Oahu could move to Tier 4 reopening if COVID-19 cases continue to drop

Oahu is on track to reach the least-restrictive tier in Honolulu’s reopening plan on March 25 if case counts continue to drop.

Honolulu’s seven-day rolling average of new cases was 23 on Thursday with an average positivity rate of 0.9%, meeting one benchmark to move to Tier 4, which allows gatherings of up to 25 people, up from 10. The seven-day average case count must be below 20 and the positivity rate below 1% on two consecutive Wednesdays — March 17 and 24 — to move to Tier 4.

“We’re already very close. The numbers are so good, and we want folks on the positive right now … keeping case counts low so that we can move to Tier 4 and not move backwards,” said Tim Sakahara, communications director for Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “People do have to continue practicing physical distancing, masking, and washing hands to get those case numbers down and the positivity rate to stay down.”

Hospitals have seen a dramatic decline in COVID-19 patients, which has given state officials a sense of relief as the pandemic rages across America.

Read more: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/03/05/hawaii-news/oahu-could-move-to-tier-4-reopening-if-covid-19-cases-continue-to-drop/