Hawaii’s public schools remain closed through April 6 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the state Department of Education said Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Health announced two new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total of confirmed or presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii to 16.
Students, who were anticipated to return to school on March 30, are now expected to return April 7. The department said no additional comment would be made pending a press conference today in Honolulu.
The DOE also will close its offices except for essential functions effective today. Employees will work remotely and those who need to perform duties at a campus or office during this period will be limited to those tasks before returning to their telework agreement. Employee return dates will be staggered, the DOE said.
The new positive results for COVID-19 announced Wednesday were for two Oahu residents who traveled outside Hawaii. The DOH is monitoring these individuals and supervising their isolation as well as the self-quarantine of their family members.
All cases who tested positive in Hawaii are travel-related. There is no evidence of community spread in Hawaii at this time, the DOH said.