Hawaii renters could have nearly a one-month reprieve from evictions after Gov. David Ige announced today that the more than year-old moratorium will continue until Oct. 3 or “until a county no longer has substantial or high levels of community transmission for 14 consecutive days,” whichever comes first.

Guidance about evictions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “currently applies to almost the entire State of Hawaii,” Ige’s office said.

Except for the isolated community of Kalawao County and the Kalaupapa peninsula on Molokai — home to the state’s Hansen’s Disease settlement — all island counties “have either substantial (orange) or high (red) community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19,” Ige’s office said.

Ige’s announcement follows a Twitter statement today from U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz that the federal eviction moratorium applies “to ALL counties across the state of Hawaii,” just a day after Ige said his eviction moratorium would be lifted today, meaning evictions could proceed.

The existing ban only applies to tenants who “must attest that they have used best efforts to obtain all available governmental assistance for housing, and they must have made not more than $99,000 as an individual, not more than $198,000 as a joint filer, or are not required to report any income,” Ige’s office said.

To see if they qualify, tenants should fill out the CDC declaration form.

If they qualify, Ige’s office said they then they must provide the completed and signed form to their landlord or landlord’s representative or face eviction.

Renters who do not meet the requirements will not be protected from eviction.

In his Tweet, Schatz said that “For all Hawaii tenants and landlords: We have now confirmed twice with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that the new federal eviction moratorium applies to ALL counties across the state of Hawaii.”

On Thursday, Ige announced that the ban on evictions would be lifted today, as he previously announced nearly three weeks ago.

On Wednesday, Schatz — chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation — issued a statement on a new order issued by the Biden Administration to extend the federal eviction moratorium.

“No one should be kicked out of their home during a pandemic because they can’t afford their rent,” Schatz said in his statement Wednesday. “These extensions will stop evictions for thousands of Hawai‘i residents struggling to make ends meet – a necessary step taken by the Biden Administration, and the right thing to do.”

Schatz issued the following guidance for renters and homeowners at https://bit.ly/3iprDSC

In July, Ige announced that renters will have a 30-day pause on evictions after receiving an eviction notice, and Ige urged both renters and landlords to contact their local mediation centers about their rights.

Ige imposed the first eviction ban on April 17, 2020, and extended it for more than a year “to prevent mass evictions.”

State officials have been urging renters to:

>> Respond to the mediation center when contacted.

>> Apply for rental assistance.

>> Call for help with legal assistance and know your rights.

Mediation services on each island:

>> Oahu: Mediation Center of the Pacific, mediatehawaii.org

>> East Hawaii: Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center, hawaiimediation.org

>> West Hawaii: West Hawai‘i Mediation Center, whmediation.org/our-services/landlord-tenant

>> Maui County: Maui Mediation Services, mauimediation.org

>> Kauai County: Kauai Economic Opportunity Inc. Mediation Program, 245-4077, ext. 229 or 237; or mediation@keoinc.org

For more information:

>> Legal Aid Society of Hawaii: legalaidhawaii.org/i-cant-pay-my-rent-mortgage.html

>> Mediation Center of the Pacific: mediatehawaii.org/landlordtenant