When most people think of Hawaii, you think welcoming smiles, lots of hugs and kisses and friendly people there to serve your every need and dote and cater to you. It is sometimes hard to remember that this is a state of almost a million and a half people with problems like any other place.
With the dawn of the Corona-virus just beginning to rise in Hawaii, the “draconian” measures needed to control the rampant inevitable march of the deadly virus in the state is not being taken to heart by much of the population. Hawaiis people are fun-loving, used to being outside and extremely social. It is a relatively small place, when you get to the outer islands. Small little jewels tossed into the sea scattered around the crown jewel of Oahu, the main Island.
However, many of Hawaii's tourists come from Asia, and the mainland, with a robust market also coming from Europe. These three hot-spots of the Corona-virus have been allowed to pretty much have their way with the state as far as visitor numbers, and travelers. There has of course, been no outward ban on flights from affected areas except for those deemed by the Feds.
Visitors from California who callously traveled knowing they had been in contact with someone who had tested positive for the Covid-19 strain of the Corona-virus suite noshed in Maui and then day-tripped on tiny Kauai and decided since the kits were freshly arrived and the digs looked nice it night be a nice place to hangout. So they came clean and requested the testing telling the officials yes they had been in contact with someone but they felt just peachy keen. Then they didn’t.
Officials on Kauai claimed they were at some super secret spot that was well away from people and would not affect Kauai residents at all, but the rumor is that they were accommodated at a local rural hospital with minimal medical facilities even on a good day with a nice ocean view right next to a public housing project in the middle of a suurban neighborhood and housing mostly elderly and phsychiatric patients.
Where are these tourists actually being held? The answer is still just rumors but it may be at a small hospital in the middle of a neighborhood next to a school and public housing(click here for the Garden Island Newspaper article)
Honolulu Star Advertisers Front Page
www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/…
HTA plays loose with the facts about many of these cases
New confirmed cases:
- Two Oahu residents and one visitor on Maui.
Previously confirmed cases:
- On March 15, a Hawaii resident who traveled to Colorado, returned home to Oahu and then began seeing symptoms on March 9. This individual remains at home under self-quarantine.
- On March 15, a Canadian flight attendant who was exposed to a confirmed case in Germany and arrived on Maui following her last flight on March 8. This individual remains in an isolation facility in Lahaina.
- On March 15, a Hawaii resident who returned home from Florida on March 8, and then developed a cough and fever on March 10. This individual remains at home on Oahu under self-quarantine.
- On March 14, two adult visitors from the U.S. mainland tested positive for COVID-19. The couple traveled to Maui on March 2 and Kauai on March 8, and remain in an isolation facility on Kauai away from the general public as they continue to be monitored by the Kauai DOH.
- On March 8, the second positive case of COVID-19 was identified in Hawaii. The patient is an elderly resident who was hospitalized for the condition after returning to Oahu from Washington State where the individual became ill.
- The first positive COVID-19 case was identified on March 6. This individual was an Oahu resident who was likely exposed while aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship.
- (source Hawaii Tourism Authority
- The real problem is two fold. Tourists and non residents are coming to the islands feeling ill, testing positive and being housed in facilities in Hawaii.
- Hawaii dos not have adequate resources for its people at the best of times. However 5 of these cases are being housed on tiny outer islands with even less resources, and tests that are being used up by outsiders instead of being used for the residents who still struggle to get testing under outdated guidelines.
- The Governor has insisted that Cruise ships need to be stopped, and according to the cruise industry they have. The reality is that they have not and recent cruise ships have docked at Kauai and other outer islands, further putting the people at risk. The Governor has recently backtracked and said his hands are tied and he can do nothing to stop the cruise-ships or the planes from continuing to arrive with more visitors on the hour thus introducing even more opportunities for community spread which very well may explode soon. He is being accused of releasing tests in a miserly fashion in order to keep the numbers down and not spook the tourists.
- The people are getting mixed messages, while city dwellers seem to be more proactive, on outer islands like Kauai the belief in the Virus is sporadic at best with pockets doing what they can but most people reverting to a “Hurricane” mentality, where it was important to put on a brave face and not complain and pretend everything was fine so that people would come back after the devastating Hurricane there in 1992.
- Some of the feelings there are so polar opposite its enough to give someone whiplash. One article glorifies and individual who claims its a hoax, and there's an ocean so it won’t come here, and another speaks of restaurants who are wiping things down making sure people social distance but its pretty much business as usual.
- source: Garden island newspaper Some are being responsible but its kinda "meh"
- source; Garden Island Newspaper Others are delusional dismissive and in denial.
- Most people on the Outer Islands are just deciding for themselves if they believe it or not. Therefore putting themselves at risk. Front line tourism workers feel they have no choice. Tourism is the lifeblood, and anyone seen to be shooing away the visitors whether they are carrying a deadly virus or not is not going to be looked at kindly.
- The culture in the islands is going to make it almost virtually impossible to impose restrictions. The elderly live with their children and grandchildren in close proximity. They are usually the caregivers. Most families here work two and three jobs to make ends meet. It is a very sleepy Christian Island, with a sizeapple hippie and new age population. Both of the latter feel they are pretty much immune to it, due to one that believes Jesus protects them and the other believes they have various other personal habits and beliefs that also protect them.
- THe outer islands, still have a “plantation mentality”, where it is decidedly uncool to disrupt anything or be rude, or complain. They consider themselves tough, and laugh off most calamity. life is not easy for most, so an unseen virus is hard to comprehend. people are pretty much docile here, and go about their daily lives. there is the occasional protest or ten yearly. people do get up in arms about things but its mostly cultural or environmental. telling these people to not touch each other is going to be impossible at best.
- Kupuna (The Elderly) here are usually revered, although that has fallen a bit by the wayside in the millennial generation. most young people do not see any reason to do anything, and claim its not affecting them. people do not understand why children have to be taken out of school.
- In my opinion, it will take some deaths, sadly to wake everyone up.
- (I am writing under an assumed name. I live on said island, but fear backlash for writing this. Thus, I have found a new home here on Daily Kos. The only single newspaper does not publish my writing. I remain sillyputty2000)