Media Advisory

For Immediate Release
July 29, 2020

Board of Water Supply Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19

The Board of Water Supply was informed today that one of its employees has tested positive for COVID-19.“We are taking and have been taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our employees and the community.” Stated Manager Ernest Lau. Lau continued by saying, “The affected employee is under the care of a physician and we wish them a safe and speedy recovery.” 

Dr. Jill Omori, the infectious disease expert for the City and County of Honolulu has been consulted and after reviewing the details, has advised that there should be no cause for worry and that she does not believe there has been exposure to any other BWS staff. The area where the employee sits is not open to the public and this employee does not interact with the public.

Per the Mayor’s and Governor’s Emergency Orders, all BWS employees wear masks while moving about the facilities and when interacting with other employees, they practice social distancing and utilize the sanitation stations.

Other information:

• Are any other employees being tested?
  We have not directed any employees to get tested. We are not aware of any employees seeking testing as it is not a question we can ask of an employee due to medical privacy issues. ​The decision to test is solely upon the recommendation of the staff member's personal physician and/or DOH.
• Is there mass testing among BWS being discussed?
  No. Testing is up to each employee and their personal physician and/or DOH.
• Are any employees being isolated or told to stay home and quarantined -- if so, how many?
  No. The order to isolate or quarantine an individual is a decision made by the staff member's personal physician and/or DOH.
• Also is the employee who tested positive at home now quarantined? 
  We cannot comment on the individual circumstances of the employee involved. However, we can confirm that the employee has not returned to the workplace since we were notified.
• Has the employee been told to stay home for 14 days or until a negative test result is confirmed? 
  We cannot comment on the individual circumstances of the employee involved. However, we can confirm that the employee has not returned to the workplace since we were notified of the positive test result.

About the Board of Water Supply

The Board of Water Supply (BWS), a semi-autonomous agency of the City and County of Honolulu, manages Oahu’s municipal water resources and distribution system.  As the largest water utility in the State, the BWS serves approximately one million customers on Oahu.  The BWS embraces its mission of “Water for Life – Ka Wai Ola” – to provide a safe, dependable, and affordable water supply, now and into the future.  Uwē  ka lani, ola ka honua – “When the heavens weep, the earth lives.”  For more information, visit www.boardofwatersupply.com, follow @BWSHonolulu or like the BWS’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BWSHonolulu.

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Contact:

Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui
Information Officer
Honolulu Board of Water Supply
Phone: (808) 748-5319