘i Healthy Food Incentive Program, to be implemented by the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture. The Ag department worked with The Food Basket, Hawai‘i Island’s food bank, to create the DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks Program, which provides a federal match to the state program expanding access for local, low-income communities. This program also directly supports local farmers, creating an increased demand for Hawai‘i’s products while also addressing the state’s food security goals. DA BUX is a statewide program administered by The Food Basket in partnership with the Hawai‘i Good Food Alliance.

Gov. David Ige today announced eight trusted testing partners for inter-county travel. Inter-county passengers arriving in Kauaʻi and Maui counties may bypass the mandatory 14-day quarantine if they take an FDA-authorized Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) from the certified CLIA lab of a trusted testing and travel partner no earlier than 72 hours prior to departure and receive a negative result. Travelers register on and upload their test results to the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi account and inter-county travelers must have the test result with them upon arrival so airport screeners can review the result. Those who do not choose to take a pre-travel test or who do not arrive with a negative test from a trusted testing or travel partner will continue to be subject to the existing 14 day inter-county quarantine or may seek an exemption from the county they are traveling to. “Travel between our islands is essential to our residents staying connected with family and friends and conducting business. And many of our visitors want to experience all our island state has to offer. We are grateful to our trusted partners who are helping to make inter-county travel safer,” said Gov. David Ige. The eight trusted testing partners for inter-county travel are: • Clinical Laboratories of Hawai'i will be offering “COVID-19” NAAT testing (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) as part of the State of Hawaiʻi’s Pre-Travel Inter-island Testing Program. Patients should visit www.clinicallabs.com to schedule an appointment, for more information on locations and how to obtain lab results. All lab tests require an order by a licensed healthcare provider in the State of Hawaiʻi. • CVS Health (Longs) – Travelers may schedule an appointment up to two days in the future at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations. Tests available for ages 12 and older. Pre-registration is required. Registration instructions and costs can be found atcvs.com/selfpaytesting. • Hawaiʻi Pacific Health – Hawai‘i Pacific Health – Interisland travel screenings are available at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children on O‘ahu and Wilcox Medical Center on Kaua‘i in partnership with Clinical Labs of Hawai'i. Appointments are required for screening at Kapi‘olani and must be scheduled online at clinicallabs.com/covid No appointment is necessary for screening at Wilcox. More information on site locations, hours and cost can be found at hawaiipacifichealth.org/covid19testing “We are pleased to participate in the State of Hawai‘i’s pre-travel testing program as a trusted testing partner, working together with our laboratory partner, Clinical Labs of Hawai'i, to support the state’s efforts to safely and gradually open travel for both residents and visitors,” said Hawai‘i Pacific Health President & CEO Ray Vara. “As we’ve seen through this pandemic, the public health of our community and the health of our state economy are truly dependent on each other. A strategic testing plan, including travel screening, is a key component to building the public health infrastructure Hawai‘i needs to put us on the path to economic recovery, and Hawai‘i Pacific Health is committed to this effort.” • Kaiser Permanente (for members only) – Kaiser Permanente members may schedule a test online or contact the appointment call center or nurse advice line in their home region for scheduling instructions. Kaiser Permanente members returning home to Hawaiʻi may call the Away-from-Home Travel Line at 951-268-3900 for scheduling instructions. Information can be found at kp.org/travel. • Minit Medical – Inter-Island travelers in Hawai'i may schedule testing online prior to travel to other islands. Minit Medical has three clinics on Maui with drive-up testing available. Appointment is required. Please call 808-667-6161 for details or logon to Minitmed.com • Walgreens – Testing is available at no cost to eligible individuals who meet CDC criteria. Tests available for ages five and older. All drive-thru testing locations operate outdoors and patients do not leave their vehicles. Appointment required. Information can be found atwalgreens.com/covid19testing • Urgent Care Hawai'i offers COVID-19 testing for inter-island travel. Results are emailed within 24 hours. Register atwww.ucarehi.com. Limited walk-ins can be accommodated. Call 808-797-7980 for more information. “We all need to do our part to keep Hawaiʻi safe for our families, visitors and businesses. 'Get open and stay open!' is our motto and together we are making that happen. Eliminating the 14-day quarantine for inter-island travel with the COVID-19 testing program is a needed relief for everyone and Urgent Care Hawai'i is thrilled to be a Trusted Travel Partner,” said Donna Schmidt, CEO of Urgent Care Hawaiʻi. • Vault Health – At-home tests with real-time audio-visual supervision are available with Vault Health, the first FDA-authorized saliva test. Tests available for ages five and older. Tests are mailed with accurate results in 72 hours or less. Information and costs can be found at learn.vaulthealth.com/state-of-Hawaii As trusted testing and travel partners added to the Safe Travels Hawaii'i program, they will be uploaded to www.hawaiicovid19.com, where more information on intercounty pre-travel testing and the Hawai'i Safe Travels program can be found. ** The daily trans-Pacific passenger arrival numbers here: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/trans-pacific-passenger-arrivals/

The Kaua‘i District Health Office is announcing one new confirmed case and one probable case pending laboratory results. One case was related to inter-island travel and the other is a household contact. Both cases are currently in isolation. The contact investigation is ongoing. All close contacts are directed to quarantine by the Department of Health and offered testing. “While pre- and post-travel testing can provide an additional layer of protection, a quarantine is always the safest option,” said Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami. “Travelers now have the option to test out of quarantine, but it is still advised that you keep your distance from others as much as possible for 14 days after travel.” Kaua‘i’s new cases will be reflected in the State’s COVID-19 dashboard, which can be found at hawaiicovid19.com. The count is updated at noon every day. For local updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 page at www.kauai.gov/COVID-19.

Two of NELHA’s Hawaiʻi Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park success stories, Blue Ocean Mariculture and Kowa Premium Foods Hawaiʻi, also known as Big Island Abalone, are poised for additional growth and expansion with the creation of over 150 jobs over the next several years. “The timing for this expansion could not be better. The creation of over 150 short- and long-term jobs in diversified industry sectors is key to reviving our economy in a post-COVID19 world,” said Gov. David Y. Ige. “Hawaiʻi has long been home to both pioneering industry research efforts and commercial activities in aquaculture. The significant expansion plans announced by these two companies will only enhance our brand as a leader in the global aquaculture industry,” said Ige. Kowa Premium Foods Hawaii Corporation (KPF Hawaii) is in the process of expanding its current 10-acre abalone facility by an additional 15 acres. "After extensive examination, KPF Hawaii is now committed to move forward with our research and development-based aquaculture expansion plans that are in keeping with NELHA’s core mission of supporting sustainable industries using sunshine, seawater, and ingenuity,” said Satoshi Yoshida, COO of KPF Hawaii. “Construction of new facilities will be completed in three phases over the next several years,” Yoshida said. Initial expansion plans include additional aquaculture facilities to improve production and operational efficiencies and increase product offerings. In addition, KPF Hawaii will build a visitor center, administrative offices, and sales facility along with a full-service research & development restaurant to promote and enhance KPF’s world-renowned brand, grow direct sales and improve the visitor tour experience. An experimental canning and warehousing facility will also be built in the initial phase. Additional phases will include a new research and development laboratory and expansion of canning operations, if warranted. Blue Ocean Mariculture (BOM) has developed the Hawaiian Kanpachi brand over the years and is now recognized worldwide. BOM’s facilities in West Hawaiʻi include a hatchery that produces fingerlings onshore at HOST Park and offshore operations that are used for grow-out production. BOM is in the process of establishing a finfish processing center inside HOST Park to primarily process kanpachi from BOM’s offshore cages as well as perform custom finfish processing. The processing facility will be built to handle over 2,000 tons of fish annually. The facility will allow BOM to broaden its target markets which until now had been primarily supplying high-end chefs and restaurants with fresh whole fish, according to said Dick Jones, CEO of BOM. “We are setting the foundation for the future of domestically produced aquaculture as we significantly expand our production of the only commercially available open ocean grown fish in the USA. The opportunities are unparalleled and with the strong support of the State of Hawaiʻi we are poised for a sustained period of growth in production as well as finfish processing in Hawaiʻi,” Jones said. NELHA executive director Gregory Barbour added, “These are great assets for HOST Park and will add a new dimension to the growing aquaculture industry in Hawaiʻi while elevating our brand as a leader. Many people have come together to make these initiatives a reality and we are thrilled by the positive feedback from these companies to create much needed jobs.”

Yesterday, 845 people arrived in Hawaii including 246 visitors and 310 residents. 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. Crew = flight crew members Intended Resident = people who are moving to Hawaii such as military members and their families, and former residents who intend to live in Hawaii Resident = people who have a Hawaii ID Transit = people who are in transit to another location through Hawaii and aren’t leaving the airport Visitor = people who do not have a Hawaii ID including essential health care workers, essential federal workers, former residents such as mainland college students coming to stay with family, military on temporary assignment, and leisure travelers For Hawaii Tourism Authority and state updates regarding COVID-19 visit: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/news/alerts/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/

This is a COVID-19 informational update for Friday, October 16th. On today’s update of COVID-19, the number of new active cases, on Hawaii Island, reported and monitored by the Department of Health is twenty-one (21). At this date, for Hawaii Island, eleven (11) are hospitalized. A total of thirty-seven (37) deaths have been reported on Hawaii Island. Our condolences to their families and friends. On today’s testing, two district tests, which are open to the public, are scheduled. One in Puna at the Pahoa District Park from 8 this morning ‘til noon; and the second, in North Kona at the Keauhou Shopping Center from 9 this morning ‘til noon. Understand that the importance of testing is to identify positive cases as early as possible and in this way help stop the spread of the Coronavirus. Also scheduled today is an `Ohana food in South Kohala at the Kamakoa Nui Skate Park in Waikoloa Village. Distribution begins at 10 this morning. For your information, the State of Hawaii Pre-Testing Program for Trans-Pacific travel is now open. As a reminder for Hawaii Island only those travelers in the pre-test program are required to take a second test upon arrival. Know that the preventive measures of face coverings, distancing, and gatherings are mandated for all to follow in order to stop the spread of the virus and protect our family, friends and community. Please accept this kuleana to make Hawaii Safe. Thank you for listening and have a safe day.