With gathering sizes no longer limited on the Big Island, businesses are eager to return to normalcy but still face staffing woes.
Mayor Mitch Roth on Monday announced an immediate end to all COVID-19 restrictions in the county. Consequently, indoor and outdoor gatherings — previously limited to no more than 10 people and 100 people, respectively — can resume without limits.
Some businesses have taken advantage of the dropped restrictions almost immediately.
“We’ll be able to bring back the tables we put into storage two years ago,” said Janet Coney, general manager of the Kilauea Lodge in Volcano.
Coney said the restaurant had to split up large groups of customers during the pandemic, but now will be able to seat groups of a dozen or more all together.
Mario Castillo, general manager at Cafe Pesto in Hilo, said on Tuesday that the restaurant already has brought back most of its tables.
But both Castillo and Coney said another pandemic-related problem has not gone away, despite the end of gathering size restrictions.
Because of a shortage of employees, Coney said Kilauea Lodge has had to cut back its hours of operation from seven to five days a week.
“I’ve been trying to hire for quite some time now,” Coney said. “If anyone needs employment, please apply with us.”
“There aren’t enough workers, but there is a lot of opportunity to make money though,” Castillo said. “We’re training and interviewing people since the restrictions allow us to seat more. It is stressful right now, and it’s causing people to break a bit. I don’t think we’ve ever been as busy as we have been lately.”
But even with staffing woes, some venues already are gearing up for larger crowds. Issa Hilweh, owner of the Hilo Town Tavern, said he doesn’t want to overwhelm his current employees, but hopes to host more live performers now that more people can gather.
“I’m trying to not be too excited since we’ve been in this similar situation before,” Hilweh said. “Last time restrictions were loosened, I hired more employees, and then I had to let some of them go when things changed. That’s never easy to do, and I don’t want to have to do that again.”
One attraction that is not immediately making changes in light of the loosened restrictions is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said the park is reevaluating its safety protocols after Roth’s announcement, but added that the Kilauea Visitor Center will remain closed until interior renovation work can be completed.
“As the island’s most-visited destination, many park overlooks and outdoor areas are often crowded, and masks are currently required on the KVC lanai and outdoors if social distancing cannot be maintained,” Ferracane said in a statement.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.