The city’s Department of Customer Services announced today that the Wahiawa Driver Licensing Center will remain closed to in-person visits until Oct. 1 as it takes precautions after a clerk tested positive for coronavirus last week. All employees at the Wahiawa Driver Licensing Center are being quarantined after their co-worker’s positive test was confirmed Wednesday, Sept. 16. The confirmed case has prevented the site from reopening Thursday, Sept. 24 with the other driver licensing centers on Oahu for in-person services by appointment only. When the Wahiawa Driver Licensing Center resumes in-person services Thursday, Oct. 1, it will only be conducting road tests. All other appointments at the Wahiawa Driver Licensing Center will be rescheduled to the Kapolei Driver Licensing Center, starting Sept. 24. “Due to the limited size of the Wahiawa driver licensing facility and the potential hazard it may pose for both the visiting public and staff, service offerings will be adjusted there indefinitely,” said Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services. The Wahiawa Satellite City Hall will continue to operate as normal on an appointment-only basis, performing such services as registering vehicles, transferring titles and issuing disability parking permits. Road test examiners at the Wahiawa Driver Licensing Centers have been directly contacting applicants whose appointments were canceled between Aug. 27 and Sept. 23, and rescheduling them at the site. Saturday hours for road test appointments will also be offered at the Wahiawa Driver Licensing Center, beginning Oct. 3. For more information, visit honolulu.gov/csd

The World Health Organization (WHO) together with the UN, specialized agencies and partners today called on countries to develop and implement action plans to promote the timely dissemination of science-based information and prevent the spread of false information while respecting freedom of expression. WHO, the UN, UNICEF, UNAIDS, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UNESCO, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN Global Pulse initiative and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), together with the governments of Indonesia, Thailand and Uruguay held a webinar on the margins of the 75th UN General Assembly to draw attention to the harm being done by the spread of misinformation and disinformation, the latter being deliberate misinformation to advance an agenda. “As soon as the virus spread across the globe, inaccurate and even dangerous messages proliferated wildly over social media, leaving people confused, misled and ill-advised”, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. ”Our initiative, called “Verified”, is fighting misinformation with truth. We work with media partners, individuals, influencers and social media platforms to spread content that promotes science, offers solutions and inspires solidarity. This will be especially critical as we work to build public confidence in the safety and efficacy of future COVID-19 vaccines. We need a ‘people’s vaccine’ that is affordable and available to all.” “Misinformation and disinformation put health and lives at risk, and undermine trust in science, in institutions and in health systems,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “To fight the pandemic we need trust and solidarity and when there is mistrust, there is much less solidarity. False information is hindering the response to the pandemic so we must join forces to fight it and to promote science-based public health advice. The same principles that apply to responding to COVID-19 apply to managing the infodemic. We need to prevent, detect and respond to it, together and in solidarity.” “On top of the immediate impact on pandemic responses, disinformation is undermining public trust in democratic processes and institutions and exacerbating social divides”, said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “It’s one of the most concerning governance challenges of our time. UNDP is actively collaborating with Member States, fellow UN agencies, and other partners to find holistic responses which respect human rights.” “Misinformation is one of the fastest growing challenges facing children today,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “It takes advantage of the cracks in trust in societies and institutions and deepens them further, undermines confidence in science and medicine, and divides communities. In its most pernicious forms, such as when it convinces parents not to vaccinate their children, it can even be fatal. Because misinformation is more a symptom than a sickness, countering it requires more than just providing truth. It also requires trust between leaders, communities and individuals.” “We can beat COVID-19 only with facts, science and community solidarity,” said Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “Misinformation is perpetuating stigma and discrimination and must not come in the way of ensuring that human rights are protected and people at risk and those marginalized have access to health and social protection services.” “Since the start of the pandemic, UNESCO has mobilized its international networks of media partners, journalists, fact-checkers, community radio stations, and experts, to give citizens the means to fight against false information and rumours — phenomena that have been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General. ”Collective mobilization to promote quality and reliable information, while strictly ensuring respect for freedom of expression, is essential. A free, independent and pluralistic press is more necessary than ever.” “Trust is a cornerstone of our digital world,” said Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union. “Building on the long-standing WHO-ITU BeHe@lthy BeMobile initiative, ITU has been working with national ministries of telecommunications and health and mobile network operators since the beginning of this crisis to text people who may not have access to the internet, providing them with science- and evidence-based COVID-19 health advice directly on their mobile phones.” WHO and partners urged countries to engage and listen to their communities as they develop their national action plans, and to empower communities to build trust and resilience against false information. “Engaging communities on how they perceive the disease and response is critical to building trust and ending outbreaks,” said Jagan Chapagain, IFRC Secretary General. “If our response does not reflect the communities’ concerns and perceptions, we will not be seen as relevant or trusted by affected populations, and the epidemic response risks failure. More than ever, local responders are at the forefront of this crisis. We need to recognize the incredible role they play in understanding and acting on local knowledge and community feedback.” The co-hosts also called on the media, social media platforms, civil society leaders and influencers to strengthen their actions to disseminate accurate information and prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Access to accurate information and the free exchange of ideas online and offline are key to enabling effective and credible public health responses. "UN Global Pulse was set up a decade ago inside the UN System to pioneer the use of real-time and predictive insights to protect vulnerable communities in times of crisis”, said Robert Kirkpatrick, Director of UN Global Pulse, the United Nations Secretary-General’s initiative on big data and artificial intelligence (AI). “During this pandemic we have seen a tremendous increase in requests for advanced analytics from across the UN System and Member States. We will continue to work with WHO and other partners to help identify and combat mis- and disinformation.” Note to Editors WHO defines an infodemic as an overabundance of information, both online and offline. It includes accurate information as well as mis- and disinformation. In May 2020, WHO Member States passed Resolution WHA73.1 on the COVID-19 response at the World Health Assembly. The Resolution recognizes that managing the infodemic is a critical part of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic: it calls on Member States to provide reliable COVID-19 content, take measures to counter mis- and disinformation and leverage digital technologies across the response. The Resolution also called on international organization's to address mis- and disinformation in the digital sphere, work to prevent harmful cyber activities undermining the health response and support the provision of science-based data to the public.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) are forging an outreach campaign to combat human trafficking through Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI) program. BLI is an element of the DHS Blue Campaign led by the U.S. DOT and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a DHS agency. BLI trains personnel to combat human trafficking within the aviation industry. HDOT is the first State Department of Transportation in the country to become a formal BLI partner. “The U.S. Department of Transportation is proud to work with our partners across government and in the aviation sector to do our critical part to combat human trafficking,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Acting Under Secretary for Policy Joel Szabat. “DHS is proud to partner with the Department of Transportation for the State of Hawaii to continue the fight to end human trafficking. Through this partnership, the Blue Lightning Initiative will add Hawaii’s five major airports to a growing community of more than 47 partners working in tandem to recognize and report human trafficking across our nation’s transportation system. In addition to the training we will offer for airport personnel, this partnership will establish the DHS Tip Line as the State of Hawaii’s primary reporting tool, connecting Hawaii into a national network of dedicated investigators and expanding the sharing of critical tips across the country,” said Trent Frazier, Executive Director of the DHS Office of Campaigns and Academic Engagement. “The State of Hawaii and the HDOT Airports Division fully support the anti-human trafficking goals of the BLI,” said Governor David Ige. “This agreement affirms and recognizes our goal to completely eradicate all forms of human trafficking. We will do everything in our power to work with the federal government in ending these heinous crimes.” “The practice of human trafficking is a scourge to humanity and it must end. HDOT is anxious to empower our employees and partners within the aviation industry with the knowledge to recognize and report suspected instances of human trafficking,” said Director Jade Butay, Hawaii Department of Transportation. “This BLI partnership is an impressive step forward, one that highlights the dedication of this community in taking a stand to end human trafficking.” “With high unemployment and changing conditions around the world impacted by COVID-19, people may find themselves forced or inadvertently lured to the false promises of traffickers,” said Deputy Director Lynn Araki-Regan, Hawaii Department of Transportation. “Our message is that human trafficking will not be tolerated. We cannot allow our transportation system to be an enabler in such atrocious acts.” HDOT will also be partnering with the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General (AG) on a broader statewide anti-trafficking initiative that includes trainings for HDOT personnel and awareness campaigns throughout Hawaii. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a critical investigative arm of DHS leads local anti-trafficking efforts and will support the HDOT state-wide campaign. “HSI is proud to partner with the Hawaii Department of Transportation in our Blue Lightning initiative,” said Lucy Cabral-DeArmas, acting Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Honolulu. “Airport employees play a critical role in combating human trafficking in Hawaii by identifying possible victims and reporting these suspicions to law enforcement. We look forward to continuing this important relationship and furthering our collective efforts to eradicate this heinous crime - in all its forms - in the state of Hawaii.” "Combating human trafficking is a priority for my Department," said Attorney General Clare E. Connors. "Protecting the most vulnerable in our community from exploitation will take a coordinated, multidisciplinary effort between our partners in law enforcement, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. We look forward to partnering with HDOT on this Blue Lightning Initiative in furtherance of Hawaii's statewide anti-trafficking strategy." All modes of transportation can be unwitting conduits for human trafficking; thus, with proper awareness and training, employees in the transportation industry can be key assets in identifying and reporting suspicious behavior. When such suspicions are triggered, employees have been instructed to follow the BLI reporting protocol and expeditiously report tips to the DHS Tip Line number at (866) 347-2423. To report child trafficking, call the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services Child Trafficking (Child Welfare Services) Hotline at (808) 832-1999 (Oahu) or 1-888-398-1188 (Neighbor Islands). As always, in the event of an immediate emergency, call 911. For airports, airlines and aviation industry organizations looking to learn more about partnering with BLI to train their employees on human trafficking and reporting options, email bluecampaign@hq.dhs.gov or trafficking@dot.gov for more information.

City adds property for low-income affordable rental units in ‘Aiea; property will temporarily serve as isolation/quarantine location The City and County of Honolulu acquired the property known as the Harbor Arms Hotel located at 98-130 Lipoa Place in ‘Aiea, Hawai‘i on September 18. The City’s intent in acquiring the property is to increase the availability of low income affordable rental units for families. However, due to the immediate need to ensure the availability of isolation/quarantine rooms for the COVID19 pandemic, the City will initially dedicate the use of the building for this purpose and will partner with the Department of Health who will provide intake and services. “While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, this property is ideal for multi-generational families who need to isolate or quarantine,” said Mayor Caldwell. “We need to protect our vulnerable populations during this pandemic, especially those who may not have access to a safe place to stay if and when they are exposed to COVID-19. This partnership with the Department of Health will help keep the virus under control on O‘ahu.” Councilmember Elefante, who represents this area, said, “One reason I support affordable housing is because it uplifts our citizenry by providing our citizens with the stability of a clean, safe place to live. This area of ‘Aiea provides housing to many of our hard working families, and I’m excited that this particular parcel will eventually provide affordable rentals to our citizens who need it the most, and on the bus and rail line for access to transit. I commend the Mayor for working quickly to repurpose the facility to address COVID needs and look forward to adding these ‘Aiea units to our affordable housing rental inventory.” The property is a 3 story apartment/hotel building consisting of 29 large apartment units (20 two bedroom and 9 one bedroom units all with lanais), 29 parking stalls, a resident manager’s unit, an office, and laundry facilities. The units come completely furnished with furniture, appliances and amenities found in a standard hotel room and they are immediately available for occupancy. The city acquired the property for $10,525,000. The property is in the Transit Oriented Development zone and in close proximity to the rail station which makes it an ideal investment to ensure affordable housing near rail transit and a prime property for future redevelopment at higher densities.

During Small Business Week, Sept. 22-24, the Internal Revenue Service wants individuals to consider taking the home office deduction if they qualify. The benefit may allow taxpayers working from home to deduct certain expenses on their tax return. The home office deduction is available to qualifying self-employed taxpayers, independent contractors and those working in the gig economy. However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended the business use of home deduction from 2018 through 2025 for employees. Employees who receive a paycheck or a W-2 exclusively from an employer are not eligible for the deduction, even if they are currently working from home. Qualifying for a deduction There are two basic requirements to qualify for the deduction. The taxpayer needs to use a portion of the home exclusively for conducting business on a regular basis and the home must be the taxpayer’s principal place of business. To claim the deduction, a taxpayer must use part of their home for one of the following: Exclusively and regularly as a principal place of business for a trade or business Exclusively and regularly as a place where patients, clients or customers are met in the normal course of a trade or business As a separate structure that's not attached to a home that is used exclusively and regularly in connection with a trade or business On a regular basis for storage of inventory or product samples used in a trade or business of selling products at retail or wholesale For rental use As a daycare facility The term "home" for purposes of this deduction: Includes a house, apartment, condominium, mobile home, boat or similar property Includes structures on the property, like an unattached garage, studio, barn or greenhouse Doesn’t include any part of the taxpayer’s property used exclusively as a hotel, motel, inn or similar business Qualified expenses Deductible expenses for business use of home normally include the business portion of real estate taxes, mortgage interest, rent, casualty losses, utilities, insurance, depreciation, maintenance, and repairs. In general, a taxpayer may not deduct expenses for the parts of their home not used for business; for example, expenses for lawn care or painting a room not used for business. Claiming the deduction A taxpayer can use either the regular or simplified method to figure the home office deduction. Using the regular method, qualifying taxpayers compute the business use of home deduction by dividing expenses of operating the home between personal and business use. Self-employed taxpayers filing IRS Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business (Sole Proprietorship) first figure this deduction on Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home. Using the Simplified Option, qualifying taxpayers use a prescribed rate of $5 per square foot of the portion of the home used for business (up to a maximum of 300 square feet) to figure the business use of home deduction. A taxpayer claims the deduction directly on IRS Schedule C. Revenue Procedure 2013-13 (PDF) provides complete details of this safe harbor method. Daycare facilities Taxpayers who use their home on a regular basis for providing daycare may be able to claim a deduction for part of the home even if it is used as the same space for nonbusiness purposes. To qualify, both of the following requirements must be met: The business must provide daycare for children, people age 65 or older, or people who are physically or mentally unable to care for themselves. The business must have applied for, been granted, or be exempt from having a license, certification, registration, or approval as a daycare center or as a family or group daycare home under state law. Additional resources IRS Publication 587, Business Use of Home (Including Use by Daycare Providers) Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home

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 thirteen (13). At this date, for Hawaii Island, sixteen (16) are hospitalized. The Hilo Medical Center reports the addition of one death today for a total of twenty-eight (28) for Hawaii Island. The fatality is from the Yukio Okutsu Veterans Home. Our sincere gratitude for their service to the country and prayers and condolences to their families. To support efforts at the Veterans Home, an eighteen person team from the Veterans Administration is at the facility to support operations. Bi-weekly testing continues as officials work to contain the spread of the virus in the home. A grateful thank you to the Veterans Administration for their assistance and response to the Veterans Home. For your information, two Coronavirus drive-up test sites are scheduled today. The First, in Hilo at the Afook-Chinen Auditorium from 9 this morning ‘til 1 this afternoon. The second in North Kona at the Keauhou Shopping Center. Hours are from 9:00 this morning ‘til noon. Remember the purpose of testing is to identify positive cases as early as possible and in this way help stop the spread of the virus. Please accept this kuleana to make Hawaii Safe. Only together, can we stop the spread of the virus to keep our family, friends, and community safe. Thank you for listening and have a safe day. This is your Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency.

City and County of Honolulu News Release: Mayor Kirk Caldwell has ordered Honolulu Hale to be lit in the color White from Wednesday September 23, to Friday September 25, in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she lay in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court Building and the U.S. Capitol Building. White represents light, openness, fairness, hope, and Justice Ginsburg represented all of these in abundance. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg forever changed the United States of America for the better. She did this by fighting for equality for all, and by standing up for the rights of both women and men,” said Mayor Caldwell. “For decades she was well known in the legal community, but in her later years became a cultural icon. I can think of no one more deserving of our respect, and our admiration for her decades of work for our country and community.”

The city’s Department of Customer Services announced today that its driver licensing centers, satellite city halls and other offices on Oahu will resume in-person visits on an appointment-only basis, beginning Thursday, Sept. 24. All previously scheduled appointments from Sept. 24 on will be honored. These appointments include in-person services for driver licenses, road tests, state identification cards, as well as transferring titles for buying or selling vehicles and inspecting a reconstructed vehicle. More than 34,000 of these appointments had to be canceled after in-person services were suspended Aug. 27 to help ongoing efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the City and County of Honolulu. “We will be offering special accommodations and extra hours for customers who need to reschedule canceled appointments,” said Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services. “If you already had an appointment from Sept. 24 on, please show up. We will honor all appointments moving forward.” Staff at driver licensing centers and satellite city halls will be contacting customers directly to reschedule road tests and all other canceled appointments. To accommodate these customers, business hours at driver licensing centers will be extended one hour in the mornings and another in the afternoons through Dec. 31. Driver licensing centers will also be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the rest of the year to handle rescheduled appointments. Satellite city halls will also offer additional hours on an appointment-only basis during the weekdays as well as on select Saturdays to accommodate the needs of customers. The additional days and hours will vary by satellite location. New appointments can be scheduled online at AlohaQ.org. For a listing of online, mail-in and off-site options to in-person services, visit honolulu.gov/csd.

The Hawaii Department of Public Safety (PSD) Health Care Division is working with the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) to conduct mass testing for COVID-19 at all correctional facilities statewide. The broad-based testing being administered by PSD health care and security staff began yesterday (9/21/20) at Halawa Correctional Facility (HCF) on Oahu and Kulani Correctional Facility (KCF) on Hawaii Island. The testing at HCF is on-going but the first batch of test results have come in for 250 inmates. All 250 were negative. KCF has completed their inmate testing and results are pending for 164 inmates. The order of the facilities next in line for testing is still being worked out. PSD is also working with DOH and the Hawaii National Guard to coordinate the testing of correctional officers and staff. The outbreak at the Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) is contained. There are no new positive results to report today for staff or inmates. There are currently no inmates hospitalized. Over 96% of all inmates who tested positive have recovered. Total PSD staff recoveries increased to 77. • The inmate releases directed through the Hawaii Supreme Court (HSC) orders are on- going. There were no new releases for 9/21/20. • All transports to court from all Oahu facilities are suspended through Friday, October 2. Video hearings will still be accommodated to the extent possible and as legally permissible. PSD is in constant contact with the Judiciary to assure the safety of all staff and inmates involved. 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: http://dps.hawaii.gov/blog/2020/03/17/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources/

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) today announced the staggered distribution of funds to claimants of current unemployment insurance programs including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. With the assistance of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), the DLIR received approval to pay six weeks of benefits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “Providing extra relief to those still unemployed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic supports those individuals and their families as well as local businesses as claimants spend the benefits. This maximizes all available federal funds to help people in Hawaiʻi who are unemployed because of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Gov. Ige. The program will pay $300 a week to all eligible claimants that have a weekly benefit amount of $100 or more in unemployment insurance benefits. The program excludes those with a weekly benefit amount of less than $100. Unlike the FPUC program ($600 plus-up) that ended in July, LWA is a grant with a finite amount of funding that only includes benefits for six weeks beginning the week ending 8/1 to 9/5/20. “Any additional funds to help unemployed workers are welcome – and we estimate that this will provide more than $370 million to families, individuals and our state’s economy,” said DLIR Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio. “It is important to emphasize however, that this benefit is currently time-limited to only a six-week period, between Aug. 1 and Sept. 5, 2020, and not everyone who has filed an unemployment claim will be eligible.” Benefits generally take three business days to be deposited after issuance by the DLIR. Starting this week, a week’s worth of benefits will go out every week and for the next five weeks as follows: Sept. 23, 24, 25 Payment for week ending August 1, 2020 Sept 29, and Oct. 1, 2 Payment for week ending August 8, 2020 Oct. 6, 7, 8 Payment for week ending August 15, 2020 Oct. 13, 14, 15 Payment for week ending August 22, 2020 Oct. 20, 21, 22 Payment for week ending August 29, 202 Oct. 27, 28, 29 Payment for week ending September 5, 2020 Individuals with pending issues preventing payment will not receive the additional $300 per week if they are allowed benefits after the program has ended. Please visit FAQs about the LWA program at https://labor.hawaii.gov/ui/main/faq-lost-wages-assistance-lwa/ . The State of Hawaiʻi is not allowed to use CARES Act or any local funds to supplement those individuals with a weekly benefit amount of less than $100 to make them eligible for the program pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum. For more information about unemployment insurance and other labor issues please visit the recently revised FAQs at https://labor.hawaii.gov/covid-19-labor-faqs/ . Equal Opportunity Employer/Program Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. TDD/TTY Dial 711 then ask for (808) 586-8866

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROPOSES RULE TO CLARIFY EMPLOYEE AND INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR STATUS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposed rule clarifying the definition of employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as it relates to independent contractors. “The Department’s proposal aims to bring clarity and consistency to the determination of who’s an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act,” said Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. “Once finalized, it will make it easier to identify employees covered by the Act, while respecting the decision other workers make to pursue the freedom and entrepreneurialism associated with being an independent contractor.” “The rule we proposed today continues our work to simplify the compliance landscape for businesses and to improve conditions for workers,” said Wage and Hour Division Administrator Cheryl Stanton. “The Department believes that streamlining and clarifying the test to identify independent contractors will reduce worker misclassification, reduce litigation, increase efficiency, and increase job satisfaction and flexibility.” The Department’s proposed rule would: Adopts an “economic reality” test to determine a worker’s status as an FLSA employee or an independent contractor. The test considers whether a worker is in business for himself or herself (independent contractor) or is economically dependent on a putative employer for work (employee); Identifies and explains two “core factors,” specifically the nature and degree of the worker’s control over the work, and the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss based on initiative and/or investment. These factors help determine if a worker is economically dependent on someone else’s business or is in business for himself or herself; Identifies three other factors that may serve as additional guideposts in the analysis: the amount of skill required for the work; the degree of permanence of the working relationship between the worker and the potential employer; and whether the work is part of an integrated unit of production; and Advises that the actual practice is more relevant than what may be contractually or theoretically possible in determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is available for review and public comment for 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register. The Department encourages interested parties to submit comments on the proposed rule. Today’s web posting offers the public more time to review the NPRM before the comment period begins. WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the Nation’s workforce. WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements of the FLSA. WHD also enforces the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to Federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services. The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

COVID-19 inmate recoveries increase to 96 percent The Hawaii Department of Public Safety (PSD) Health Care Division is working with the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) to conduct mass testing for COVID-19 at all correctional facilities statewide. The broad-based testing being administered by PSD health care and security staff has moved to the Halawa Correctional Facility (HCF) on Oahu and Kulani Correctional Facility (KCF) on Hawaii Island. Waiawa Correctional Facility (WCF) was the first to undergo mass testing and as previously reported, all 229 inmate tests at WCF were negative. Of the 98 staff results were received, 97 were negative and 1 was positive. “The broad-based testing was expertly coordinated and executed by the WCF security staff, and the PSD Health Care Division last week. Halawa and Kulani were ready to go next and I am confident both facilities will follow through, if needed, with their pandemic plan to isolate, quarantine and cohort inmates,” said Maria Cook, Deputy Director for Administration/Acting Director. “All credit goes to the facility wardens, nursing, mental health, and security teams who did all the planning and are administering the testing program in their facilities.” The order of the facilities next in line for testing is still being worked out. The test results are anticipated to take up to 3 days to receive. PSD is also working with DOH and the Hawaii National Guard to coordinate the testing of correctional officers and staff. The outbreak at the Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) is contained. There are no new positive results to report for staff or inmates. There are currently no inmates hospitalized. Over 96% of all inmates who tested positive have recovered. Total PSD staff recoveries increased to 75. Total PSD COVID-19 active and recovered cases as of 9/21/20: *Administration Division includes administrative services, fiscal, personnel, training and staff development and the offices under the Director. **Numbers are subject to change as pending results are received. 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/