Ka‘ū News Briefs, Sunday, May 3, 2020

WILL THE INTERISLAND BAN ON TRAVEL without 14 days of quarantine be lifted soon, giving Hawaiʻi residents almost exclusive air travel within the state?
     Not sure. In the meantime, this week, Hawaiian Airlines rolls out protocol for distancing and for cleaning its fleet of planes, and will require everyone to wear face masks. Hawaiian Air released a statement on new standards.
     Hawaiian Airlines enhances health measures by requiring travelers to wear face coverings starting Friday, May 8 and creating more personal space at check-in, boarding, and during flights. Airport employees and flight attendants wear face masks. Last month, Hawaiian Air began electrostatic spraying of cabins for more protection against coronaviruses.
     Peter Ingram, president and CEO at Hawaiian Airlines, said, "Taking care of our guests and employees has always been our primary focus, and these new health measures will help us maintain a safe travel experience, from our lobbies to our cabins, as Hawaiʻi continues to make progress in containing COVID-19. We appreciate our guests' understanding and flexibility as we adapt our operations with their wellbeing guiding every decision we make."
     Effective May 8, passengers will be required to effectively cover the mouth and nose. The coverings are required from check-in at the airport to deplaning at destination. Young children unable to keep a face covering on, or guests with a medical condition or disability preventing its use, will be exempted from the policy.
     More personal space is provided between passengers at check-in, boarding, and during the flight.
The airline will modify boarding by asking guests to remain seated at the gate area until rows are called. Main Cabin guests will board from the rear of the aircraft, in groups of three to five rows at a time, and agents will pause boarding as needed to prevent congestion. Guests who require special assistance and those seated in First Class will be able to pre-board.

Hawaiian Airlines electrostatically sprays the interiors of its interisland planed every night and its transpacific planes between flights. The chemicals used are approved for disinfecting hospitals. Photo from Hawaiian Airlines

     Beginning next week, the airline - which has been manually assigning seats to increase personal space onboard - will begin blocking middle seats on its jets, adjoining seats on ATR 42 turboprop aircraft, and other, select seats to continue to provide more space for guests and flight attendants. Depending on load factors, seating may need to be adjusted at the gate to maximize spacing throughout the cabin, and meet weight and balance restrictions.
     Hawaiian will make efforts to seat families and guests traveling in the same party together, whenever possible, and encourages guests who prefer to sit together to contact the airline ahead of the flight or see an airport agent.
     Keeping Spaces Clean: Last month, Hawaiian began using electrostatic spraying to comprehensively and evenly clean aircraft cabins with hospital-grade disinfectants, registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, that coat hidden and hard-to-reach surfaces. Electrostatic treatment dries in five minutes. Hawaiian sprays it nightly on Boeing 717 aircraft it operates on flights between the islands, and prior to each departure from Hawai‘i on Airbus A330s that serve transpacific routes. The airline's A321 neo fleet is currently not in service due to a reduced flying schedule.
     Hawaiian's fleet is equipped with HEPA air filters that create a dry and essentially sterile environment inhospitable to viruses. In addition, the airline intensified detailed cleaning and disinfecting protocols, paying special attention to high-touch areas such as seats, seatbacks, headrests, monitors, tray tables, overhead bins, walls, windows, and shades, as well as galleys and lavatories.
     Hawaiian also distributes sanitizing wipes to passengers and has temporarily adjusted certain in-flight services, such as suspending the refilling of beverages in cups or personal bottles, and hot towel service.

Face coverings will be required from airport check-in to leaving the airport when flying Hawaiian Airlines. Photo from Hawaiian Airlines

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MARSHALLESE ETHNICITY INVOLVING THE COVID-19 MCDONALD'S outbreak among employees and their families at three Kona restaurants was mentioned in recent state legislative hearings. The identity by ethnic group drew criticism from a Marshallese community organization, according to a story by Chelsea Jensen in Sunday's West Hawaiʻi Today. She reported on a joint statement from Big Island Marshallese Community Association President Taruo Abner, Vice President Charles Kelan, and member Meetu Kelen. They wrote that identifying the victims of the McDonald's outbreak was discriminatory because no other reporting on ethnicity occurred during the pandemic.
     Dr. Bruce Anderson, Director of the state Department of Health, revealed the ethnicity, apparently when pressed by the state Senate Special Committee on COVID-19. He mentioned Marshallese employees and their families living in two places becoming ill. "This Marshallese community in the Kona area... basically were in living situations where they couldn't effectively isolate themselves," said the health director.
     West Hawaiʻi Today reported that Association member Meetu Kelen said, "Now everybody is looking at us, and we're feeling small, but we don't want our community to feel that. We want to be part of this community." Kelen said the community is target to prejudice from the public. "They think we don't  know anything, that we're spreading the virus." She said the Marshallese are practicing distancing and washing hands like others.

Dr. Neal Palafox and Marshallese leader in Ocean View, Johnathan Jackson, work on health care for the Marshallese community. Photo by Julia Neal

     Department of Health responded: "The Hawaiʻi Department of Health sincerely apologizes for any offense that may have been taken when race and ethnicity was mentioned related to those affected by COVID-19. The department was apprised of these concerns and will strive to use sensitivity when mentioning race. Please know that the intent was to express concern for those groups or populations that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and the need to build awareness about protecting those who may be at greater risk." The statement emphasized that "recent outbreaks were described to emphasize the need to physically and socially distance ourselves when we are sick.
     "We've seen from national data that Pacific Islanders are affected by COVID-19 at higher rates than other groups, and this is a high concern in Hawaiʻi. We need to protect those at higher risk and ensure they have the knowledge and tools to protect themselves."
     Both the community association and health department said they are working with the Marshallese community to spread more education about the disease.
     In Ocean View, outreach workers are also communicating with Marshallese residents, who often live in large family groups. Ocean View Marshallese leader Johnathan Jackson and U.H. Medical School professor, Dr. Neal Palafox, who specializes in Marshallese health, are working on improving health care. They both spoke at last year's Kaʻū Rural Health Community Association's annual meeting. There have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in the Marshallese community in Kaʻū.
     See a story on the high rate of infection of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, as described by University of Hawaiʻi Medical School, in Saturday's Kaʻū News Briefs.

Ocean View youth signed up with Boys & Girls Club Big Island are receiving deliveries of food on weekdays. BGCBI photo

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BOYS & GIRLS CLUB'S FEEDING PROGRAM for students and kūpuna received statewide television coverage during the past week. See the KHON2 story. The program feeds many Marshallese and Native Hawaiian children who are members of the Boys & Girls Club in Ocean View. They are fed five days a week, as school campuses are closed and the weekday meetings at Ocean View Community Center are called off until after the pandemic.

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AN UPTICK IN READING during the Stay-At-Home requirement for the pandemic has prompted Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries to provide a free book exchange so Kaʻū readers can access reading material. Currently, free books are available at the laundromat in Nāʻālehu. Patrons are invited to take the books they want and pass them on to another reader or return them to the laundromat when finished reading them. The book selection will be replenished frequently. Soon, Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries will provide another free book exchange site in Ocean View, said its President, Linda Morgan.

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