South Kohala District Court will remain shuttered this week after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The individual was asymptomatic, but took a COVID-19 test on Saturday as a precautionary measure, the Judiciary said Tuesday. The test was unrelated to the person’s work at the Judiciary. On Monday afternoon, the test came back positive and the employee immediately went home to self-isolate.
All employees at the facility were directed to go home, self-quarantine, and advised to monitor their health, seek advice of a medical provider, including the possibility of their own test for COVID-19.
The Judiciary said Tuesday the South Kohala employee is the only confirmed case of any Judiciary employee statewide. The Department of Health is currently conducting contact tracing.
The courthouse, which is located in the Waimea Civic Center complex, will remain closed through Friday “while it is being professionally cleaned and disinfected, and as a precautionary measure to protect public health and safety,” the Judiciary said Tuesday evening.
As a result of the closure ordered after the positive test among a Judiciary employee, Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald issued an order extending the filing deadline for documents due on Tuesday in South Kohala District Court to Monday, Aug. 10.
“In addition, all hearings or trials canceled due to the closure will be rescheduled to the next available date with due consideration for any statutory mandates, according to the Judiciary,” a press release reads.
The Keahuolu Courthouse in Kailua-Kona and Hale Kaulike Courthouse in Hilo remain open. The Kona courthouse can be reached by calling 322-8700 and the Hilo courthouse by calling 961-7470.
The Judiciary has been limiting access to its facilities to those with official court business only. Face coverings are required, social distancing measures are in place, and increased cleaning of high-traffic areas in the courthouse are performed daily.
Jury trials are currently scheduled to resume on Sept. 1. Recktenwald on July 28 gave the chief judge of each circuit the authority to “resume and modify operations as appropriate to meet the judiciary’s obligations to the public while protecting court users” so long as all operations comply with social-distancing mandates as ordered by Gov. David Ige. Grand jury proceedings resumed July 1.
Meanwhile Tuesday, state health officials reported Hawaii’s 27th coronavirus-related death as well as an additional 144 new cases of COVID-19.
The decedent was a Honolulu man between the age of 40 years old and 59 years old, according to the COVID-19 Joint Information Task Force. The man had underlying medical conditions.
“We all extend our condolences to the family and friends of this man. Every death reminds us how very serious this disease is. Coronavirus can strike down anyone of any age. We can all protect each other and prevent more hospitalizations and deaths,” said Health Director Dr. Bruce Anderson.
Of the 144 new cases of COVID-19 reported Tuesday, 139 were Oahu residents and five were Hawaii Island residents, according to the center.
The new cases announced Tuesday brings the state’s total case count to 2,591.
Oahu has reported 2,221 while Maui County has recorded 178 cases, Hawaii County 122 and Kauai County 47. Twenty-three residents have tested positive while out of the state.
Of the Hawaii residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, 1,354 of those cases have since recovered and been released from isolation. That includes 115 of the 122 cases on Hawaii Island.
Statewide, 208 patients have required hospitalization, including four on Hawaii Island.
The majority of new COVID-19 cases continue to be associated with community spread, according to the center. Seventy-one cases have been linked to a series of funeral events, six cases to a hot yoga class, a dozen cases to a birthday party and other social interactions.
Two dozen of the newly diagnosed cases were associated with community spread while only two were associated with travel. The risk factor for the remaining 118 cases is still under investigation.
Liberty Dialysis in Hilo confirmed to multiple media outlets Tuesday a case of COVID-19 associated with the facility, although officials would not tell West Hawaii Today’s sister newspaper, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, whether the case was in a patient or staff member.