With the falling tide of new cases, Hawaii on Tuesday became the 50th and final state to repeal its indoor mask mandate, put in place due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Associated Press reports. The mandate will be lifted effective March 26th.
Hawaii’s official reports show a seven-day running average of new cases in the state at just 140, and there are just 48 patients hospitalized with coronavirus across the islands. This compares to a seven-day running average of new cases from a week ago standing at 300.
Democratic Governor David Ige said the Hawaiian cultural idea of respecting and caring for the elderly, who are called kupuna, spurred people to honor the mask mandate. “I do believe that we are the last community to release the mask mandate because we care about each other and we care about our community and we are all willing to sacrifice to keep each other healthy and safe,” he said.