Mayor’s COVID-19 Second Amended Emergency Rule No. 19 Pursuant to the authority vested in me by Hawai’i Revised Statute
COUNTY REDUCES INDOOR GATHERING LIMIT TO TEN AS CASES SURGE
Hawaiʻi County has reduced the indoor gathering limit to ten as cases continue to surge statewide. The limit is
down from 25 persons allowed indoors, as was previously specified in Mayor’s First Amended COVID-19
Emergency Rule No.19, originally signed on November 30. Mayor’s Second Amended COVID-19 Emergency
Rule No.19, signed yesterday, December 27, by Managing Director Lee Lord, makes no other changes to the
emergency rules. Lord signed for Mayor Mitch Roth due to Roth’s mandatory quarantine related to COVID-19.
“We know people are going to gather to celebrate the New Year, and we want to ensure that if they do, that they
do so outdoors, where it’s safe,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “The new variant is extremely transmissible and is
spreading quickly. The science says that outdoor gatherings are much safer than indoors, and we would like to
encourage all of our residents to adhere to the new limits. We don’t want to roll back any other restrictions, and
the only way for us to ensure that we don’t have to is by doing what’s in the best interest of everyone in our
community – mask up, distance when possible, and stay home if you feel sick.”
The County of Hawaiʻi would also like to remind residents of the importance of getting their booster shots to
combat the surge of COVID-19 in our community. Boosters are free and are being administered islandwide.
Visit hawaiicounty.gov/vaccination to find a distribution site near you.
View Mayor’s Second Amended COVID-19 Emergency Rule No.19 here.
Mayor’s COVID-19 Second Amended Emergency Rule No. 19 Pursuant to the authority vested in me by Hawai’i Revised Statutes (“HRS”)
Chapter 127A and due to the public health concerns related to COVID-19, I hereby
amend the Mayor’s COVID-19 First Amended Emergency Rule No. 19 adopted on December 1. 2021. This amendment shall have the force and effect of law.
On November 2, 2021, Governor lge issued Executive Order No. 21-08, which set statewide limits for social gatherings, restaurants, bars, social establishments, and gyms. Subsequently, on November 29, 2021, Governor lge issued an Emergency Proclamation Related to COVID-19 which relaxed those limits.
Since then, there has been a rapid increase in the number of COVID-·1 9 cases on Hawai’i Island with seven-day average of cases afsixty-six (66) per day and the test positivity rate at 7.4% as of December 27, 2021. Currently, over 66% of Hawai’i Island residents have been vaccinated. These increased numbers necessitate reinstatement of more stringent gathering restrictions. This Emergency Rule Amendment is based upon evidence that COVID-19 continues to endure within this state and county at an increased rate of infection via travel related cases as well as through c;ommunity spread as reported by the State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This Emergency Rule Amendment is also basecl upon
scientific evidence that reinforces the types of best practices and social policies that are most effective at mitigating or preventing the transmission of COVID-19. To date, the number of documented cases of COVID-19 in the State is in excess of 103,773, and there have been at least 1,082 deaths attributed to this disease in the State.
I, Mitchell D. Roth, Mayor of the County of Hawai’i, hereby amend Section D. Gatherings, of the Mayor’s COVID-19 First Amended Emergency Rule No. ·19, as follows:
- Gatherings
Rules stated herein may be superseded by rules promulgated by the Governor.
County of Hawa1 ‘1 1s an Equal Opportunity Prov ider and Employer
Mayor’s COVID-19 Second Amended Emergency Rule No. 19 Page 2 of 2
Except as otherwise permitted in this Rule and pursuant to Exhibit 2 (County parks operations) and Exhibit 5 (Commercial/Business Gatherings – special ,.vents requests), indoor social gatherings of more than ten (10) persons and outdoor social gatherings of more than one hundred (100) persons are prohibited.
A social gathering is defined as a planned or spontaneous event, assembly, or meeting that brings together multiple people from separate households in a single space or area, indoors or outdoors, at the same time and in a coordinated fashion.
A social gathering includes, but is not limited to, such get-togethers as a banquet, barbecue, concert, fair, festival, funeral, luau, parade, party, picnic, or
- A social gathering does not include, and this definition does not apply to:
• Federal, state and county government operations and functions;
- Educational, adult and childcare facilities with adequate and active supervision and monitoring, enforcement capabilities, and established emergency response protocols;
• Businesses, operations, and activities operating under Section
A of this Rule;
- Park operations and function governed by Exhibit
Mayor’s COVID-19 First Amended Emergency Rule No. 19 in all other respects shall remain in full force and effect.
This Second Amended Emergency Rule No. 19 shall take effect immediately and shall continue through January 28, 2022, unless extended, rescinded, supemeded, or amended by my subsequent order, or as otherwise provided by law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the County of Hawai’i to be affixed. Done this 27th day of December, 2021 in Hilo, Hawai’i.