Life respectfully, prevent the spread
Members of many native tribes pay homage to the eagle. No, they don’t worship it, but they honor it. It is believed that the eagle, as the highest-flying bird, carries our prayers up to creator. It is also believed by many that the eagle keeps our world alive by flying high and making note of those living in traditional ways, praying in traditional ways and caring for creation.
But this isn’t just a native thing. We are all called to honor our earth, to care for her gently, to not abuse her or take from her more than we need.
For the last century we haven’t lived this way. We have taken more than enough. We have dug deep into her heart and robbed her of essentials she relies upon for her very life. We have not replenished. We have released deadly toxins into her air and poisoned her.
And because of that she can no longer gift us with sustainable life. Along with those toxins come diseases, diseases we’ve never faced before. COVID-19 is one of them.
Coronavirus sounds like a bad beer disease. But it’s all too real, and it affects us all. The precautions we are taking are necessary to our survival, and that of our loved ones. We are asked to wear masks when we leave our homes. These masks protect us from coming in contact with the droplets that spread the disease, droplets we each release when we cough or sneeze.
Social distancing is another protection we have, keeping at least six feet away from each other. Quarantine in our homes is another way to stay safe. Yet so many do neither. They adopt the attitude that this won’t affect them.
This is serious, folks, and if we don’t take precautions we will all suffer, not just by contracting the virus but by losing loved ones to it. Who in your family are you willing to sacrifice? No one? Then take precautions now. And live respectfully on Mother Earth.
Susan Campbell, citizen of the Potawatomi Nation, Kalaheo
We need facemasks now
It’s starting to feel like life after ‘Iniki (and ‘Iwa). No tourists, no traffic, no jobs. And you see your friends at Safeway now, instead of Tire Warehouse (then). BUT we have electricity, and water, and phones, computer, TV. We should be grateful, especially that we live Kaua‘i. We are in the best and safest place in the world now. And it will probably take us about the same time to recover now, as it took after the hurricanes, two to five years (along with the rest of the world).
Also: Face masks are recommended now (and may become mandatory). Where are we supposed to get face masks, when all the world is looking for them, and when we can’t even get toilet paper?
Also: I hear that lawn/yard workers are considered “nonessential” and are prohibited from working (not so on O‘ahu). How can this be when they deal with plants, not people. And how can this be on the Garden Island, where if an old lady like me can’t mow her lawn for a month or two, the weeds will be waist high (or more!). So, is this allowed here or not? Mayor, let us know.
Mahalo.
Kathleen Johnson, Kalaheo
Many YT explanations and demonstrations of home making face masks from old sheets and other similar cloth fabrics, as well as making with paper, foil, tape and rubber bands.
I can only personally attest to one or two regular bandannas, the second wet, does the job to keep out tear gas, even when running full speed.
May the Great Spirits/God Bless us all.
Kathleen, There are instructions on youtube about how to make a face mask from a bandana. You can also cut one out of old clothes. You can add a coffee filter into the folds for more protection.
I refuse to shop anywhere where cashiers do not at least wear gloves to protect themselves. It is up to the bosses to provide them, and also to make them wear them whether they like it or not. If they refuse, they should be fired. That is harsh, but I am not going to take money or coins from someone who has touched bare hands with hundreds of people, and then touched money and then passed it to me. That is insane. It is nuts how many cashiers that handle money and basically touch hands to pass it back and forth are very blase about it as well, even condescending and belligerent, and defensive about it. It should cause an immediate shutdown of any store, i don’t care how big they are or how essential. If they get shut down for 24 hours, they will soon change their tune. Two incidents I am aware of, because I witnessed them. A store employee who was suddenly wearing gloves confessed the person had just been issued gloves yesterday. So, the three times i was in the store prior, I was wearing gloves, and refused to take money from that persons hands. They were livid, and practically ran me out of the store. Another incident, I noticed that a cashier and a customer were getting into an argument over the fact that she wasn’t wearing gloves, and to not hand the person money or cash. I don’t even take the change or the dollars from someone with bare hands anymore. I put it in anything that says “donate to”. Needless to say, I am going to be quite hungry, as these incidents happened in all three of the larger stores.
Take longs, for instance. Seems all good at first blush. They are nice and polite. They have a 10 person limit, and you have to be six feet away in line. But the cashiers and staff wear no gloves or face-masks. So i don’t take change from them. I tell them to just keep it. I am losing a lot of money, but i am not getting infected by the coronavirus from money that has been passed from dirty hands to dirty hands. No cashiers are using sanitizer even in between transactions, or spraying down and wiping counters between transactions. The keypads are not being sanitized between transactions. So those fingers before yours went on the keypad. Were they clean? Nope. So now you touch it? Hell no. I wear gloves. I then remove them in the car, and toss them. I then sanitize my hands.
In Safeway, Walmart, Costco and Star Market. Several hundred cars in the large parking lots. People who say you can stuff more people in the bigger buildings. Really? Unless everyone has a mask on, and gloves yes. The virus is now vaporized, which means you walk past someone and even breathing or talking you can get sick now. Thats not me, thats the CDC saying this. Everyone is supposed to wear a mask now.
The crackdowns need to come, and quick for the major grocery chains, and places that are open. Gloves and masks required. Wiping down between customers of keypads and countertops. If you can’t get gloves, then sanitize your hands in-between transactions.
The money can live on paper for up to 24 hours. You just think about that. And on plastic and metal several days. Keypads are metal and plastic.
Here are some tips for how to deal with money, and make your own gloves:
Money-paper American money is one of the strongest kinds of paper you will ever see. It can withstand heat, bleach, soap, washing in the washing machine and going in the dryer. Here is what I do with paper money: I place it in the sink, with hot, soapy water. Wearing gloves, I scrub each bill, and let it all soak for two minutes. I then rinse it all with hot water. I then place the bills in a zippered pillowcase, and toss in a hot dryer on high, until dry. I then remove, and place in a ziplock bag. It is now sanitized and ready for use, When I use a card to pay for things, I wipe down the card with babywipes.
Make your own gloves: This may sound very childish, but it works. Take a garbage bag, cut it till it lays flat. Cut out a paper cutout of a tracing of your hand, leaving a 2 inch seam allowance. Double fold the garbage bag, so that you have 2 layers. Pin the paper cutout to the garbage bag. Cut it out. Use a glue gun around the edge to glue the two sides together. Turn inside out. You have a great glove that fits. You can also use a plastic baggie in a pinch. Get a large pack of 100 at Hopaco’s.
For a new sew mask, get a cloth or a tshirt, or tightly woven cotton, and a stapler, or a staple gun. Make a 22 by 22 inch square. Fold it in half, then half again. Take a hairtie each at the ends, and slide it through till they are 2 inches in. Fold the excess back over the hairtie, and staple Place the hairties around your ears and wear.
Anyone can do these things. Its not hard. There is just no excuse! Employees should be supplied the materials, and make their own, if there are no commercial PPE’s. Managers should be held liable and the store fined and shut down for 24 hours for their employees not being properly protected. Now is not the time to get defensive, now is the time to be proactive, and get creative.
I will no longer do business with places that do half of one and none of the other. A place that says it lets in 10 people at a time, but doesn’t cover their hands or mouth is ridiculous and does not deserve my sanitized cash.
I think you need a full time job or a hobby. People are not dying from COVID-19, they are dying with it. Many are dying naturally right now, and even without testing for the virus, are being counted as “dying because of the virus”.
Just one question,…..When do we stop doing everything you outlined in your diatribe?? Why would your Draconian actions be eliminated….don’t we want to prevent the next virus from spreading?? There are ways to mitigate risk…..you will never eliminate it. Just wash your hands after leaving a store. If you are over 60, with any other illness, then stay home. It’s not that hard. SMH.
Gloves don’t protect others the way masks do. Unless the cashier changes the gloves between each customer without touching the gloves the way doctors do, they’re not really helpful. And you’re still touching the money, which has been handled by many people. It’s best to pay with a credit card.
I just watched the Surgeon General demonstrate how to make a mask with a folded up t-shirt and two rubber bands! I think even I could/will make one. I ventured out to Costco and a few people were wearing masks. I will wear a mask in public next time. It is now recommended by the CDC and that is good enough for me. The masks are to protect other people from me! We are so lucky to live here on Kaua’i so we can all do a part in making sure it doesn’t get going. One death here is too many but too much to wish for but we all need to protect each other.
Unless the cashier is changing gloves after each customer and using proper technique to change them it is no different than using bare hands.
You should get some professional help…someone to talk you off the ledge. You sound overly paranoid. We’re all gonna be OK. Masks are not required, just an suggestion…for when you can’t keep enough distance.
And money laundering?? That’s illegal!
These two LTEs are pathetic examples of the weakness of people and their willingness to roll over and become compliant subjects…yes! the comforting smell of the herd.
RG DeSoto
I saw the COOLEST video a young woman put together on making our own masks – no sewing required! Can use olde pillow cases, bandanas .. any 6″x12″ cloth, a couple of “ponies,” as she calls the hair bands, and two pieces of string, ribbon, whatever. CHECK IT OUT:
https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status
Face mask protects others by containing most (not all) of the water droplets you breathe out. It protects you primarily by reminding you not to touch your face (most transmission of the virus is hand to face, after touching a surface where someone else’s droplets have landed). Google “handmade mask” or “cloth mask” for some very easy ways to make a serviceable face mask. Save the medical-grade ones for those brave souls who are still serving as doctors and nurses.
I am an enrolled member of the Citizen Oitawatomi Nation, a Native American tribe. As such, I am a citizen of that tribe and I am also a U. S. citizen.
On the glove issue.
I think its like the mask issue. Its better than nothing. If you cashier, then in between each sale you should sanitize your hands after touching money. I think thats fair. If you cant do that, then at least wearing gloves will keep the germs off you, but then you go to pass and your hands have the virus on them. I dunno its kind of a lose lose situation. I think some people feel safer buying stuff if they see people wearing masks and gloves. It makes the place look sanitized. People should definitely clean that dang keypad for sure! Now that is gross.
I mean if doctors and nurses are wearing gloves, it makes sense that cashiers should too because they handle all kinds of money, coins and cards from all kinds of people who are handling it to them with their bare hands. Thats kinda gross, I think. I would wear gloves for that even if it wasn’t a pandemic. Cuz people hock lugies, and blow their noses with their hands and then handle money. Haha. Yuck.
Everythingisawesome, apparently thinks, well everything is awesome. there is no pandemic, people aren’t dying everything is just hunky dory! Until everything is awesome gets corona virus. Then it will be everythingisawful.
Ho, two braincells! Money laundering has nothing to do with actually washing money, ya dweeb! Or were you making a funny? Hard to tell. Because some places are actually sanitizing their money. They have high tech ways to do it, but hey I get that its probably a real good way to clean it. I might do that too.
Stop harshing. Its not a diatribe. I thought it was pretty good comment. Better than, “get over it, wash your hands, easy peasy. Maybe they are older, or have medical issues. Its not crazy to write in whole paragraphs, brah. Get a grip.
Ok,, that’s my pau comment.