Hawaii Restaurants Could Escape Shifting Pandemic Rules Under Proposed Program - Honolulu Civil Beat Hawaii Restaurants Could Escape Shifting Pandemic Rules Under Proposed Program An initiative to help small businesses avoid government mandates has gained traction with some policymakers and could eventually include other industries. Reading time: 4 minutes. Few industries have suffered more during the COVID-19 crisis than Hawaii’s restaurants. They’ve been subject to government restrictions — including forced closures, take-out only orders, limited seating, and the like – which have made staying open a challenge in the past year. But now business leaders and policymakers are working to put together a program that offers more certainty to restaurateurs. How close the program is to being adopted is not clear; however, it has at least made it to the desk of Attorney General Clare Connors, whose office is analyzing it for legal pitfalls.