Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) is extending the state’s stay-at-home order through May 31 while lifting restrictions on elective surgeries and the use of beaches.

“This was not an easy decision. I know this has been difficult for everyone. Businesses need to reopen. People want to end this self-isolation and we want to return to normal,” Ige said in a statement Saturday, according to The Associated Press. “But this virus is potentially deadly, especially for the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.”

Ige said that the state’s beaches will be reopened for exercise and that elective surgeries will be allowed to resume. But the governor pointed to the 601 coronavirus cases in Hawaii, including hot spots on the Big Island and Maui, and said an overly hasty full reopening could undo the state’s progress.

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“Thanks to our residents, we are flattening the curve, saving lives, and avoiding a resurgence of this virus by not reopening prematurely,” he said, according to the AP.

A freeze on evictions in the state will also extend through May 31, Ige said.

The governor has touted the state’s aggressive measures as successful in stopping the spread of the virus, Hawaii News Now reported. The state’s daily new cases have been on a downward trend in recent days, with just three new cases reported Saturday.

“We are not out of the woods yet,” Ige said at a news conference Saturday. “We still need to remain vigilant.”

Ige’s announcement came the week after Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell (D) made a similar move, extending a citywide stay-at-home order through the end of May but reopening city parks for exercise, according to Hawaii News Now.

Other states have followed a similar strategy of gradual reopenings while extending stay-at-home measures, including Michigan, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) announced Friday that the order will be extended through May 15 but said she will lift restrictions on lawn service companies, landscapers, plant nurseries and bike repair shops.