Ige sets nationwide “vaccination guidelines” to ease restrictions on restaurants and gatherings

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaiian restaurants cannot upgrade to 75% capacity until at least 6 out of 10 residents are vaccinated, the governor announced on Monday.

With a vaccination rate of 60%, restrictions on social gatherings are also relaxed: groups of 25 people can gather indoors, while 75 people can gather outdoors.

These restrictions do not apply to structured events, including weddings.

The governor made the announcements Monday, saying the “vaccination benchmarks” should be in line with his plan to ease travel restrictions as more residents roll up their sleeves.

[Read more: Here’s what you need to know about how travel restrictions are easing]

He also reiterated his previous promise that all restrictions will end once Hawaii hits a 70% vaccination rate. Health experts have predicted that Hawaii could reach this milestone by late summer.

Currently, 53% of all residents are fully vaccinated, while 60% have received at least one dose. To reach a vaccination rate of 60%, about 100,000 more people need to be fully vaccinated.

Efforts to relax restaurant and convention capacity restrictions come as other states fully reopen – something the governor has pushed back against.

Restaurateurs have found that the 50% capacity constraint at a time when visitor numbers are high is particularly detrimental to their businesses and have asked the governor to reassess the problem.

The Mayor of Maui also recently urged the governor to increase restaurant capacity to 75%, citing the increase in visitor arrivals and a restart of the economy. This request was rejected.

Also on Monday, the governor signed his 21st emergency proclamation on COVID-19, officially ending travel restrictions between the islands on June 15.

The proclamation also extends the eviction moratorium until August 6th.

This story will be updated.

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