Honolulu (AP) — Hawaii’s Governor David Ige announced Tuesday that the last state-wide maskman date in the United States will be lifted by March 26.
After 11:59 pm on March 25, no state needs a mask indoors. Hawaii is the last state to withdraw pandemic security measures, and Washington’s mask obligations expire at midnight on Friday.
Ige said one indicator used to determine when the mission was about to end was that there were 48 patients admitted with COVID-19 on Tuesday. He said this was the first time the number had fallen below 50 since last summer.
He said cases are on the decline and are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
Since April 2020, Hawaii has required a face mask. At first it was both indoors and outdoors.
Mr. Ige said the culture of caring for Hawaiians, especially Kupuna and the elderly in Hawaii, has long helped the state to accept the rules of the mask.
March 25 is also the time when travelers arriving on the island no longer need to show evidence of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to avoid quarantine.
Ige said these rules contributed to the lowest incidence of COVID-19 in Hawaii in the country.
Sheila Herr, who lives in Kauai, said she would continue to wear masks around people indoors, like a grocery store, even if it’s not required.
“The majority of my friends on Kauai agree that they need to wear masks to protect each other,” she said.