Category: Newsletter

Vaccine for Children Safe and Effective – Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine for Keiki Age 5-11
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine for children age 5-11 last week and the Hawaii Department of Health followed by authorizing vaccination for Keiki in Hawaii.  Vaccinations for children will be available at locations statewide including medical facilities, community health centers, mobile clinics, pharmacies, pediatrician’s offices, and more than 130 public, private and charter schools.  Parents should contact their child’s school directly to see if and when their school will be offering vaccinations to students.  Information on where children’s vaccines are available will be updated regularly here.

Vaccines for keiki ages 5-11:

• Kapiolani Medical Center (8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Saturday), Straub Medical Center (8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday). Starting Monday, clinics will be open until 6 p.m. weekdays. Visit HawaiiPacificHealth.org/COVID19Vaccine.
• HPH’s COVID-19 Vax Squad will also offer keiki vaccines at mobile clinics on Oahu starting Saturday. Visit HawaiiPacificHealth.org/COVID19Vaccine.
• Queen’s Health Systems opens appointments today for a Friday start at its clinics. Visit covid.queens.org/vaccine or call 808-691-2222.
• Kaiser Permanente Hawaii begins pediatric vaccines at all vaccination sites Friday. Visit kp.org.
• Longs Drugs, Walgreens taking appointments at CVS.com and Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine.

Vaccine sites in or near our district are listed below:

ZIP	Location	Address
96813	Queen’s Medical Center	1301 Punchbowl St.
96813	Straub Medical Center COVID	888 South King St. Ste. 100
96814	Cao Boyuan, MD	1451 S King St. Ste. 211
96814	Kaiser Honolulu Medical Office	1010 Pensacola St.
96814	Queen’s Blaisdell (Pikake Room)	777 Ward Ave.
96814	Times Pharmacy Beretania	1290 S Beretania St.
96815	Discovery Bay Pharmacy	1778 Ala Moana Blvd. #208
96815	Waikiki Health	277 Ohua Ave.
96826	Kapiolani Medical Center	1319 Punahou St.
96826	Times Pharmacy McCully	1772 S. King St.

Executive Order 21-08 Effective Nov. 12 Addresses Gathering Rules
Governor Ige signed Executive Order No. 21-08 Tuesday to address Statewide Limits for Social Gatherings, Restaurants, Bars, Social Establishments, and Gyms.  The Executive Order specifies that indoor activity at restaurants, bars and social establishments must continue to require that patrons remain seated with their party, maintain six feet of distance between groups, do not mingle, and wear masks at all times except when actively eating or drinking.  Outdoor activity at restaurants, bars and social establishments is no longer subject to these restrictions.  In Honolulu, there will no longer be an indoor capacity limit at these establishments.  The Executive Order is effective Nov. 12, 2021.  For a current list of Honolulu’s gathering rules, click here.

Hawaii Aligns with Federal International Travel Requirements Effective Nov. 8

• NON-U.S. citizens traveling directly to Hawaii from an international destination must present BOTH a vaccination records AND a negative COVID-19 test result (NAAT or antigen) within three days of boarding a flight to the United States.
• U.S. citizens flying directly to Hawaii from an international destination have two options:
  • Fully vaccinated travelers must provide proof of vaccination and present a test taken within three (3) days of boarding flight to U.S.; OR
  • Travelers not fully vaccinated must provide proof of negative COVID-19 test result within one (1) day of boarding flight to U.S.

There will be no additional State of Hawaii requirements for passengers flying directly into Hawaii from an international destination. The airlines will screen passengers prior to their departure to the U.S. If foreign passengers fail to meet BOTH requirements and if U.S. citizens fail to meet ONE of the two requirements, they will not be allowed to board the flight. Once in Hawaii, the CDC will conduct compliance checks.

Note: Tests do NOT have to be done with Trusted Travel Partners under the new international federal requirements, but they MUST be done with a Trusted Travel Partner for unvaccinated domestic travel.

Non-Direct International Travel to Hawaii
Starting Nov. 8 international passengers entering the U.S. from another state or territory will be treated as domestic travelers when entering the State of Hawaii. The Safe Travels Hawaii program remains in place for domestic travelers.  Current Safe Travels Hawaii requirements for domestic travelers include:

• Creating a Safe Travels Hawaii account on a digital device
• Entering trip details
• Filling out a health form, and
• Attesting that all information is correct.

Currently, travelers may bypass the state’s mandatory 10-day quarantine in one of two ways:

1. Upload a vaccination document; or
2. Upload a negative NAAT test result.

The test must be taken by a Trusted Travel Partner (TTP) within 72 hours of departure for the State of Hawaii.
Also, beginning on Nov. 8, the State of Hawaii, in alignment with the federal government, will accept vaccines approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and vaccines listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization. A list of currently accepted vaccines is posted on the CDC’s website.

DLIR Announces Statewide Reopening of Offices December 1, 2021
The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) announced that it will open offices statewide beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Services from all programs in the department will be available Wednesdays through Fridays. Telephone appointments for general unemployment insurance and claims adjudication services will continue on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Persons seeking in-person services will be required to show proof of full vaccination or testing prior to entry of all offices as well as adhere to social distancing guidelines and mask wearing while inside the offices.

DLIR will continue to offer telephone appointments for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and employer services Mondays through Fridays, and for claims adjudication and general unemployment insurance inquiries on Mondays and Tuesdays. The latter is the only change as persons with general unemployment insurance inquiries may visit the offices Wednesdays through Fridays beginning December 1, 2021.  Access to all appointments is available via the web at: labor.hawaii.gov/ui/appointments/.  For more information please visit: https://www.hawaiiunemploymentinfo.com/.  For more information about unemployment insurance and other labor issues please visit the FAQs at https://labor.hawaii.gov/covid-19-labor-faqs/

New Guide for preventing elder financial abuse
During National Family Caregivers Month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office for Older Americans released a new guide to help family members and friends of people living in nursing homes and assisted living communities learn how to prevent and report elder financial abuse.  It walks through four steps to fighting elder financial abuse: Prevent, Recognize, Record, and Report. The guide lists red flags to watch for, shares some common scenarios, and includes resources you can use to help your loved one. Download or order the new guide for free.

Also released is a “quick reference” handout that is focused on how to report elder financial abuse. This can help you quickly find the right resources in a tough situation. Download or order a free copy of the handout.  Save the date for a webinar on December 7, 2021 to learn more about the new guide and handout and how to use them. Webinar invitation details to come later this month.

We Want Your Ideas and Input:  Last Chance to Take Our Fall 2021 Community Survey Before Halloween
Mahalo if you have already filled out our survey.  We are closing it at the end of this month, so if you haven’t gotten a chance to, please take it now.  We look forward to sharing the results with you next month.

City Will Allow Full Capacity at Indoor & Outdoor Venues Starting Nov. 3
The city is loosening covid restrictions by lifting some limits on gatherings, effective Nov. 3, but it’s maintaining mask and vaccine requirements. The city updates include the following:

• Outdoor and indoor seating events can be at 100% capacity. Water will be allowed but no food. This includes sporting events, marathons and concerts.
• Restaurants, bars, and gyms still limited to 50% capacity but may stay open until 2 a.m., starting immediately.
• The University of Hawaii’s Ching Field will be open to about 9,000 people if they can fill up those seats.
• The annual Honolulu Marathon will continue with no masks at capacity limit.; groups of up to 200 are allowed.
• Other road races and triathlons can include an unlimited number of fully vaccinated participants but will be held in staggered groups of up to 50 people each. Starting Nov. 24, that number will increase to 200.
• Interactive events such as funerals and weddings will be kept at half capacity – up to 150 people max for indoor events and 500 for those held outdoors, with continued mask and vaccination requirements. On Nov. 24, the number will increase to 300 at indoor events, and no attendee limit for outdoor events.

Attention Sports Fans! Planning to Attend UH Sporting Events?
The University of Hawaii (UH) is offering tips to fans planning to go to the next football home game on Nov 6 against nationally ranked San Diego State. Below are instructions to follow to prepare for the event:

• Download the LumiSight UH daily health check app here.

• Upload your vaccination information to the LumiSight UH app at least 3 days before the first game or match to allow time for verification.
• On the day of the event, you must complete the LumiSight UH daily health screening for COVID-19 symptoms and possible exposure, which takes less than a minute.
• Everyone must present the green “You may report to campus” status with the current date on the app to enter the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex and the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
• Fans will also be able to show their vaccine cards and answer the COVID-19 health check questionnaire on site  but expect longer wait times to enter.
• Wear face masks at all times at the event, indoors and outdoors, except when drinking water.

A complete list of fan requirements is available here.

Small Businesses Can Still Claim Covid Vaccine IRS Tax Credit
The credit allows for a tax credit of up to 80 hours per employee up to $511 per day from April through September for time off from being sick, quarantining, awaiting the results of a Covid test or getting a vaccine. Also allowed for is care for someone else with Covid-19 of two-thirds of an employee’s salary, up to $200 per day. That tax credit — which can be complicated for small-business owners to navigate — officially expires at the end of 2021. At first, the tax credit was set at 50% of up to $10,000 in qualifying wages per employee for the 2020 calendar year. But the American Rescue Plan Act extended and expanded the credit to include up to 70% of $10,000 in qualifying wages per employee per quarter in 2021, making it much more lucrative to business owners. Read more here.

Postal Shipping Tips for Hawaii Ahead of the Holidays
Hawaii shipping deadlines for Christmas are in December, but the Postal Service says folks should start preparing now. Shortages and supply chain issues mean getting those packages off early is key. Here’s what you need to know:

• Hawaii’s suggested deadline for getting Priority Mail to the mainland before Christmas is Friday, Dec. 17.
•  The deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 21 for last-minute shoppers who use Priority Express Mail.
• Select Post Office locations around the country have upgraded their mail processing and transportation networks since 2020.
• The flat rate box is the best pound-for-pound option but officials still recommend planning ahead.

Click here for more info.

USPS Seeking to Hire Hundreds of New Employees Statewide
The United States Postal Service is seeking to hire 600 new employees statewide for the upcoming holiday season. Here’s what you need to know:

• Entry-level opportunities include positions in the mail processing facility and mail carriers on all islands.
• These positions are for shifts scheduled from November through early January. Starting pay for the available positions ranges from $18.01 to $20.66 an hour.
• Available are 275 Entry-Level & 350 Seasonal Positions.

Interested applicants click here.  Click on “Apply Now,” then select “Hawaii” as their location to see all currently available positions and begin the application process.

HPD Urges Everyone to Drive Responsibly During Holiday Season
The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) is encouraging safe driving and especially during the holiday season. To make sure you do, HPD will set up impaired driver checkpoints at unannounced locations from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, as part of the ongoing effort to reduce the number of traffic injuries and deaths. Know that promoting intoxicating liquor to anyone under the age of 21 is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one-year imprisonment.

Scrambling to Save Hawaii’s Disappearing Beaches
On Oahu, rising oceans have washed out roads and beachfront homes have collapsed from coastal erosion – costly, painful problems, but isolated. The future will bring much worse. The Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission’s report from 2017 estimates that, statewide, 3.2 feet of sea level rise would displace more than 20,000 people and destroy over $19 billion worth of land and structures, not counting a lot of critical infrastructure. These human and financial impacts would hit the urban core heaviest, including the epicenter of the state’s tourism sector, Waikīkī. On the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s sea level rise viewer (NOAA) a 3-foot rise would flood areas near the Ala Wai Canal. At just 4 feet of sea level rise, more than half of Waikīkī would be underwater. At 6 feet, it’s all submerged, along with much of the southern coast. Read more here.  Because of these concerns, I am working on a sea level adaptation community plan with a university-government-community group facilitated by State Office of Planning & Sustainability Director Mary Alice Evans.  Stay tuned.

Moiliili’s Kokua Market Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Hawaii’s oldest natural foods cooperative is celebrating its 50th anniversary — and to mark the occasion, the store is launching two weeks of festivities. Kokua Market on South King Street in Moiliili has been operating since 1971, providing locally-grown, organic and healthy foods to the community for years. The grocery store is hosting a number of weekend activities that include discounts, contests, specials guests and themed events through Nov. 7. On Oct. 30, the store will be celebrating Halloween with a costume contest at noon, and on Nov. 6 the market will provide a special fundraiser dinner by Makana Provisions. For more information, click here.

High Tech Workout Facility Makes Debut at Ward Village
F45 Training Studio, the fifth for the worldwide company on Oahu and sixth in the state, Officially opened on Oct 16 at Ward Village. It’s across from The Rice Factory that was previously a Destination Hawaii. There are now five F45 locations on Oahu: Kapolei, Pearlridge, Kahala, Hawaii Kai and now Kawaiahao Street. The “F” stands for functional training, a mix of circuit and high-intensity interval training, workouts, and the “45” is the minutes length of a team workout session led by trainers. Learn more here.

Voters Needed for Waikiki Art Gallery’s ‘Made in Hawaii’ Artist Competition
Park West Gallery selected 10 semi-finalists for the “Made in Hawaii” artist competition after sorting through hundreds of submissions. That group needs to be narrowed down to three and the Gallery needs YOUR help to do it. The pieces will be on display beginning Monday, Nov. 1. On Nov. 2, the public will be invited to vote in-person for the top three. People will be able to walk in, look at the collection and vote for their favorite artist. Voting continues until Nov. 8. After finalists are chosen, Park West’s committee will reconvene to select the winner of a yearlong contract at the Gallery.  The Park West art gallery is located at the Waikiki Beach Walk, 226 Lewers St. Suite L118, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Click here for more info.

SPOTLIGHT ON OUR COMMUNITY HERO: HEATHER LUSK