Saturday, December 14, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, February 28, 2022
Lawmaker asks Ige to drop Hawaii's mask mandate
By Selected News Articles @ 2:31 AM :: 2753 Views :: Republican Party, COVID-19

Lawmaker asks Ige to drop Hawaii's mask mandate

by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square, Feb 27, 2022

(The Center Square) – House Minority Whip Val Okimoto is asking Hawaii Gov. David Ige to rescind the state's mask mandate in light of new guidelines released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The new CDC guidelines state mask wearing is a "personal preference" in areas where the COVID-19 community level is low. Residents who live in medium areas where the risk is medium and who are immunocompromised should talk to their health care providers about wearing a mask indoors, the CDC said. 

Hawaii's four counties are in the low to medium risk range, according to the CDC guidelines released Friday. 

Ige plans to keep the mask mandates until at least March 25, when the current state of emergency expires, he told KHON.  

The other 49 states have either ended indoor mask mandates or have set an expiration date. Hawaii is the only state where officials have not announced an end date. 

Okimoto wrote "the people can protect themselves without losing their liberties," in a letter to Ige on Friday. 

"Our state is 76% vaccinated, has complete access to vaccinations, COVID-19 treatments and an ability to adapt to new strains of this virus," Okimoto wrote. "It is time to transition to living with this virus."

The state has the second-lowest COVID-19 fatality rate in the country, which Hawaii Department of Health spokesperson Brooks Baehr attributed to the state's mask mandate.

Okimoto said the mandate costs the state in other ways. 

"These mandated restrictions have cost a heavy toll on our economy, our communities and the mental well-being of our people and our children," Okimoto wrote in her letter. "We no longer need to pay that toll."

CDC officials said Friday masks are no longer necessary unless someone lives in an area where hospitals are struggling to keep up, adding that means about 70% of Americans can go maskless.

"We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii