Hawaiian authorities announced that they will be ending the mask law in their state soon, making Hawaii the last state to do so.
On March 26 , the mandates will be discontinued.
David Ige, Hawaii’s Governor, revealed that Hawaii’s COVID-19 hospitalization and case rates have dropped significantly. Local health authorities have reported that the downward trend is likely to continue.
Hawaii’s indoor mask law has been in effect longer than many observers anticipated, perhaps because of the medical strain that would be placed on Hawaii if a pandemic were to continue unchecked. Unlike other states, Hawaii is not able to divert patients away from its borders.
Hawaii’s mask mandate was enacted in April 2020, and has never been lifted – not even temporarily.
Gov. Ige told The Associated Press Hawaii’s long mandates are possible because the citizens of Hawaii care about their well-being, and they’re willing to sacrifice to protect it.
Health authorities continue to advise wearing masks in hospitals, prisons and schools as well as other public places.
Lt. Gov. Josh Green, a doctor in an emergency department, is for lifting the mask mandate. He believes that the long-standing mask mandate has had a positive impact on Hawaiian public health. However, he thinks it is time to remove them.
Green mentioned that Hawaii’s governor was conservative in his safety measures. This made Hawaii the State with the lowest COVID-19 rate. There is a feeling within the government, however, that it’s about time to get back to normal.
Hawaii experienced a sharp increase in cases, but not deaths, in January. This was probably due to the strain omicron. In February and March the number of cases fell, and there were no deaths from COVID-19 on many days.
