HONOLULU (Eagle News) – Just two days after serving as a bustling voting center in last Saturday’s primary election, the Honolulu Hale (ha-leh), which houses the Mayor’s Office and City Council, will be closed to the public effective immediately, after at least 10 employees who work in the building tested positive for COVID-19.
In an announcement by Mayor Kirk Caldwell on Monday, August 10, all government workers have been instructed to work from home through September 6. City and County of Honolulu offices are currently being sanitized while employees are undergoing testing.
“Health and safety has always been the number one priority during this pandemic,” Mayor Kirk Caldwell said. “The city will continue to operate, but nothing is more important than the lives and well-being of our employees and residents. We encourage all employers to take similar steps when necessary to ensure the safety of their work ohana.”
Caldwell himself has since entered quarantine. Later in the evening, he announced on Twitter that the results came back negative.
Meanwhile, City Council Chairman Ikaika Anderson announced that he has decided to postpone the upcoming council and committee meetings.
“We are evaluating how best to conduct the people’s business under these circumstances but, out of an abundance of caution, I believe postponing our council and committee meetings is the right thing to do, said Anderson. “More details will be announced later today.”
Satellite City Halls will remain open with stringent safety protocols in place and will receive customers by appointment only. Tax payments and other critical business will continue to be conducted at Honolulu Hale with a new check-in system in place.
To date, there have been 48 City and County of Honolulu employees who have tested positive for the virus from various departments across Honolulu, including 13 from the Honolulu Fire Department, nine from Budget and Fiscal Services, and nine from Honolulu Police Department.
(With reports from EBC Hawaii Bureau, Eagle News Service)