https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/08/31/live-ige-discuss-covid-response-after-announcing-key-cabinet-members-will-leave

Hawaii health and safety directors to step down

By HNN Staff | August 31, 2020 at 2:22 PM HST - Updated August 31 at 8:07 PM

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Gov. David Ige stood by his embattled directors of Health and Public Safety on Monday, saying he accepts their decisions to retire but did not ask for their resignations.

Earlier in the day, Ige announced in a news release that state Health Director Bruce Anderson and Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda would both be retiring in September.

Asked multiple times at a news conference, Ige insisted that he did not ask the two to step down.

“I did not lose confidence in Director Espinda or Director Anderson,” Ige said. “They did approach me about their retirements and I accepted their resignations.”

The governor added that his administration is working to improve its plan for handling the coronavirus pandemic, widely seen as not up to the challenge that faces the state.