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Hawaiʻi to lift last U.S. state mask mandate on March 25

AP Photo/Caleb Jones

Gov. David Ige announced Tuesday that the statewide indoor mask requirement will end on March 25 at 11:59 p.m. ― when the current emergency proclamation expires.

Hawaiʻi is the last state to drop the pandemic safety measure, with Washington state's mask mandate expiring at midnight Friday.

Ige said there were 48 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 Tuesday. He said that's the first time the number has been under 50 since last summer — a metric he used to determine that it's time for the mandate to end.

"Right now, hospitalizations are trending down," Ige said. "Case counts are falling and we are better at treating people who are infected with the virus. booster shots are saving lives and the CDC rates the state's COVID-19 community level as low all across the state."

He thanked Hawaiʻi residents for complying with the rule.

"I want to once again thank everyone for their hard work and commitment to keeping our community safe. I know this is a milestone many have been waiting for," he said.

Ige said Hawaiʻi's culture of caring for others, especially kūpuna, helped the state tolerate the mask rule for so long — since April 2020.

Ige warned that if Hawaiʻi sees another surge in cases, he would be prepared to reinstitute the mask policy.

"This is all promising, but we've seen previous progress wiped out by a delta or omicron variant. So I want to be very clear, I will be ready to reinstitute the mask policy if COVID cases should surge," Gov. Ige said.

Hawaiʻi Department of Health Director Dr. Libby Char recommended that older residents and the immunocompromised continue to wear masks.

Also starting March 26, arriving travelers will no longer have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to avoid quarantining under the Safe Travels Program.

Meanwhile, the counties already ended their COVID restrictions.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers.
Sophia McCullough is a digital news producer. Contact her at news@hawaiipublicradio.org.
Zoe Dym was a news producer at Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
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