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Even as the state has more people being born than dying, Hawaii’s population continues to decline as people leave the state for less expensive pastures.

The interim superintendent stressed the importance of maintaining in-person instruction for students’ academic and emotional growth.

As omicron spreads, Maui County will require people eligible for booster shots to get them to be considered fully vaccinated.

Officials urge people to celebrate outdoors this weekend and get vaccinated and boosted to avoid severe illness from omicron.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi said businesses know what to do to limit Covid-19 spread and don’t require further restrictions, despite admonishments from the state Department of Health.

Flight cancelations plaguing mainland travelers have not affected travel to Hawaii to any large extent — yet.

Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing in Hawaii, where 26.2% of people are still unvaccinated and 60% of people eligible for boosters haven’t gotten them, according to the Health Department.

Health officials say omicron is likely on the neighbor islands, not just Oahu, and every adult who is eligible for a booster should get one.

People are returning to the traditions of affection even as the pandemic refuses to go away.

A top state health care official warned that the worst-case scenario, which includes some 800 Covid hospitalizations by the new year, would be “catastrophic.”