The rumor of a possible four-week statewide shutdown for the state of Hawaii that would have taken effect on Aug. 30 or a date around there has been stated as false, according to a tweet from Governor Ige.

“There have been rumors circulating about a shut down in Hawaii. I want to clear the record that there are currently no plans to shut down. All posts on social media and being distributed by other means are not true. Official announcements will always come from official channels.” 

This tweet has prompted a mixed backlash on social media platforms. The backlash was mixed into around 3 main categories being this was a bad decision, this was a good decision, or unvaccinated people should be the ones staying home. The backlash mainly consisted of around an even amount of people saying that it was good or bad and a slight amount of people saying that only the unvaccinated people should stay home.

The rumor initially started when COVID cases were on the rise around the midpoint of August 2021. The exact source of the rumor is unclear but it appeared to start d from people saying that they have friends who work in healthcare, the DOE, or the Hawaii state government. 

The rumor claimed that the governor was thinking about a four-week lockdown. This rumor got passed through word of mouth and on social media platforms. 

The four-week statewide shutdown would have been the same as the statewide stay-at-home order last year that started on March 25, 2020 and lasted to April 30, 2020. The rules would have been the same as that lockdown that we previously had last year. 

The previous rules were signed by governor David Ige when he signed the third supplementary proclamation which complemented rules put into effect by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Maui Mayor Mike Victorino.

“To ensure that the state continues to provide essential, core services, there are exemptions in the following categories: Healthcare services, grocery stores, and pharmacies, food production and farming, public and private schools, restaurants offering take-out services, hotels and motels, construction, and essential government functions.” according to a press release from governor.hawaii.gov on March 23, 2020.