Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Judge Deciding On Legality Of Hawaii's Quarantine Says She'll Disregard DOJ's Input
A judge said she will 鈥渄isregard鈥 the U.S. Department of Justice鈥檚 statement in support of a lawsuit challenging Hawaii鈥檚 quarantine, imposed on arriving travelers in an attempt to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. The Justice Department鈥檚 statement said the quarantine discriminates against out-of-state travelers, even though it applies to both visitors and returning residents. (Sinco Kelleher, 6/25)
The unexpected move by U.S. District Court Judge Jill Otake in Honolulu appears to be the first serious judicial resistance to the drive that Attorney General William Barr announced in April to scrutinize state and local lockdown measures aimed at containing the coronavirus. (Gerstein, 6/25)
You can finally go to Hawaii without quarantining -- if you've tested negative for Covid-19. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Hawaii has been serious about keeping the virus out. Gov. David Ige established a 14-day mandatory quarantine for visitors and returning residents on March 26 and has since extended the quarantine through July 31. On Wednesday, Ige announced an amendment to the mandatory quarantine that likely has visitors, returning residents and local businesses smiling for the first time in three months. (Fletcher, 6/25)
