In response to the "stay-at-home order" (stay-at-home and work-from-home) issued by State of Hawaii to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Subaru Telescope suspends its operation and astronomical observation temporarily from March 25 to April 30, 2020 (HST).
We, Subaru Telescope, have put the highest priority on the safety and health of local community people and our observatory staff members, and have already taken various measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection such as instructing all staff members to work basically from home.
However, we take the "stay-at-home" order by State of Hawaii on March 23 (HST) seriously and decided to suspend our summit facility operation and astronomical night observation from March 25 to April 30 (HST).
Between March 25 and April 30, the Hilo base office and summit facility will be basically closed.
When resuming the operation and observation, we will check the health condition of all staff members and confirm that there is no problem. Depending on the situation, the suspension of operation and observation may be extended.
Dr. Michitoshi Yoshida
Director, Subaru Telescope
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
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