The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court issued two series of orders since the start of the pandemic, leading to the safe release of hundreds of incarcerated people from Hawaiʻi prisons and jails.

The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s comments contradict the CDC and the experience of correctional facilities across the country where coronavirus is spreading rapidly.