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The two-year requirement will expire at midnight Friday, leaving a perplexing patchwork of mask choices and policies for locals and tourists to navigate.

The decision comes after the state said it will lift Covid-19 restrictions including the Safe Travels program requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test to avoid quarantine.

The newest round of funding follows over $40 million in federal dollars distributed to Hawaii’s 14 health centers during the pandemic.

The amendments were necessary, Rep. Ryan Yamane said, and were in no way influenced by thousands in donations from tobacco companies and lobbyists.

At-home tests have made maintaining accurate case counts difficult, the DOH said.

Gov. David Ige said he is ready to reinstate the requirement if Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations surge once more.

The county initiated a title transfer eight months ago but until it goes through a new effort to open Kauai’s underutilized drug treatment facility remains on hold.

Loosening masking rules for some situations but not others would make enforcement difficult, Gov. David Ige says.

Initial reports of possible carcinogen BCCE in several samples taken from the zones were false positives, the DOH says.

Gov. David Ige said the Safe Travels program is slated to end March 26, but the statewide indoor mask mandate remains in place for now.