Tag: covid-19

  • COVID-19: Stay At Home/Work At Home

    COVID-19: Stay At Home/Work At Home

    UPDATE – Caring for our community: stay-at-home, work-at-home

    We are seeing the spread of COVID-19 in the country and in the last week we have seen more cases.  The Senate has been asking the Administration for its COVID-19 plans since last week to ensure the public health is protected and procedures and resources are available to mitigate and treat outbreak if and when it happens.  We expected a strong directive to protect the state against the spread of COVID-19. Yesterday, Governor ordered the quarantine of all arriving persons but left shelter-in-place voluntary to the counties.   Today both the House and Senate sent a letter asking Governor for strong decisive action to impose a shelter-in-place directive on all persons across the state so we can contain community spread and protect our island communities.

    For us in Honolulu, we have one of the strongest actions to protect against COVID19 community spread through Mayor Caldwell’s stay at home /work from home order.  As of tomorrow 3/23 at 4:30pm, all non-essential workers are to stay at home and work at home until April 30.  It details the list of essential functions, businesses and activities allowed to operate but they all must follow strict social distance requirements, i.e. 6 foot rule and avoid shaking hands,  washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as frequently as possible or using hand sanitizer, covering coughs or sneezes,  and regularly sanitizing high touch surfaces.

    Stay at home and stay healthy.


    “FLATTEN THE CURVE”  You may have heard of this term and why it’s important to understand in pandemics like we face with the spread of COVID-19.  The “curve” researchers refers to the projected number of people who will contract COVID-19 over a period of time. As there is currently no vaccine or specific medication to treat COVID-19, and because testing is limited in the U.S., the only way to flatten the curve is through collective action. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that all Americans wash their hands frequently, self-isolate when they’re sick or suspect they might be, and start “social distancing” (essentially, avoiding other people whenever possible or at least stay 6 feet apart).  To understand why it’s important to do our part in social distancing, this links you to a good video we’ve found that may be helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgBla7RepXU&feature=youtu.be 

  • COVID-19: Airports/Harbors, School Meals

    COVID-19: Airports/Harbors, School Meals

    Aloha,

    A Senate special committee was appointed to advise the Senate on the State’s COVID-19 plans and procedures and the status of their implementation to safeguard the public health and safety.  Its first meeting was held yesterday (3/19) with Adjutant General Kenneth Hara, Hawaii’s Incident Commander, leading the COVID-19 effort; department of transportation harbors and airports; and department of health and private health care providers.  The following below provides some of the recommendations and information.

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Thursday, March 19, 2020

    Contact: Senate Communications 808-586-6261

    Senate Special Committee on COVID-19 holds first meeting

    Honolulu – The Senate Special Committee on COVID-19* held its first meeting today and provided the following information about its findings.

    The Airport Division of the Department of Transportation agreed with the committee’s recommendation to include a new 14-day quarantine of any airline passengers.

    • This is a difficult action, but necessary to flatten the curve of COVID-19 and keep the people of Hawaii safe.
    • The committee strongly urged the Governor to endorse this plan and put it into action immediately.
    • The plan will require hiring or reassigning approximately 500 people and cost approximately $1 million per month.

    The Harbors Division of the Department of Transportation, as of March 18, 2020, will no longer allow cruise ship passengers to disembark in Hawaii.

    • Cruise ships are being allowed to come into Hawai‘i ports to refuel and resupply, but only Hawai‘i resident passengers will be allowed to disembark.
    • This ban on cruise ship passengers will be in place for the next 30 to 60 days at a minimum.
    • This ban on cruise ship passengers will not impact cargo shipping to the islands. There are safety protocols in place regarding cargo shipping, but none of those protocols or the cruise ship passenger ban will impact the delivery of needed consumer goods to Hawai‘i.

    The Department of Health has launched a new website with guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic and updates on the virus within Hawai‘i: https://hawaiicovid19.com/

    As of today, Hawaii now has 26 positive cases.

    • The ten most recent positive cases come from private lab testing.
    • So far, private labs have carried out approximately 1,000 tests, whereas the State has only carried out 40 tests.
    • The State has been focusing only on seriously ill cases.
    • However, the private sector labs are reporting that they are running low on supplies.
    • Dr. Anderson told the committee that the State is “urging people to limit the number of tests being done and to not test those who are not ill.”  

    Regarding the positive case from Kualoa Ranch, the individual’s extended family has tested negative.

    The committee met with Adjutant General Kenneth S. Hara, who has been assigned as the incident commander of the COVID-19 response. 

    • General Hara strongly recommend to Governor Ige that he adopt the proposed 14- day quarantine for arriving passengers.
    • He proposed a Threshold Implementation Plan to deal with the transmission of COVID-19. This plan identifies three levels of risk:  limited community transmission, sustained community transmission, and widespread community transmission.  The plan also detailed actions that each government department should take at each of those levels of risk. 
    • He recommended to Governor Ige in February that there be an analysis of critical functions, including identifying the resources required to accomplish these critical functions (people, equipment, power, sewer, etc.) and from that analysis a continuity of operations plan could be adopted and implemented.
    *The Committee members are: Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, Senator Michelle N. Kidani, Senator Donna Mercado Kim, Senator Sharon Y. Moriwaki, and Senator Kurt Fevella.

    -END-


    SCHOOL MEALS TO BE PROVIDED AT MCKINLEY HIGH & KAIMUKI HIGH STARTING MONDAY, MARCH 23

    DOE will be implementing the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program a few months earlier than scheduled.

    During the extended Spring Break period, a total of 38 Hawaii public schools will be providing free breakfast and lunch to children who are 18 years or younger. They will be able to stop by one of the designated schools (see list below) to pick up a grab-and-go meal.

    Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m.-8 a.m. Meal must be consumed by 10 a.m. due to food safety.

    Lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Meal must be consumed by 2 p.m. due to food safety.

    Note: Lunch will not be served on Thursday, March 26, due to the Kuhio Day state holiday.

    There will be no personal interaction between the DOE employees and the community. All meals will be placed in containers. Meals will be located outside of the cafeteria, preferably closest to a driveway or other natural access point on the campus. There will be no access to the cafeteria.

    Designated schools starting Monday, March 23:

    Honolulu

    Kaimuki High and McKinley High

    Central Oahu

    Leilehua High

    Makalapa Elementary

    Waialua High & Intermediate

    Windward Oahu

    Kahaluu Elementary

    Kahuku High & Intermediate

    King Intermediate

    Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate

    Hawaii Island

    Kau High & Pahala Elementary

    Kohala High

    Konawaena High

    Pahoa High & Intermediate

    Waiakea High

    Maui

    Hana High & Elementary

    Kahului Elementary

    Kalama  Intermediate

    Lahaina Intermediate

    Lanai

    Lanai High

    Molokai

    Molokai High

    Kauai

    Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School

    Kapaa High

    Waimea High

     

    Additional schools starting Tuesday, March 24:

    Honolulu

    Dole Middle and Farrington High

    Windward Oahu

    Kailua Elementary

    Hawaii Island

    Honokaa High

    Kahakai Elementary

    Waimea Elementary

     

    Additional schools starting Wednesday, March 25:

    Leeward Oahu

    August Ahrens Elementary

    Campbell High

    Kapolei High

    Maili Elementary

    Nanaikapono Elementary

    Nanakuli High & Intermediate

    Waianae Intermediate

    Waianae High

    Waipahu Elementary

    -END-