Happy Labor Day Hawaii Workers Thank you for all you do! September 6, 2021
Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers in the United States. At the height of the Industrial Revolution in the 1800’s, people of all ages faced extremely unsafe working conditions. Worker strikes grew into a labor movement to stop child labor and provide health benefits, among other restitutions. Labor Day officially became a holiday in 1894 in the United States. The birth of the Hawaiian labor movement was a painful experience prior to its statehood in 1959. It was marked by a number of failed farm-worker strikes, most notably in 1909, 1920, and 1924. The great strike of 1946 proved to be a success because workers of all races finally organized into a single labor union forever changing the Hawaiian Islands, economically, politically and socially. Labor Day weekend also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, celebrated with barbecue picnics, parades, fireworks and football.
What’s Closed and Open on Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 2021
CLOSED: All government facilities, non-retail businesses or services (banks, offices, etc.), and public libraries. Post offices are closed and there is no mail delivery. Paid street parking is free on Federal holidays.
OPEN: Retail stores, shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants, movie theaters, parks and botanical gardens, and municipal golf courses are open.
Officials Call for No Gatherings Over Labor Day Weekend
Twenty-five residents died in the last 7 days due to COVID. Case numbers continue to rise. Hospitals remain stretched thin and the morgue is near capacity. Government leaders have said they do not want a state shutdown, but a three-day weekend is looming and there are concerns of more large gatherings like the one state and city law enforcement officers had to break up Saturday, where 300-400 unmasked people gathered — that it may lead to more hospitalizations and deaths in the coming days. The mandate is that gatherings are limited to 10 indoors and 25 outdoors in Honolulu. With the long weekend here, there could be consequences if you violate it:
Officers are ready to enforce regulations, and seize any items — including tents, generators and sound equipment — used to facilitate large gatherings.
Anyone who breaks the law could face fines — and even jail time.
In some instances, law enforcement has had to close beach parks entirely or early on certain days to stop these large gatherings.
Kapu Breakers, a group that finds violators of the COVID rules and turns them in, will also be out in full force over the holiday weekend, with members throughout the state watching for violations from a distance.
Stay home. Do not gather. That is the message officials are sending to everyone ahead of Labor Day. If you see any violators, you can report them by calling 643-DLNR or via the free citizen observer app. Download it here.
DELTA VARIANT, VACCINE CARD NO SERVICE DISRUPTION AT MATSON
Delta Variant Now Accounts for Nearly 100% of all COVID Cases in Hawaii
The highly contagious Delta variant now accounts for nearly all cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii. Here are some of the sobering facts about the Delta variant that need repeating to family, friends and anyone who will listen:
This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated – Currently more than 90% of residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
The Delta variant is different – It used to be if you were fully vaccinated, you could do just about anything. But the Delta variant being so pervasive, the fight has changed. When someone is infected, they have about one-thousand times as much virus in them than those who had the original-type COVID. Even if you’re fully vaccinated, if you’re sitting next to somebody with COVID, having lunch or having a drink, you’re being bombarded with the virus, and you have a very real chance that it could overwhelm your system and you could become infected.
Even the vaccine has its limits – The vaccine helps prevent severe illness and death, but we don’t have the armor we once thought we had, so we need to be thoughtful about our actions.
Younger, sicker, quicker – That’s how some health care workers are describing what they’re seeing in recent Delta variant patients. They’re treating younger and younger people. There’s an alarming number of people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s being admitted. Also, the state’s biggest spike in new cases has been among young people with lower vaccination rates.
Hospitals are overwhelmed – Exhausted healthcare workers are telling the community to just know they are giving it to each other; it’s no longer someone else’s problem. Lots of people are blaming the tourists, but at this point it’s all community spread.
Vaccine Card or Negative Test Will Soon be Required to Enter Some Oahu Businesses
Beginning Sept. 13, customers wishing to enter some Oahu businesses will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within the last 48 hours. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced the program Monday amid an alarming surge in new COVID cases in Hawaii that’s threatening to overwhelm Hawaii’s health care system. There will also be vaccine-or-test requirements in place for employees at impacted businesses. Also effective Sept. 13, restaurants and bars will have to stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m. These are the establishments covered by the Safe Access Oahu order:
Restaurants and bars (takeout is exempt)
Gyms and fitness facilities, including dance studios
Bowling alleys, arcades and billiards halls
Movie theaters
Museums
Indoor portions of botanical gardens, zoos or other attractions
Children under 12, who are ineligible for vaccines, are exempt from the requirements. The city’s Safe Access Oahu Program, which will remain in effect for 60 days, can be found here. The rules will be mandatory for all businesses as stipulated by the new emergency order which can be found here.
Senate COVID Committee
The Senate Special Committee on COVID-19 convened Friday for an informational briefing to discuss hospital capacity and oxygen shortages with the Department of Health and the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, the State’s strategy to prevent a Labor Day surge with the Attorney General, and forecasts on transmission and data with Hawaii Pandemic Applied Modeling. You can watch a recording of the hearing on YouTube here.
Matson Says No Disruption in Service from Pandemic
Matson Inc., Hawaii’s largest ocean cargo transportation firm, responded to unfounded rumors circulating in Hawaii about service disruption. All Matson operations continue uninterrupted. Matson continues to maintain its service schedules as normal with three arrivals a week to Honolulu. The company does not foresee any disruption to Hawaii services. Matson has strict health protocols in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The company has a vaccine incentive in place for employees and to date has seen very low positive case counts among employees.
CORONAVIRUS HEALTHCARE, COVID-19 FAKE PRODUCTS
No COVID Vaccination but Need COVID Healthcare?
While it may still be your choice whether to get vaccinated or not, Hawaii’s largest healthcare trade group says there may be a financial price tag for not getting the vaccine. Up until now, most insurers in the country, and certainly in Hawaii, have been covering the entire cost – so there’s no out-of-pocket cost for someone who gets sick from COVID. The change that has occurred recently, and is occurring in Hawaii, is that some insurers now are saying, “If you are not vaccinated and you get sick, we will still pay the insurance side, but the member now, or their family, is responsible for the patient copay.” So, there is an obligation the patient now has if they’re not vaccinated. The copay is often 10 to 20% of the total medical bill, depending on what your insurance plan is. How high could that copay go? It would depend on your insurance, but for a hospitalization, the member cost could be thousands of dollars. Read more here.
Feds Report Increase in Fake Products Claiming to Treat or Prevent COVID
Homeland Security Investigations report there’s an increase in fake or counterfeit products related to preventing or treating COVID-19. At least $54.6 million of illicit proceeds were seized in the U.S. since April last year. The schemes evolved as the pandemic progressed. Early scams were counterfeit personal protective equipment. Now, it’s fake treatments and items that claim to prevent the coronavirus. When packages arrive from out of the country to the U.S., that’s where Customs and Border Protection encounters it. A random inspection in Honolulu last year led to a discovery of almost 1,000 lanyards called Virus Shut Out, that promise to create anti-viral, anti-bacterial clouds that prevent COVID-19. To report suspicious activity with coronavirus treatments or vaccines, email COVID19FRAUD@dhs.gov
REMINDER: UI PROGRAMS EXPIRE THIS WEEK
The UI programs will end Sept. 4.
The state labor department wants to make sure the unemployed are aware of the potential next steps:
When the UI programs end, will you qualify for a new unemployment insurance claim? Claimants who choose to remain on PEUC will be presented with the “PEUC $25 Option,” then will receive an email from the UI office notifying them of the next steps to resume their new regular UI claims. Your new UI claim will be reinstated (after PEUC expires) and you can continue to collect benefits under that claim. An email was recently sent out to 6,500 claimants who qualified for the PEUC $25 Option program-advising them to file their claim certification for the week ending from Sept. 4 between Sept. 5. and Sept. 11, regardless of claim filing status, weekly or biweekly. If you did not receive the email, it is because you did not qualify for the PEUC $25 option. You will need to qualify for a new initial claim after Sept. 4 based on existing criteria.
Why is it called the “PEUC $25 Option?” After creating the PEUC program, the federal government modified it so that many claimants could stay on PEUC even if they were eligible for a new initial claim for standard UI benefits; claimants could choose whichever path paid them a higher weekly benefit for the longer amount of time. This became known as the PEUC $25 option because the new initial claim had to pay at least $25 a week less than the claimant’s existing PEUC claim.
NO PROPERTY TAX BY PHONE, EXPIRED ID DOCS WAIVER ENDS IN OCTOBER
Why Can’t You Pay Your Property Taxes by Phone?
Telephone, online and satellite city hall payment options are no longer available because the Aug. 23 due date has passed. You’ll have to pay by mail or at Honolulu Hale. The Department of Budget and Fiscal Services’ website, which indicated that online and telephone payments would still be accepted, was out of date. The following options remain available for the first installment of real property taxes for the 2021-2022 tax year:
Mail: Send payment to City and County of Honolulu, Real Property Tax Collection, Division of Treasury, P.O. Box 4200, Honolulu, HI 96812-4200. Your payment date will be based on the post office cancellation mark.
In person: Pay with cash or check at the Division of Treasury, located on the first floor of Honolulu Hale. Or you can pay with a credit or debit card, but a convenience fee will be added.
Curbside drop box: The black/gray box outside Honolulu Hale is available 24 hours a day.
Be forewarned that all taxes remaining unpaid after the due date will be considered delinquent and are subject to a penalty of 10 %. Interest at the rate of 1 % for each month or fraction thereof will be applied to all delinquent taxes and penalties. For more info., call 768-3980.
Waiver of expired identification documents will expire on Oct. 4.
If your driver’s license or state ID is expired, you might want to get it renewed as soon as possible. The governor’s waiver for the expired documents ends on Oct. 4. After that date, if your license has been expired for more than a year, you won’t be able to renew it. Instead, you’ll have to re-take and pass the written exam and road tests. The Governor’s emergency order allowed for expired documents to still be valid as the pandemic shut down DMVs early on. They have since reopened to in-person services. The city has opened up extended hours and Saturdays to accommodate more appointments for driver’s licenses, state IDs and learner’s permits. If the original expiration date on the driver’s licenses is 90 days past due, card holders would be fined $5 per month for up to a year. The fines would have to be paid before the expired license can be renewed. To make an appointment, click here.
HECO REQUESTS PUBLIC INPUT, BACK-TO-SCHOOL ONLINE SCAMS
HECO Asks for Public Input on EV Charging Station Locations
Hawaiian Electric is seeking community input on the locations of future public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to make sure electrified transportation can be a service to all. With the “Charge Up Hawaii” website, the public is asked to tell HECO about their transportation needs by dropping pins on an interactive map to indicate where participants want to see EV charging stations in the future. The interactive map and survey can be found here.
Keeping Keiki Safe from Back-to-School Online Scams
Online access comes with many issues for adults; you can only imagine what it’s like for children. And for those who are distance learning via Zoom, they may be exposed to internet predators. Keiki will need an email to sign up for teleconference sites like Zoom, and as adults know, emails come with junk mail. Kids receive these annoying messages as well, but they do not have the online experience and are much more vulnerable. There are also apps. Specific applications may be assigned for a particular class, but others can collect and share personal data about your child or include paid features. If the child has to download something onto their system, the best thing is for the parent to sit there with them. Also, having a conversation with your child to explain how these downloads could possibly steal money from you, steal your identity and even locate where you’re living, which can be dangerous. For programs that keep track of what children are seeing on the internet and informs the parents of any issues, click here.
DISTRICT HAPPENINGS
Ward Avenue New Protected Bicycle Lane
In an effort to create safer roadways and protect bicyclists, the city announced a new bike path that runs along Ward Avenue. These are the first protected bike lanes that run in both the mauka and makai directions between King Street and Ala Moana Boulevard. The new bikeways connect to the already existing path on King Street, which takes bicyclists eastbound to Moiliili or westbound to Honolulu’s Civic Center campus. The Ward Avenue bike lanes will provide both residents and visitors an easy and safe way to navigate to and from commercial, retail and residential areas in Honolulu. The added lanes can help reduce traffic congestion as well as prevent vehicle and pedestrian collisions. The city said following the installation of Honolulu’s first protected bikeway on South King Street, crashes in the area have been reduced by 50%. Furthermore, the number of bicyclists riding on sidewalks has also gone down and driver awareness when making turns has increased. With the success of past bike paths, proposals have also been made to create lanes in Kakaako and Downtown. The Ward Avenue bike lanes are part of the city’s Complete Streets project, which works to improve safety for all roadway users. For more info., click here.
Alleged Waikiki Suicide Incident Brings Awareness
The recent elderly couple suicide incident at The Plaza at Waikiki is a stark reminder of how fragile some lives can be. Suicide is a big concern among the elderly, especially for those over the age of 85. When it comes to those who are older, they might be facing certain drastic changes in their life. It could be health, it could be changes in their marital status, social status, a lot of different things could be happening in their lives. Warning signs to look out for among loved ones include changes in sleeping and eating habits, as well as a loss of interest in social interaction and hobbies. If you or anyone you know is having thoughts of suicide, you can call Crisis Line Hawai’i at 832-3100 for Oahu residents, and 1-800-753-6879 for those on neighbor islands. You can also text the crisis line at 741741.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Sept. 7: Waikiki Neighborhood Board
(Added Sept. 7th) The Waikiki Neighborhood Board No. 9 will recess its regular meeting in September 2021. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 12, 2021.
Sept. 8: Full City Council, 10am
See the agenda and submit testimony here.
Some items of interest:
Resolution 21-187 Urging the City Administration to act quickly to reopen
COVID-19 testing sites and establish additional sites to expand testing capacity. FOR ADOPTION
Resolution 21-189 Urging the City Administration to reopen and expand COVID-19 isolation and quarantine facilities. FOR ADOPTION
Resolution 21-193 Urging the Governor to reinstate pre-travel COVID-19 testing for domestic and international travelers to Hawai‘i regardless of their vaccination status. FOR ADOPTION
Resolution 21-174, CD1 Approving the Ala Moana Neighborhood Transit-Oriented Development Plan. FOR ADOPTION, AS AMENDED
Sept. 8: House Education Committee Informational Briefing on COVID, 2pm
The purpose of this informational briefing is to receive an update from the Department of Education regarding:
Sept. 4: Island Fever Brass Band at the Nextdoor Social Hotspot, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Island Fever Brass is bringing the sounds of New Orleans to the Island of Oahu! As a hot, brass band, this electrifying group of talented musicians embodies pure creativity and imagination to bring new meaning to your favorite songs. Performing a wide variety of genres from New Orleans second line, hip-hop, jazz, funk, R&B, to throwbacks and everything in between, they hope to connect with every soul in the audience. Check them out at the NextDoor venue located in Hawaii Pacific University, 43 North Hotel Street, Honolulu, HI 96817. Cost is $60 for a table of four. Get your tickets here.
Sept. 4-5: The 39th Okinawan Festival Goes Virtual for a Second Year
The main events of the festival will be Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. and will feature local dance groups, taiko performances, and andagi — those sweet deep-fried buns of dough you long for—AND cooking demonstration and a performance by Mānoa DNA. You can shake your bon-bon on Saturday night from 8 to 9:15 p.m. as a few bon dance clubs will perform virtually for guests to follow along. https://www.okinawanfestival.com/
Sept. 5: Outdoor Yoga by the Aquarium, 8:30am – 9:30am
Love to Yoga outside? Try this socially distanced, outdoor yoga class with Diana Ho. Location: Kapiolani Park Fitness Station, 2745 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI. 967815. Please plan to arrive 10-15 minutes in advance to find parking along Kalakaua Ave. Along Kapiolani Park, parking is free before 10 am. Meet at Sans Souci State Recreational Park, on the far left closer to the Aquarium. Get your stretch on for only a suggested donation of $10 – $15. Pay via Paypal: info@dianahoyoga.com. Register here before attending.
Sept. 5: FREE Zumba at International Marketplace-Queens Court, 10:00 – 10:45am
Start off your Sunday right with some dancing! Join Fabletics International Marketplace and Cat Nitelet-Vedder for a FREE Zumba class! Spots are limited so make sure to reserve your spot today! Click here to register.
