Lt. Gov. Josh Green on opening up Hawaii - COVID-19

Lieutenant Governor Josh Green said he has fully recovered from COVID-19, but that one of the two members of his security detail is still battling the virus in the hospital. “One of them did great, almost no symptoms whatsoever, sailed right through. The other guy got very sick and is experiencing his recovery in the hospital. So you just don’t know. You just don’t know how it’s going to play out,” he said. Green joined Spotlight Hawaii today from the Capitol, happy to be back at work in his office, after having to quarantine and work from in his son’s room while he recovered from the coronavirus. Green said his wife and children were able to avoid contracting COVID-19, in part by being what he calls “ultra cautious.” That meant the family left food outside his door three times a day, and FaceTimed each other while in the same apartment, so they could see him without having any contact. After Green was released from quarantine, he continued to wear a mask in his home when around other family members for several days. “Even after I was cleared, we made sure that I had a mask on at all times, because you know, you just can’t be too safe,” he said. The Lieutenant Governor has been tasked with overseeing the re-opening of transpacific travel with pre-flight coronavirus testing on October 15th. He spoke at length about how the program will work, and announced that children under five will not be required to have a separate test from their parents, a department from the state’s original plan that required all visitors, including minors of all ages, to be tested in order to avoid quarantine. Green was somewhat critical of Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s new 4-tiered reopening framework, saying that he found some of the restrictions too severe. “I think that the rules are a little bit too harsh on some businesses. And I think that, and I’m not saying they’re not doing this, I think that they would be honor bound at the City and County to use their CARES money, to use that CARES money that they have, some of it, to make sure that they’re always subsidizing anyone who they force to be closed. Cover their overhead. Cover their rent or lease,” he said. Green repeatedly emphasized the need for everyone to wear a mask at all times when out of the house, even at the beach. “Frankly, anything short of being in the water, you should have a mask on if you’re not with people from your household, because you will spread it. ” he said.