A Hawaii inmate has died at a privately owned prison in Arizona that has experienced an outbreak of the coronavirus, Hawaii officials said.
A 61-year-old man was found unresponsive in his bed at the Saguaro Correctional Center on Thursday morning and was pronounced dead shortly afterward, Hawaii Department of Public Safety officials said. The cause of death for the 61-year-old man has not yet been determined.
The man’s name was not immediately released.
The prison has had 65 Hawaii prisoners test positive for the coronavirus, KGMB reported.
The state Department of Public Safety said a complete quarantine of the Hawaii population at the prison was not implemented until Thursday, when mass testing of the facility’s 1,082 inmates started. Test results are still pending for more than 1,011 prisoners, state public safety officials said.
A request for comment made by KGMB to the Saguaro Correctional Center and the prison’s operator CoreCivic was not immediately returned.
City expands explanation of mask rules with online posts
Confused about mask-wearing on Oahu?
The city has posted frequently asked questions and a list of do’s and don’ts at oneoahu.org/masks.
“Face coverings are one of the most important tools we have in fighting this pandemic,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “We can make it through Tier 2 and into Tier 3, before Thanksgiving, which will allow up to 10 people to gather together, so long as we continue to practice physical distancing, and wear face coverings in public.”
Under a pandemic emergency order, everyone has to wear face coverings while outdoors in public spaces, “if maintaining a physical distance of six feet from other individuals (who are not members of the same household or living unit) is not feasible,” the city said in a press release. “Face coverings shall also be worn while indoors in public spaces including, but not limited to, enclosed common areas of commercial and residential buildings. An owner or operator of an Essential Business, Designated Business/Operation, or City department may refuse admission or service to any individual who fails to wear face coverings.”
Search for Institute for Astronomy director at UH-Manoa postponed
The University of Hawaii last week announced that it has postponed the search for a director of the Institute for Astronomy in Manoa.
“UH instituted a hiring freeze at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in anticipation of the expected budget shortfall. Though the search for the new director started before the pandemic, it has been decided to restart the process when the university is in a stronger fiscal position,” the university said in a press release.
Three finalists for the job were named on Oct. 20.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that was necessary,” said UH-Manoa Provost Michael Bruno. “I plan to work closely with the faculty of the IfA to ensure that their world-class research, instruction and community engagement continues strongly.”
Organizations participate in statewide Tree Planting Day
In a statewide tree planting day Friday, dozens of organizations joined in the goal of fighting climate change by planting 100,000 trees, with 10,000 volunteers on 1,000 sites across Hawaii.
Gov. David Ige proclaimed Oct. 30 as statewide Tree Planting Day, and the tree planting effort was organized by ReTree Hawai‘i.
One of the participating organizations, Mahi Pono, said in a press release that its volunteer planters were also given citrus trees to plant at home.
“Mahi Pono was honored to join ReTree Hawai‘i’s efforts and others across the state to do our part for Statewide Tree Planting Day,” said Shan Tsutsui, senior vice president of operations at Mahi Pono. “Today’s efforts not only support local agriculture but will ultimately help to stem the effects of climate change in communities across Hawaii.”