HONOLULU (REUTERS) - Hawaii Governor David Ige has urged residents and visitors to restrict travel to the US state to essential business activities amid a surge in cases of Covid-19 on the islands.

       The governor highlighted the restrictions on restaurant capacities and limited access to rental cars and said that those who choose to visit the islands will not be able to enjoy a typical Hawaii holiday.

       "It is not a good time to travel to the islands," the governor said in a press conference on Monday (Aug 23).

       "We are seeing more Covid patients in our hospitals and ICUs are filling up," he said, adding that the state is working towards expanding healthcare facilities.

       The governor said that he supported Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi's announcement on restricting indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 25.

       So far, 62 per cent of the state population has been fully vaccinated. He urged others to get vaccinated as soon as possible, following the US Food and Drug Administration's full authorisation of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine.

       The latest request comes after the governor re-imposed Covid-19 restrictions earlier in the month limiting social gatherings, as the Delta variant of the coronavirus pushed cases and hospitalisations in the United States to a six-month high.

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