Low daily cases and positive testing rates will keep county open
Mayor unveils triggers that lead to closures as travel resumes
Maui County’s daily case counts and positive testing rates will determine whether tighter rules are needed as visitors return under the state’s pre-travel testing plan that launches next week, Mayor Michael Victorino said.
During his news conference Friday, the mayor revealed the procedures that the county would follow if COVID-19 case counts exceeded certain levels. The county has grouped its response into four levels: recovery, act with care, safer at home, or stay at home.
“The County of Maui has been working with a number of doctors, health experts and industry leaders on its ongoing COVID-19 strategic planning and emergency response,” Victorino said. “These metrics were developed in the event that the county would need to scale back its reopenings and recovery.”
The four levels, also categorized in response to minimal, minor, moderate or major disruptions, are based on a set of indicators, triggers and thresholds.
Managing Director Sandy Baz said that the county is monitoring two main categories: daily COVID19 case counts and the virus control rate.
Maui County is currently in the recovery level, where no quarantine is required for travelers with an approved negative test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival. At this level, residents should continue practicing good hygiene, social distancing, wearing face masks and avoiding large gatherings.
Baz said daily case counts for Maui County over a seven-day
rolling average is less than one per day — 0.77 cases per 100,000. The current COVID-19 test positivity rate is 0.3 percent over the seven-day rolling average.
However, Baz said the county would consider moving up to the “act with care” level if the case numbers increase to around 1 to 4.99 per day over a seven-day rolling average. A positive test rate of about 1 to 2.49 percent may also be a trigger.
At this level, residents would still be free to leave home with safety precautions, most businesses would be allowed to open and gathering sizes would be limited. High-risk individuals would be advised to stay at home.
“The purpose for this is to monitor a series of indicators to tell us how the virus is affecting our community,” Baz said. “Now that we’re opening back up to travel, understanding these metrics is very important.”
If daily case counts average between 5 to 9.99 per day and the
positivity rate is around 2.5 to 7 percent, then the county would consider reverting to the “safer at home” level.
The county would opt out of the state’s pre-travel testing program and all incoming travelers would then be subject to the mandatory, 14-day selfquarantine with limited exemptions available.
Baz said that residents should stay at home and limit nonessential travel at this level. Moderate to high-risk businesses would also be limited.
If case counts exceed more than 10 per day and the test positivity rate is more than 5 percent, then the county will consider imposing the “stay at home” order as it did back in March.
All travelers would be required to quarantine for 14 days without exemption. At this level, residents are to stay home and only essential businesses and services will be permitted to remain open.
“We definitely don’t want to go back to those days in our community,” Baz said. “That’s why we’re working so hard at what we do.”
Victorino said these “vitally important” metrics were developed in part by the state Department of Health, Harvard Global Health Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Resolve to Save Lives.
“We still need to unite and work together in Maui County,” Victorino said. “Our numbers have been fairly good because you the people have made it happen.”