Post Corona Recovery: How to Reopen Hawaii's Non-Tourism Economy
No Limits on Lockdowns?
COVID April 11: 1 Death, 21 New Cases, 16 Recovered
COVID April 10: 2 Deaths, 23 New Cases, 33 Recovered
Some call new curfews ‘overkill’
HNN: … Legal experts say Kauai’s order made sense to get people off the roads immediately, but instituting one now seems unnecessary.
“I think this is a little bit overkill and seems a little late in the game to be imposing this kind of action with such little benefit to it,” said attorney Victor Bakke.
“Right now, from everything I’ve seen, people tend to be following the social distancing, they tend to be doing a pretty good job.”
Traffic cameras show no backups or congestion during usual peak times and even fewer cars on the road in overnight hours.
“It would help in people’s acceptance of these things that infringe on our freedoms if we could understand why they are necessary,” added attorney Robert Thomas.
“It would help me accept these limitations a lot better if I understood why they are needed or why they thought they were needed.”…
MN: Arresting people sunbathing on the beach is a waste of taxpayer dollars while they are letting loose felons from the jail.
read … With bars closed and events canceled, some call new curfews ‘overkill’
HGEA More Scary Than Corona Virus—DoH Afraid to Transfer HGEA Members to Oversee Quarantined Tourists
HNN: … As positive coronavirus cases rise, state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park’s unit is tasked with monitoring people in isolation and tracing thousands who have been in close contact.
For that, she’s relying on 30 volunteers and only 20 professional staff.
Even her boss says that might not be enough.
“I’ve suggested to Sarah that she triple — look to triple her staff to handle what I anticipate what we are going to see in the next few months," said state Health Director Bruce Anderson told lawmakers this week.
Anderson told a Senate committee that he will eventually need 100 additional workers.
But lawmakers questioned why Anderson and Park haven’t asked for more resources earlier.
“Why weren’t these positions asked for much sooner, knowing that we’re in this current situation?” said state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
“That could expedite a lot of the things that are stalled, especially when you’re talking about contact tracing. You’re just calling people.”…
Lawmakers have tried to help the administration by offering to temporarily loan up to 40 legislative staffers. But the offer was rejected by Gov. David Ige due to privacy concerns.
“Certainly, there are a lot of requirements for privacy. If you look at unemployment insurance claims, it does contain personal information," Ige said….
SA: 9 visitors sent back to their home states under new coronavirus flight assistance program
HTH: State will use app to track travelers
HNN: The state’s unemployment office will be adding a piddling 18 workers Monday to help with the massive number of new filings
Remember Dr Park? … VIDEO: Hawaii DoH Official Goes on 10-minute Rant Against Corona Testing
JABSOM Doc: Trump’s Quinine Pills More Scary Than Corona Virus
read … Lawmakers say state isn’t working fast enough to move workers to high-need areas
Idiot Caldwell Orders Mask And Fabric Stores to Close
HNN: … Hawaii Fabric Mart confirmed that all three stores on Oahu will temporarily close after Friday, April 10.
This is in light of the City’s Emergency Order No. 2020-02, which was released on Thursday, April 9, states that short-term rentals, auto detailers, car washes, music schools/private lessons, religious gatherings, professional services, and retail fabric stores and stores selling face coverings are considered to be nonessential businesses. These businesses, therefore, must “cease all activity within their facilities” to stay at home and work from home.
Store Manager Angie Kim told KHON2 that a police officer gave her a copy of the Order and said that all three stores would have to close to comply with the Order….
The Order states that even under the mayor’s recommendation of wearing face masks in public, it does not change the Order’s definition of “Essential Businesses” for stores like Fabric Mart.
The Kahului store location on Maui has been closed and will reopen on April 30. It is not yet known when the three Oahu facilities will reopen.
But don’t worry — customers are still able to get fabric. Kim said that Fabric Mart will continue operations online. Customers will be able to order on its Hawaii Fabric Mart website….
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell later took to Twitter on April 10 at 9 p.m. about fabric distributors and tweeted, “We’re going to be working with our local fabric distributors to make sure they are able to provide material to the public.”
He says that this will include an exemption for fabric stores to allow for online or phone orders online.
“Pickup will be required to allow for social distancing.”
read … Caldwell is an Idiot
Hawaii’s New Unemployment Application Excludes Micronesian Migrant Workers
SA: … legal migrants from Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia who lost their jobs faced an extra hurdle: the state’s new web form created to handle the unprecedented number of applications excludes their legal status.
It’s still possible for these workers to apply for unemployment benefits, but they have to go through the original website that has been unable to handle the huge volume of claims. As of Thursday, there’s nothing on the state’s website that indicates that they should apply that way….
read … Hawaii’s New Unemployment Application Excludes Micronesian Migrant Workers
With Nothing to Mooch, Homeless Shelter-Refusers Suddenly Begging to be Allowed in to Shelters
HNN: … With all the closures, outreach workers say people are getting shuffled around like never before, traveling miles just to get the basics.
“Everyone we’re talking to is like, can I get into shelter? Can I get into shelter?” said Institute for Human Services outreach worker Justin Phillips.
Phillips says the migration began late last month when government cut the water supply and locked up bathrooms at parks across Oahu.
“The whole landscape of homelessness changed for everyone,” he said.
“We had people that were only in Waikiki for several years show up down by the River Mission. You know trying to get access to food is one of the biggest things going on.”
Now, IHS is providing people with the necessities needed to shelter in place.
(Translation: This is the ONLY chance we will ever get to force these bums into shelter and we are squandering it.)
(Solution: Quick-build 1000s of SRO units on state or county land with shared bathrooms and kitchens out of 4x4s and plywood to give the homeless actual shelter which complies with ‘social distancing’ Then FORCE the homeless in to them.)
read … Squandering the Opportunity
Victims' advocates warn of spike in domestic violence during stay-at-home order
KITV: …CEO Nanci Kreidman says these kinds of resources are needed now more than ever because too many victims are held hostage in their own dwellings, making it harder to call for help during the "Stay at Home" mandate.
The non-profit added a new text feature to its helpline -- so you can text 605-956-5680 -- and chat is now available on its website at domesticviolenceactioncenter.org.
A spokesperson for the Honolulu Police Department said they haven't seen an uptick in domestic violence incidents, but rather a general decline in criminal activity during the statewide "Stay at Home" order….
read … Victims' advocates warn of spike in domestic violence during stay-at-home order
FDC Acts to Prevent DPS from Exporting Infected Inmates
HNN: … FDC Warden H. Kobayashi, in a letter to DPS Director Nolan Espinda Wednesday, asked that state inmates arrive in vans no more than 10 at a time.
“I … ask that all inmates being transported to the FDC be wearing surgical masks upon arrival,” Kobayashi said. “All inmates received will be placed in 14-day quarantine regardless of status.”
As an additional precaution to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, “any inmate who shows symptoms while intake screening will result in the specific transport being entirely rejected,” Kobayashi wrote. “All inmates picked up and transported for State Court Line from the FDC will not be allowed to return until further notice.”….
HTH: 3 accused of burglary during COVID-19 emergency waive preliminary hearings
read … We Know How this stuff works
Cluster of cases at Maui Memorial grows to 19 with more test results pending
KHON: … Maui Memorial Medical Center also announced three more employees and one patient who tested positive for the virus, bringing their total to 19.
The director of the state health department said the eighth person who died was a patient at Maui Memorial, and officials are still investigating whether the case is tied to the cluster of cases that have been going on in recent weeks.
“The department is aggressively investigating every possible case and contact at the hospital to protect this vulnerable population. We are continuing aggressive contact tracing of cases throughout the weekend and immediately notifying all close contacts who may have been exposed,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson.
He says the health department has been testing everyone who has had close contact with those who have tested positive from the Maui Memorial cases, whether or not they are showing symptoms, only because the outbreak happened in a hospital. But generally, he does not want to do massive testing on those who are not showing symptoms….
SA: Lack of protective gear, erratic policies leave Maui hospital staff fearful of coronavirus infection
MN: Drive-thru testing in Hana
HNN: 5 Oahu nurses fly to Maui’s largest hospital after ‘serious outbreak’
read … Cluster of cases at Maui Memorial grows to 19 with more test results pending
Visitors that required rescue cited for violating stay-at-home order
WHT: … Responding to the 1:39 p.m. Thursday alarm, Hawaii Fire Department rescue personnel arrived at Honuapo about 10 minutes later to learn that two out-of-state visitors, a man and woman in their 60s, were lost off in tall, dense grass off of a coastal trail about 100 yards off a dirt road.
HFD personnel and Hawaii Police Department officers searched for the two lost hikers, and ultimately located them about 3/4 mile northeast of Honuapo Point. The man had to be extricated utilizing Chopper 1. Both parties were evaluated by medics at the scene.
The fire department noted that the gate to the area, also known as Whittington Beach Park, was locked due to Hawaii County park closures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Hawaii Police Department Area II Assistant Chief Robert Wagner confirmed to West Hawaii Today on Friday that the man and woman were each cited for violating Ige’s emergency proclamations….
read … Visitors that required rescue cited for violating stay-at-home order
State takes digital step to improve traveler quarantine order
HNN: …The state is taking steps to upgrade the mandatory 14-day quarantine process for incoming air travelers.
Friday was the first day travelers to the state were told to log onto safetravels.hawaii.gov to register themselves, their itinerary — and agree to the state’s mandatory quarantine measures.
The state said travelers must check in daily and they will be constantly reminded to show they are in self quarantine.
They must also answer questions about their health during the 14 days.
The website for the online forms can be accessed by clicking here….
read … State takes digital step to improve traveler quarantine order
Kauai, Hawaii County TVRs Ordered Shut Down
TGI: Starting Saturday, Kauai vacation rentals will not be allowed to operate, per an amendment to the mayor’s emergency rules.
CB: Big Island Vacation Rentals Ordered To Cease Operations
HTH: Kim shuts down vacation rentals: Proclamation declares STVRs ‘nonessential.’
Hawaii's restaurants hurting, bracing for long-term decrease in business
KITV: … Hawaii Restaurant Association Chairman Tom Jones tells KITV4 he doesn't expect restaurants to see 2019-level sales again until late 2021.
Jones told KITV4 the Hawaii Restaurant Association encompasses 99,000 employees and nearly seventy percent of them are currently out of work. …
read … Hawaii's restaurants hurting, bracing for long-term decrease in business
Homeless Seniors On Hawaii Island Shelter At Holiday Inn Express
CB: … Elderly homeless people on Hawaii island are being moved into the Holiday Inn Express in Kailua-Kona to allow them to shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hope Services Hawaii is providing around the clock staffing to support homeless people during the state’s stay-at-home orders. The Holiday Inn Express will provide housekeeping every three days, disinfect common areas and prepare daily breakfasts. The Rotary Clubs of Kona and Kona Sunrise and the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii Island will provide lunches and hot dinners.
(Its good to have so many servants!)
Over 1,300 people on the Big Island received homeless services last year, according to Bridging the Gap, a network of homeless service providers across the neighbor islands. At least 7% of those were senior citizens.
“My team is working around the clock to keep everyone safe,” Menino said. “Not just people experiencing homelessness, but our entire community. When they stay healthy, we all stay healthy.”
The project was made possible by a $25,000 grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
In order to qualify for this program, people experiencing homelessness must first register with HOPE Services. To register, call 935-3050 or email info@hopeserviceshawaii.org.
Oahu, which has 30,000 mostly empty hotel rooms, has not taken the same approach….
(Nor has Maui. Lets put them in the Grand Wailea.)
read … It will be trashed
RIMPAC will not be cancelled
KITV: … RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, and involves military from about 30 countries. The committee is concerned about the influx of people and the spread of coronavirus in the Islands.
"We aren’t trying to stop it. PACOM (United States Indo-Pacific Command) and the Governor talked on Tuesday," Hara said. "There are several scenarios. We haven’t decided on a course of action, but I am confident what they decide will be totally safe.”
Sen. Kidani looked dubious and responded, "OK, I guess we'll have to take your word for it." ….
HNN: Civilian worker at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard among positive cases
read … RIMPAC will not be cancelled
Hawaii Cruise Ship Passengers File Class-Action Suit
FB: … A group of passengers from northern California filed a lawsuit against Princess Cruises on April 9, alleging that the company was negligent by not disinfecting the ship after the Mexican cruise, during which a man from Placer County reportedly showed respiratory symptoms. That passenger died at the end of February, after returning to Placer County, and was the first California death attributed to COVID-19.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in San Francisco, alleges that passengers from the Mexico cruise who stayed aboard for the Hawaii trip were alerted to their potential exposure on Feb. 25, four days into the cruise. But other passengers on the ship weren’t warned until March 4, and didn’t begin to quarantine guests until March 5.
Attorneys in that case are asking for it to be heard as a class-action suit, which would allow anyone who was on the trip to join as a plaintiff….
read … Coronavirus quarantine turned her 2-week cruise into a monthlong ‘adventure’
Council passes first reading of TMT bill
HTH: … The Hawaii County Council passed on first reading a bill that would allow the county to claim more than $5 million from the state to reimburse police overtime costs incurred during the Thirty Meter Telescope protests in 2019.
The bill had been postponed since December, when the county rejected a $10 million reimbursement deal with the state because of that arrangement’s overly broad terms. Now amended, the bill seeks $5,342,262, the exact amount of police overtime accrued between July 15 and the end of December while enforcing the TMT protests on Daniel K. Inouye Highway. However, the issue is not yet completely settled….
read … Council passes first reading of TMT bill
Maui County Manager Proposal to Be Heard April 17
MN: … Recently, the Maui County Council resumed considering a proposal to significantly change the structure of Maui County governance, to include a County Manager and to rescind many powers currently held by the Mayor. This proposal is scheduled for a public hearing at 9 a.m. on April 17, 2020 and simultaneously for second and final reading by the Council at this same meeting. During this meeting the Council will take action in regards to placing this matter on the General Election ballot for November 2020. Individuals may participate with testimony regarding this charter amendment by videoconference at https://maui.bluejeans.com/295235670 or phone call at 1-408-317-9253 and input meeting code 295235670 or you may send written testimony to county.clerk@mauicounty.us. We need to hear from you….
read … Yuki Lei Sugimura Wants County Manager Proposal “Properly Vetted” by Charter Commission
How Honolulu Lost Its Top Ranking For The Nation’s Worst Traffic
CB: … Nearly a decade ago, headlines about the city having the worst congestion helped sell rail. But that ranking has plunged….
That Honolulu had some of the nation’s worst traffic used to be gospel in Hawaii.
National studies backed it up. One of the most quoted sources for that among local media was INRIX, the renowned Kirkland, Washington-based traffic research firm.
“Honolulu ranked worst in country for traffic,” the Hawaii News Now headline declared in 2012, based on INRIX’s annual Global Traffic Scorecard report. “It’s more than Los Angeles, New York or San Francisco.”…
In subsequent years, Honolulu’s INRIX ranking started to slip. In 2016 it dropped to 10th. In 2018, it sank to 19th. In 2019, it gained a spot, back up to 18th. (Good job, guys!)
Then, this year, Honolulu nose-dived — all the way down to 81st place in the U.S.
What happened? Did traffic really improve that substantially on Oahu?…
Before all you west side and Windward commuters call for my head: No, traffic on the island did not improve. Outside of the COVID-19 conditions it’s been just as awful as ever. Full stop.
“It’s not necessarily that Honolulu’s congestion is getting better. It’s that every year we’ve been able to expand what it is we’re measuring, and the quality at which we’re measuring in,” said Trevor Reed, an INRIX transportation analyst.
In other words, they’ve gradually added more streets and arteries into their data set, providing a better sense of what’s going on. In 2012, they were limited to the major thoroughfares like the H-1 freeway, which helped slingshot Honolulu to the top of the list.
Now, they analyze the 200 most heavily used routes in a metro area, Reed said. “Now, we are capturing everything.”…
read … How Honolulu Lost Its Top Ranking For The Nation’s Worst Traffic
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