Photo from previous Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park press release courtesy National Park Service

(BIVN) – The annual Hawaiian Cultural Festival at Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park set for Saturday (June 25) will be postponed, the National Park Service announced on Friday.

“Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases locally,” the NPS news release stated, the festival “will be re-schedule later when COVID cases are at a lower level and Hawaiʻi County moves out of the high level of community spread.”

Park Superintendent John Broward said, “the health and safety of our staff and community must be the highest priority.”

While COVID case counts on Hawaiʻi island are on a downward trend week-over-week, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated Hawaiʻi County as having a “high” COVID-19 Community Level. The CDC says the designation is determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.