On March 17, Hawaii Governor David Ige issued a plea to U.S. domestic travelers to postpones their vacation plans for at least one month in order to give the islands time to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection.
In the same proclamation, Ige directed that all bars and clubs be shuttered, and mandated that all restaurants transition to offering drive-through, takeout and delivery services only. He also called upon all Hawaiians to limit their social gatherings to groups containing a maximum of ten people.
"The actions I'm announcing today may seem extreme to some of you, and we know that it will have negative effects to our economy," Ige said. "But we are confident that taking aggressive actions now will allow us to have a quicker recovery when this crisis is over."
The coronavirus arrived in Hawaii fairly recently, with the first presumed case having been identified on March 6, 2020, in a visitor who was likely exposed while sailing aboard the Grand Princess.
There are now fourteen confirmed or presumptive cases scattered across four of the islands: Oahu has 8 cases; Maui, three; Kauai, two; and Big Island Hawaii, one.
Officials have already closed schools, state facilities and postponed scheduled events to help curb the coronavirus' perhaps inevitable community spread, and prevent new cases from overwhelming the state's healthcare system.
"While we do not yet have an indication of community transmission, these introductions are concerning, and each represents an opportunity for COVID-19 to spread in our state," according to the Hawaii State Department of Health website.
Its isolated geographical position leaves Hawaii vulnerable to any number of logistical problems if the virus were to get out of hand. Live Science reported that the state is already finding itself faced with shortages of hand sanitizer and toilet paper, and worries that it may face similar challenges when it comes to COVID-19 testing supplies as the situation develops.
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