USS Arizona Memorial closes amid coronavirus outbreak
HONOLULU — Officials have closed schools and facilities and postponed events to prevent the spread of the coronavirus widely in Hawaii and overwhelming the health care system.
The USS Arizona Memorial also is being affected by the crisis.
The National Park Service said the Pearl Harbor National Memorial is closed temporarily following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health officials.
The site includes the Arizona Memorial, which honors the 1,177 Marines and sailors killed when the battleship sank during the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The memorial normally receives about 1.8 million visitors each year.
Hawaiian Airlines also said Tuesday it would suspend service between Honolulu and Sapporo, Japan, from April 2-July 18. The airline said it was acting in response to declining travel demand. It said it aims to resume service in the summer.
Hawaiian continues to fly between Honolulu and Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka in Japan. The airline reduced its overall capacity amid declining demand.
Hawaii confirms new rapid ohia death fungal disease cases
LIHUE, Kauai — A scientific group announced the discovery of new cases of a fungal disease that has killed thousands of native ohia trees.
The Kauai Rapid Ohia Death Working Group announced cases of the fungal disease on Kauai.
Limahuli Garden and Preserve director Lei Wann ordered a tree sample to be tested after officials observed ohia exhibiting symptoms of rapid ohia death.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Hilo ran molecular testing and confirmed the presence of Ceratocystis huliohia, the less aggressive of two fungal species responsible for the blight.
Within a day of learning the Limahuli test results, the tree was felled and covered to contain the spread of the disease.
Other ohia tested positive a short time later, including one tree with Ceratocystis huliohia and another with Ceratocystis lukuohia.
Officials say C. huliohia can take months to years to kill ohia trees, while C. lukuohia can kill within weeks.
The trees were targeted for sampling after they were spotted during recent helicopter surveys by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife and Kauai Invasive Species Committee.
Rapid ohia death has been found on each of the state’s four main islands, including a new infection discovered earlier this month on Oahu.
State Senate passes bill to ban foreigner home purchases
HONOLULU — A bill to prohibit foreigners from buying some homes in Hawaii was endorsed by state senators in an effort to make housing more affordable for local residents.
The bill would generally bar purchases of homes that are more than 5 years old by people who are not U.S. citizens and legal residents, as well as companies and trusts controlled by nonresident aliens.
Two Senate committees advanced the measure last month, followed by a 25-0 March 3 vote by all senators to send the legislation to the state House for consideration.
The Senate Water and Land Committee amended the bill to delay its effective date to 2050 to encourage further discussion, while two committee members voted for passage with reservations.
The Senate Judiciary Committee issued a report last month saying restrictions on residential property purchases by nonresident aliens might be unconstitutional and inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy.
The bill drew overwhelming support in public testimony, though only about 20 written comments were submitted. The Hawaii Association of Realtors, representing more than 10,000 real estate agents, submitted testimony opposing the bill.