(BIVN) – In a Monday afternoon update, the State of Hawaiʻi said that since it last issued a summary report on COVID-19 on Friday, June 5, there have been an additional twelve (12) cases of coronavirus reported in Hawai‘i. That includes one (1) new case in an O‘ahu adult resident.

There remains no new or active cases of COVID-19 on Hawaiʻi island. 

Additional Testing Underway at Long-Term Care Facilities

[The Department of Health] is investigating three positive cases, who are workers at a senior living facility and a long term skilled nursing facility on O‘ahu. None of these workers are involved in direct patient care. Two of the cases involve employees at Kalakaua Gardens and one is a worker at Maunalani Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Both facilities already had universal masking for source control in place for all work areas, including the work areas where these cases were identified. They had also implemented physical distancing policies. As a result, no one at either facility is considered a close contact and no associated cases have been identified at this time. Additional testing of patients and staff is taking place as a precautionary measure. DOH will continue to monitor the situation, work with the facilities, and investigate any associated cases that may be identified.

$30,000 to Enable Virtual Visits with Kupuna

23 skilled nursing facilities in the state will receive assistance for communications devices that will allow seniors at these facilities to stay in touch with their family and friends during the current pandemic. Since mid-March 2020, skilled nursing facilities have prohibited visitors and nonessential personnel from visiting their facilities to adhere to strict physical distancing guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect vulnerable seniors in these facilities.

“With restrictions on face-to-face, in-person visits still in place, the grants will provide the tools skilled nursing facilities need to provide emotional support for their residents,” said Keith Ridley, chief of the Department of Health’s Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA), which oversees and regulates skilled nursing facilities.

Ridley said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave states authority to approve applications from skilled nursing facilities for COVID-19 communication technologies to expedite the approval process. The funds are provided as grants from the CMS Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) Reinvestment Program, are limited to $3,000 for each facility, and are earmarked for communication technologies such as tablets or other devices and accessories.

1,891 Passengers Arrive on Sunday

From the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority:

Yesterday, 1,891 people arrived in Hawaii. During this same time last year, nearly 30,000 passengers arrived in Hawaii daily, including residents and visitors. The state’s mandatory 14-day self-quarantine started on March 26th for all passengers arriving in Hawaii from out of state. The quarantine order was expanded on April 1st to include interisland travelers. This table shows the number of people who arrived by air from out of state yesterday and does not include interisland travel. This data was collected from the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Mandatory Travel Declaration Form.