Stay-at-home order may be lifted for Lanai

County officials waiting for weekend test results

Maui County is considering lifting the stay-at-home order for Lanai on Wednesday as cases over the last week have been "minimal," though officials said Friday that they will wait to see the case totals over the weekend.

"We are looking to this weekend's cases and the testing that's going on to see if there is any uptick," Managing Director Sandy Baz said during the county's news conference on Friday. "We wouldn't want to open up and re-shut quickly."

Baz said that it's "looking like" the county could lift the order, "but we can't guarantee it right now."

Currently people on Lanai must stay in their residences or places of lodging, except for essential activities such as purchasing food or medical visits.

On Friday, Lanai had one new COVID-19 case, putting its total at 106. A week ago the total tally was at 99 on the small island with around 3,200 residents and no medical infrastructure to handle serious COVID-19 cases. Since the pandemic started in March, the island had seen zero cases until the state Health Department reported Oct. 20 that three coworkers and a health care worker had caught the virus. Ordered by the county and approved by the state, the stay-at-home mandate for Lanai began on Oct. 27 as cases skyrocketed.

Baz said he feels the outbreak is now under control.

"Basically, yes. The number of cases, the new positive cases we have gotten over the last week have been very minimal and have been related to known cases," he said.

This week, a team from the Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention visited Lanai to help with contact tracing and work with local health providers, Baz said.

That team has since left the island, he added.

There will be another large community testing event from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Old Dole Administration Building in Lanai City. People may register by visiting doineedacovid19test.com.

Baz encouraged those who previously tested negative to also seek another test.

Also at the Friday news conference, Maui Chamber of Commerce President Pamela Tumpap announced the Maui County Farmer & Rancher Continuity Program, which can assist with expenses suffered during the pandemic.

Money from the CARES Act will be used to help the county's farmers and ranchers with farmland mortgage and rent, seeds, plants and other business-related expenses.

The program will roll out at 8 a.m. today. For more information, visit mauichamber.com or call the chamber office at 244-0081.

Also this weekend, the annual Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival, which is presented by the chamber and supported by the county's Office of Economic Development, will take place virtually from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The event, which had to go virtual because of the pandemic, will feature more than 80 local vendors.

For information and access, visit madeinmauicountyfestival .com.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.