Hawaii to stop treating COVID-19 like an emergency

Hawaii's top public health officials said Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic is still active but is moving into a new phase of the disease, in which people can test themselves at home and ideally avoid serious illness thanks to vaccination and the use of therapeutic treatments. Governor David Ige described the change as a transition from “emergency response” to “public health management.” He said at a news conference that state officials would be handling COVID-19 more similarly to how it copes with other diseases

Gov. David Ige, Hawaii said "Our response must transition from emergency response to disease management. And that's where we're at. As part of the transition, COVID will be handled more like other diseases, something health care providers diagnose and treat. The Department of Health will continue much of the work, that has helped us have the lowest case counts per capitaand amongst the lowest death rates in the nation."

People can follow self-isolation guidelines and notify those they've been in contact with about their exposure.Ige said how the state covers the costs of fighting COVID-19 will also change.