Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, August 31, 2020

Hawaiian Airlines will become a smaller company with fewer employees and flights as it sets out to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo from Hawaiian Airlines

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES sent out letters of intent today to lay off 2,004 employees. More than 800 are flight attendants and more than 300 are pilots. The others work in ground support, marketing, and administration. Some employees have taken voluntary separation packages. The layoffs will be over time, said CEO Peter Ingraham. With the sharp decrease in travel worldwide, Hawaiʻi's largest airline is planning to become a smaller company in order to survive, according to Ingraham.
     The layoffs at Hawaiian Air led state and university economists to reduce expectations in economic recovery in the near future.

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THE "OBSESSION WITH THE 'BORDER' AT THE AIRPORT distracted us from building the public health awareness and infrastructure that will help us to get through" the COVID-19 pandemic, said Brian Schatz in an op-ed this week. "We seemed, all of us, from the media to the politicians to the citizens who elected them, more interested in whether or not an individual scofflaw from the mainland was violating the quarantine than whether or not we were doing what was necessary to be ready for this onslaught."

     The U.S. Senator pointed out that COVD-19, more than coming from travelers, "is spreading among us because of us, not because of tourism. We cannot fix this with a border, not when there's more disease in Honolulu than New York City."

     Schatz recommended the following to stop the surge of the virus:
     "Focus on vulnerable communities with language and cultural competency, and do it immediately. There is a rolling catastrophe in our Pacific Islander community, with eight to 10 times higher COVID-19 rates than the rest of Hawaiʻi. We need targeted outreach in Pacific island languages with Pacific island leaders. We also need to continue to address this disparity by alleviating overcrowded housing.
     "Ramp-up contact tracing and testing, something that has inexplicably not yet been done. I thought this was under control when we helped launch a training program for 400 contact tracers at the University of Hawaiʻi. It was a shock to learn that the Department of Health chose not to hire many of these individuals, and went back to their 'contact tracing isn't a panacea' talking point. Nothing is a panacea — which is why we have to do everything, and that includes contact tracing.
     "Spend the CARES Act money designated for fighting the disease. We still have most of our testing money unspent, and several other categories of the $7 billion in danger of having to go back to the U.S. Treasury by year's end if we don't get our act together.
     "Have a statewide, universal mask mandate. We still have significant noncompliance, and we need to reinforce that masks are not optional. Lawyers will correctly point out that everyone is covered under individual county orders, but everything to emphasize and enforce the importance of masks should be done.

U.S. Sen Brian Schatz lays out a plan to recover from the COVID-19 health and economic disaster.

     "Move carefully forward with the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi Program, understanding that a negative test as a barrier to entry in Hawaiʻi is not foolproof, but it's better than the current quarantine that is increasingly absurd (many originating destinations have lower infection rates than us) and difficult to enforce.
     "Allow people to exercise outdoors. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, this is going to take a while, and helping people remain mentally and physically healthy is a priority. HPD may be hesitant to enforce rules around gatherings, but that's no reason to force everyone onto narrow sidewalks, or stay at home completely."
     Schatz said that communications about COVID-19 "need to be more clear, concise, and focused on what people should do, rather than fixating on disagreements among politicians. This isn't a matter of PR consultants giving our leaders the right words to say. But it would be a good start to not have simultaneous and competing press conferences, and to have clear instructions. The deluge of information has caused some to want to ignore the orders, instead of heed them.
     "Finally, our actions should reflect not just science but our values. We cannot open bars before schools. We cannot force people to pay a gym for exercise or say that the only way you can visit with family is to pay for dinner at an indoor restaurant. We cannot bicker. We have to stay disciplined and do the things that we have seen work around the world. We are all in the same canoe, and if we don't paddle in unison, we will continue to go in circles."

     This Op-Ed was originally carried in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. See it here. Also see Shatz'Facebook and Twitter.

Dr. Libby Char, MD, is an emergency medicine physician with experience in management of first responders.

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A CHANGE AT THE HELM OF THE HAWAIʻI HEALTH DEPARTMENT will take place Sept. 15, with the retirement of state DOH Director Bruce Anderson.
     Gov. David Ige made the announcement today, praising Anderson's work as a public health and environmental management professional over the last 35 years in Hawaiʻi. The new acting and likely permanent director will be a physician, Dr. Libby Char.
     Char is an Emergency Room physician and graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi, John A. Burns School of Medicine. After completing residency training in California, she returned to Hawaiʻi to the clinical practice of emergency medicine at The Queen's Medical Center. She provided administrative oversight for the City and County of Honolulu EMS system for many years.
     Char has most recently focused on developing systems of care, training, protocols, and emergency response, and best practices in the pre-hospital environment. She provides medical direction for several EMS, Fire, and Ocean Safety agencies across the state of Hawaiʻi, and is the current chair of the State of Hawaiʻi EMS Advisory Committee.
     Ige said, "Dr. Char brings experience in medicine and administration to the department during a time of great stress on the state's healthcare system. I'm confident that she will step into the role with energy and passion for ensuring the health of Hawaiʻi's people."

Dr. Bruce Anderson will retire as director of the state Department of Health.

     Char said, "I am honored to fill the position of Director of Health for the State of Hawaiʻi. We are in a difficult position, with a heavy burden of COVID-19 affecting the health, well-being, and livelihood of so many of us. We must move forward together, through collaborative efforts, caring for each other with a shared sense of purpose. In doing so, we will regain the health of our communities and our state."
     Lt. Gov. Josh Green, MD, also praised Anderson for his dedication and work and said he looks forward to the new leadership, particularly in pushing forward contact tracing to help Hawaiʻi open up the economy while protecting the public.

Nolan Espinda, chief of Hawaiʻi's prison system, will retire.

personal leave through September. The deputy directors for law enforcement and corrections will continue in their capacities to oversee their division operations. Espinda will be available to provide advice remotely in the interim should the need arise, said the statement from the governor. Ige is expected to make an interim appointment to lead the department in the coming weeks. 

THE NUMBER OF COVID-19 CASES AT YUKIO OKUTSA STATE VETERANS HOME in Hilo has reached 38, with ten of them employees. The 28 residents include three who died, the only COVID-19 deaths on this island, all happening in the past few days. Retesting of all residents and staff was set for today.
     The Veterans Home, managed by Avalon Health Care Group, is one of Hawaiʻi Health System's facilities, which include Hilo Medical Center and Kaʻū Hospital.
     Three of the Veterans Home victims are hospitalized, none on ventilators. The statewide death toll from COVID-19 was, seven statewide, the highest since pandemic began. See more COVID statistics below.
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