Mayor Mitch Roth is confident large in-person events can be held later this year as COVID-19 numbers decline statewide.
During a livestreamed interview Monday, Roth said he believes that it will be safe to hold events such as the Merrie Monarch, which was cancelled in 2020 and held without a live audience last year.
The festival is scheduled for the week of April 17, but with a limited in-person audience, according to the Merrie Monarch website.
“We are very much looking forward to having those big events coming back,” Roth said. “We believe that, this year, we will have a Merrie Monarch, and if things keep going the way they’re progressing right now … we’re hoping that things will be a lot better by the time we have Merrie Monarch or the time we have Ironman.”
Because of the declining number of cases, Roth said he has no intention of imposing new COVID restrictions. Unlike Maui Mayor Mike Victorino, who last week updated his county’s definition of “fully vaccinated” to include a booster shot, Roth said he is unsure whether such steps are necessary at this stage.
“If you look at our numbers, they have been right in line with everyone else’s,” Roth said. “I’ve talked with people in the hospitality industry, and they’re really worried about the impacts that booster requirement can have. … With the rate at which out numbers are going down, we’re not sure it will have that much of an impact.
“Poverty is the biggest enemy of health care,” Roth continued. “When we put these restrictions in place, we have to realize what’s happening on the other end. The people who are most likely to be impacted are the people who are most likely to be among our ALICE group: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.”
When the state eventually institutes a booster requirement for the Safe Travels program — something Gov. David Ige said in January he intends to do “soon” — Roth said he will discuss whether the county can opt out of that requirement.
Despite this, Roth still urged residents to get booster shots, because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly identified them as instrumental in reducing the rate of infection and severity of the omicron variant.
Meanwhile, Roth said he hopes to launch a new countywide program called HOE — Healthy Organizations for Everyone — soon, wherein the county will partner with nonprofit Community First to distribute home COVID-19 test kits to businesses.
Roth’s spokesman Cyrus Johnasen said more information about the program will be announced later this week.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaii tribune-herald.com.
