Social gatherings limited, but ‘professionally organized’ events can still happen

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - There’s a caveat to Gov. Ige’s latest restrictions on social gatherings: Professionally organized events can still happen with the proper safeguards in place.

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Ige immediately capped social gatherings at 25 people outdoors, 10 people indoors, and limited capacity for restaurants, bars and gyms at 50%.

However, events organized professionally can go on with more than 50 people as long as organizers take extra steps to communicate with the county, and show mitigation efforts are in place.

Ige briefly explained which events would fall under that category.

“The professionally organized events are those events like weddings, or banquets, or meetings and conventions at convention facilities, or ballroom facilities. It would also include professionally organized activities like at the Waikiki Shell and others,” Gov. Ige said.

Earlier this year in March, residents were frustrated to learn that hotels were able to operate luau events during the same time that wedding were restricted to 10 people. At the time, those rules were called inconsistent and confusing by some. Click here to read that previous report.

Under these new rules, organizers will have to submit a COVID mitigation plan detailing their safeguards.

“So what we are asking is that for those events that are more than 50 that they submit their mitigation plans to the counties and every county would have a different process. So that we could ... review the plans and ensure that the mitigation measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 are implemented,” Ige added.