As COVID cases soar, Blangiardi says bringing back mask mandate ‘a possibility’

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As COVID instances soar, Honolulu’s mayor is warning it could possibly be essential to carry again the masks mandate to tamp down on infections.

“We’re kind of in a warning stage versus a watch stage. I feel we could possibly be on a threshold for taking some motion,” stated Blangiardi.

“The one actions can be robust encouragement can be to put on a masks and if crucial if numbers have been to proceed to escalate maybe one other masks mandate.”

Hawaii’s COVID surge continues, with greater than 7,000 instances prior to now week

Dr. Jim Eire, director of the Emergency Medical Companies Division, stated massive occasions are a key supply of unfold.

“You do have lots of people there. A whole lot if no more,” he stated, referring to massive graduations.

“Any person in there may be going to have COVID sadly and if they’ve shut contact with folks, there’s an opportunity they may unfold it.”

On Wednesday, the state Well being Division stated the seven-day common statewide is as much as 925 instances per day. That doesn’t embody the massive variety of at-home COVID exams. In the meantime, over the previous seven days hospitalizations have gone up from 88 to 126, however there’s no bump in ICU figures.

Earlier this week, Gov. David Ige stated well being officers imagine the case rely is 5 instances larger than the reported quantity as a result of outcomes from house exams aren’t reported.

“Whether it is 5 instances, that places us on the peak of Omicron so folks ought to be conscious. We aren’t going to mandate masks necessities at this cut-off date,” stated Ige.

If you happen to multiply the every day common by 5, that might imply Hawaii is seeing about 4,625 instances a day.

Hawaii Information Now requested the governor if there’s no masks mandate now due to a scarcity of urge for food for elevated restrictions or if the state of affairs within the hospitals wasn’t critical sufficient to warrant it.

“It’s a mixture of each,” stated Ige.

Hawaii Information Now additionally requested Eire whether it is only a matter of time earlier than everybody will get COVID.

“I do imagine in some unspecified time in the future most individuals are prone to contract COVID in some type. Hopefully it’s a brilliant, tremendous gentle type,” he stated.

Copyright 2022 Hawaii Information Now. All rights reserved.