Eviction moratorium extended to June 8

Gov. David Ige has extended the moratorium on evictions until June 8, allowing tenants to stay in their homes even if they are unable to pay all or a portion of the rent, maintenance fees, utility charges, taxes or other required fees for the rental unit.

Ige made the announcement in his 19th emergency proclamation for COVID-19 on Friday afternoon, four days before the state’s eviction moratorium was set to expire.

The proclamation also allows for the extension of expirations for driver’s licenses, state IDs and instructional permits that expired during the emergency period. The extension allows county driver’s licensing centers to recover from the ongoing effects of the pandemic on availability of services, the Governor’s Office said in a news release.

Hawaii is still under the “Act with Care” phase under the latest proclamation, which calls for continued health and safety measures such as handwashing, physical distancing and face coverings.

The 10-day mandatory quarantine is still required for travelers entering the state or Neighbor Island counties unless they can test negative for COVID-19 through a trusted partner. While the proclamation mentions an anticipated new quarantine exemption for fully vaccinated travelers down the line, the exemption is not yet available and must be approved by the director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the Governor’s Office said.

Ige said earlier this week that the state is not ready to implement a vaccine passport program because it does not have detailed records of who has been vaccinated and is also contending with high case counts on Oahu and Maui.