Gov. David Ige during a press conference today announced the state’s transition from a COVID-19 emergency response to general public health management.

The announcement was made as new coronavirus cases continued on an upward trend in the isles — and the statewide average positivity rate increased from 7.1% last week to 9.1% today.

“We all know what we can do to fight against COVID-19,” Ige said. “Stay at home when you are sick. That’s the No. 1 rule we know. Isolate. Wear a mask indoors and in crowded places. Get tested if you’re exposed or if you become symptomatic. Get vaccinated and up to date, and boosted if you’re eligible.”

All of these actions, he said, help slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep the community healthy and safe.

The Hawaii Department of Health published its “COVID-19 Transition Plan” last Tuesday, outlining how it would handle COVID-19 more like other diseases, according to director Dr. Libby Char.

The plan had already been in the works for several months, and outlines three main goals — to protect against and treat COVID-19, to deter and prepare for new variants, and to enhance community resilience.

Instead of mass vaccination clinics, vaccines will be available at pharmacies and health centers or through health care providers. Instead of mass testing clinics, people will be encouraged to use home test kits, which are widely available.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble noted that COVID infections are up nationwide as well as in Hawaii, with today’s 7-day average of 362 representing a four-fold increase from mid-March.

She said DOH expected to see this rise as many mitigations such as Safe Travels and the indoor mask mandate were dropped, along with the growing dominance of omicron subvariant BA.2, which appears to be more transmissible than BA.1.

The state is in a good position to manage and respond to the increase in COVID-19 infections. Still, DOH urges the community to act with care.

“As you know there are many more COVID cases in the community than are reported to DOH,” she said. “This is because thousands of people are now taking home tests. The results of those tests are not included in our data.”

She said the COVID cases are not, so far, associated with a dramatic increase in hospitalizations, which are a lagging indicator. DOH reported 51 patients with COVID in Hawaii hospitals today, with two in intensive care and two on ventilators.

Still, she said, “we must maintain a level of caution” because the pandemic is not over, and it is too soon to conclude that the state is in the clear.

>>RELATED: Hawaii records 11 new coronavirus-related deaths, 3,370 new infections

Char said new COVID-19 treatments, including antiviral therapeutics, are now widely available and urged vulnerable patients to consider the option. She emphasized, however, that they are not a replacement for vaccines.

Department of Education Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi also spoke at the press conference.

Hayashi reiterated that overarching DOE guidelines are in effect for upcoming school graduation ceremonies. Individual schools have the flexibility to set restrictions and rules to ensure the safety of students and participants.

The DOE has received 700,000 test kits through a partnership with DOH. Nearly 400,000 tests have been distributed to schools, Hayashi said.

Ige’s most recent COVID-related emergency proclamation expired on March 25, bringing an end to a statewide indoor mask mandate and the Safe Travels Hawaii program.

Safe Travels began in October 2020 as a pre-travel testing program that allowed visitors to Hawaii to bypass a 14-day quarantine with a negative COVID-19 test. The program later enabled domestic travelers to avoid a five-day quarantine by providing proof of vaccination or recent negative test.

In its weekly COVID-19 report, released Wednesday, the Hawaii Department of Health recorded 11 new coronavirus-related deaths and 3,370 additional infections. Hawaii’s COVID death toll stands at 1,418, while 248,405 cases have been reported since start of the pandemic.

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