County parks and recreational facilities would close again under a new emergency rule proposed by Mayor Mitch Roth that has been sent to Gov. David Ige for consideration.
As part of the proposed emergency rule, beach parks and shoreline parks also would close, except for direct access to and from the ocean for exercise, fishing or use of restroom facilities.
State parks such as Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area will likely follow suit.
Roth told County Council members Tuesday that the administration was working on revising its emergency rules to submit to Ige for approval.
Among other provisions, Roth’s new emergency order outlines rules for restaurants, bars, food courts and other dining establishments; barber shops and beauty operators; and places of worship.
The county also would be able to levy fines for violating the restrictions set forth in the emergency rule.
More details will be announced next week.
Roth is looking to re-implement restrictions in response to the ongoing COVID-19 surge, which is driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant that has pushed hospital capacity on the island to its limits.
The Delta variant now accounts for more than 90% of COVID-19 cases statewide, according to a variant report issued Thursday by the state Department of Health.
On Hawaii Island, the Delta strain, which can cause more than two times as many infections as the original virus, is estimated to account for 100% of COVID infections.
The DOH on Thursday reported 163 new COVID-19 cases on the Big Island, the largest single-day case count Hawaii County has tallied since the start of the pandemic. There are 1,504 active cases, with 38 people hospitalized.
Statewide, 752 cases were reported Thursday, and there has been an average of 713 new cases daily Aug. 11-17.
Because of the rising case counts, Roth, in a letter to the governor on Wednesday, also urged Ige to immediately reinstate pretravel testing requirements for all trans-Pacific passengers, regardless of residency or vaccination status.
Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
