DOH reports fewer bar clusters

Lahaina DMV closes after employee tests positive for COVID-19

Managing Editor

The number of COVID-19 cases linked to bars and nightclubs in Maui County has gone down slightly since the mayor closed bars and bar counters last week, though cases linked to restaurants and social gatherings have gone up in recent days.

Last week, bars and nightclubs had been connected to five clusters totaling 30 cases within the past 14 days. By Thursday, they were down to two clusters totaling 10 cases, according to the state Department of Health’s weekly cluster report.

Meanwhile, three clusters totaling 27 cases were being investigated in connection to restaurants within the past 14 days, while two clusters totaling 22 cases were being linked to social gatherings.

Last week, there were three restaurant clusters totaling eight cases and none associated with social gatherings.

In a memo to some department heads Monday, Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino issued a new directive calling for “support and assistance in allowing restaurants to create and use outdoor dining areas to allow physical distancing for patrons and employees while retaining as many seats as possible.”

The memo, which the county sent out Thursday to Maui community and business leaders, laid out the following guidelines for restaurants looking to use outdoor dining spaces:

≤ Expansion should result in the same number or fewer seats than pre-pandemic. The Planning Department will ask for the preCOVID floor plan that shows the number of seats and the expansion floor plan showing indoor and outdoor seating. If the number of seats is the same or fewer with outdoor expansion, then no additional parking is needed.

≤ If the expansion uses existing required parking, then the Planning Department will ask about alternative parking for customers and/or what options they may have other than driving (such as riding the bus, walking or biking). Depending on the response, the department may issue a temporary parking reduction.

≤ If the expansion involves no construction, then no other permits are needed, including Special Management Area review, which covers properties within a mile of the shoreline. Tables with umbrellas, chairs, planter boxes and similar temporary fixtures and furniture are acceptable and must be wind-resistant. Some tents, awnings and other improvements may require a building permit, as will conventional construction. Tents combining for 400 total square feet or more that do not require a building permit will require Department of Fire and Public Safety approval. Furniture cannot be placed within 10 feet of driveways, ramps, street intersections, fire hydrants or dry standpipes, and may not be placed over planter strips, tree wells or fire lanes.

≤ If the restaurant proposes serving liquor in the expansion area, it must contact the county Department of Liquor Control.

≤ Expansion cannot occur on public property; if a restaurant wants to do so, they must seek further review and approvals.

≤ If the restaurant proposes to expand onto another parcel, property owner consent is required. If the restaurant wants to expand into a different zoning district, Planning will have to review and determine whether the use can be allowed in that district.

≤ Dining areas must be compliant with ADA requirements, Health Department regulations and COVID physical distancing requirements. The county also recommends that the restaurant provide an additional exit for the outdoor dining area.

≤ No amplified music or audio is allowed outside; live music without amplification is allowed until 9 p.m.

≤ Any approvals are temporary and will become invalid when the governor’s and mayor’s emergency orders are lifted, at which point the restaurant will remove the expansion and can resume its pre-COVID operations.

The directive will be in effect until the mayor changes or cancels it, according to the memo.

Also on Thursday, the Lahaina Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing office closed for 10 days after an employee reported testing positive for COVID-19.

The employee is asymptomatic and self-quarantining, the county said. Other Lahaina office employees are also selfquarantining. The Health Department planned to contact employees as well as members of the public who were helped by the COVID-positive worker.

“We will monitor the health of everyone closely, and the facility will be disinfected and sanitized thoroughly,” Victorino said in a news release.

Anyone who visited the Lahaina office this week should monitor themselves for symptoms and consider getting tested for COVID-19 and/or consulting with their health care provider, the county said.

Free testing is available through the county’s community testing programs, and no insurance or payment is needed. To register for a free test, visit minitmed.com/pre-regis ter-maui-covid-19. The county’s Lahaina testing facility is open Mondays and Thursdays, while the Kihei facility is open Tuesdays and Fridays and the Kahului facility is open Wednesdays and Saturdays. All sites will be open at the same time on Dec. 23.

West Maui residents who need vehicle registration renewals may do so online or visit the kiosk at Lahaina Cannery Mall Safeway store, the county said. For in-person service, customers may go to other DMVL offices, including the Maui County Service Center at Maui Mall and the Kihei DMVL office, located next to the Kihei Aquatic Center off of Lipoa Street. Both offices are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.

For more information, call the DMVL at 270-7363.