Honolulu mayor speaks with wedding industry reps during protest on Covid restrictions

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi speaking with wedding industry representatives during a protest outside Honolulu Hale. (Courtesy Office of the Mayor of Honolulu)

 

HONOLULU (Eagle News) – Mayor Rick Blangiardi met with members of the wedding industry who were demonstrating outside of Honolulu Hale on Thursday, March 18. Both sides had the opportunity to speak and listen to the points of view.

“My heart goes out to the people in the wedding industry who have been hit by the pandemic and have had their business impacted,” said Blangiardi. “The feeling is weddings are celebrations and social gatherings where people gather and mingle in close proximity, which can lead to the spread of the virus. However, I am not giving up on the issue and believe there may be a way for the wedding industry to operate in a safe manner. The industry must also know it cannot have rogue events with large numbers of people because that will hurt the chances of moving forward.”

The City and County of Honolulu moved into Tier 3 on February 25 and then implemented Tier 3 modifications on March 11, which allowed greater flexibility for various businesses.

The wedding industry, however, was not part of the modifications because of social gathering concerns, where large groups of people eat, drink, mingle, and dance with those outside of their household and participate in activities that bring people within close proximity to one another for extended periods of time.

Newlyweds are currently able to celebrate their important day consistent with the City’s Tier 3 framework in gatherings of no more than 10 people.

 

(FILE) Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Magic Island in Honolulu served as a popular venue for newlywed couples to have their photos or videos taken. Under the city’s current Tier 3 guidelines, no more than 10 people are allowed to gather during weddings. (Photo by Alfred Acenas, EBC Hawaii-Pacific, Eagle News Service)

 

Mayor Blangiardi stated that his administration will continue discussions with the State government regarding the possibility of easing restrictions on the said industry but added the community needs to do its part in preventing unpermitted social gatherings.

“Hearing about the clusters associated with social gatherings is troubling because it shows people are letting their guard down and not taking the situation serious enough,” the mayor stated. “Ultimately, the State would have to approve any easing of restrictions or allowing wedding activity, but that is less likely to happen if there are clusters related to gatherings.”

(Eagle News Service)