Leading up to the January 19 start date of the 2022 legislative session, Hawaii state leaders in the Senate and House have announced the state Capitol will be closed to the public due to rising concerns over the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

This announcement follows increasing numbers of positive COVID-19 cases across the state because of the Delta and Omicron variants.

The Capitol’s status will be reevaluated in the following weeks.

Additionally, the Senate and House floor sessions and hearings will be held remotely. There will be an announcement explaining how the public can submit testimony during this time.