Is the COVID-19 spike in Hawaii Classified by the US Military?

Why is COVID-19 spreading in Hawaii? Ask the Department of Defense
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Why is the US Department of Defense speechless about the catastrophic COVID-19 outbreak in Hawaii?
Did the Aloha State never had a chance not factoring in the Military when locking up? The sacrifice by Hawaii residents is beyond imagination for many in the U.S., because the State depends on tourism.

Visiting Hawaii as a tourist has not been a lot of fun for the last 4 months if you followed the rules? A Hawaii vacation comes with a 14-day mandatory quarantine in your hotel room. As a result, Hawaii had maintained the lowest number in COVID-19 infections not often exceeding one digit a day.

This all changed a little more than a week ago. Today 201 people were reported infected and two died on coronavirus in the State of Hawaii.

There were large groups of young people allowed to ignore the quarantine every day because they are under Federal Protection. These groups are members of the US Military and their families. Many restaurants in Waikiki told eTurboNews, a majority of their visitor clients are members of the military.

Every day hundreds of US military members and their families had been arriving in Hawaii without the requirement of a mandatory quarantine set in place by Hawaiiย  Governor Ige.

eTurboNews had asked Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell two weeks ago if this was a concern when infection numbers slowly increased. Caldwell confirmed it was a concern and also confirmed the State was pushing Federal Authorities to change their policies. Caldwell said: “Unfortunately this is not our jurisdiction.”

For the last week, COVID-19 infections in Hawaii are getting out of control, prompting authorities to close beaches, parks and on August 11 a quarantine requirement for interisland flights will be reinstated.

Today the Honolulu Advertiser reported about COVID-19 cases at Pearl Harbor. US Military authorities confirmed in a report by Stars and Stripes an outbreak of 225 infections in Okinawa, Japan between the 4th of July weekend and July 26, 225. Cases were reported by US Marines.

Unexpectedly earlier today Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, director of emergency management for Hawaii, reversed an earlier decision. He said a 14-day self-quarantine exemption previously granted for military family members arriving on โ€œpermanent change of stationโ€ or PCS orders, is now revoked.

Hara said in a memo dated today at the request of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and with โ€œthe surge in COVID-19 cases in the state of Hawaii, family members traveling to Hawaii are subject to the stateโ€™s 14-day self-quarantine.โ€

The directive appears to differentiate between military service members and their civilian families.

โ€œAll military service members traveling to Hawaii for official business are not subject to the state of Hawaii order to self-quarantine,โ€ the memo states. โ€œArriving military service members must check with their command for current orders and policies regarding restriction of movement.โ€

Just 2 weeks ago Hawaii was praised for having the virus under control and the lowest infection rates. Just a week ago Japan was contemplating a deal with Hawaii to relaunch tourism. September 1 was the big day when tourism was to reopen allowing arrivals from the US mainland without quarantine when tested.

This day is now becoming more and more unlikely, especially after all beaches are now closed until September 4.

Travel has always been the weakest point when it comes to spreading the virus. The military is not answering questions and apparently has a blackout in place keeping the numbers of cases within their ranks secret.

The Department of Defense does not release numbers of infected individuals at the unit, facility, or geographic level due to operational security,โ€ the Navy office at the Pentagon said.

The question remains: Why is there such a spike in the COVID-19 outbreak in the State of Hawaii?
Hawaii has sacrificed a lot in keeping the State safe. Unemployment, bankruptcies, and the tourism industry are the victims.

Did the military sabotage the enormous effort by State authorities to Keep Hawaii safe without realizing it?

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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