Hawaii posted on Thursday its highest-yet number of new COVID-19 cases as the rate of infections continues to surge.
Hawaii News Now reports that the state saw 124 new cases on Thursday, a jump from 108 on Wednesday. That brought the state’s seven-day average of new cases up to 71, a jump from where it sat at 61 on Wednesday.
One person died in the state from COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing Hawaii’s total death count to 26. Hawaii has seen 1,966 confirmed cases of the virus, still far lower than many other states seeing surges in recent weeks such as Texas, California and Florida.
The vast majority of the cases, more than 1,500, are in the state’s capital of Honolulu while just over 160 have been reported on Maui, the island chain’s second-largest landmass.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) said Thursday that he supports a request by Honolulu’s mayor to shut down all bars on the state’s largest island, Oahu, which he linked to new outbreaks of the virus.
“They have always been identified as high risk locations because the very nature of bars is people go there to socialize,” Ige said, according to Hawaii News Now. “And when you’re drinking it’s impossible to wear a mask.”