Visitors not following rules
Visitors not following rules
Yesterday while walking at Lydgate and hoping to see some clean water for a swim, I instead saw the open water on the wave side was still dirty with a shore break right onto the big wood along the sand.
I continued toward the pond which still has POLLUTED WATER signs up for last 2 months or so since the 2 sewer spills. As I walked past the pond a vehicle pulled up and 6 men jumped out with in beach attire with a few boogie boards running to the pond. One jumped in and was still in it later as I walked back by. The others were hanging out under the tree at the closest table to the pond, with no social distancing and were speaking possibly Japanese. They didn’t have any social distancing in their vehicle either. They all looked to be about the same age, not a family unit.
It is possible they have been here long enough to complete their 14 day quarantine, but since they were clueless about no social distancing and swimming in the polluted pond, I have my doubts.
This is a problem for all of us when visitors do not understand the rules or care to follow them. Our COVID cases will not stay at zero with this kind of visitor response.
Paulo Tambolo, Wailua Homesteads
Make unemployment easier
Dear Governor Ige,
Please waive the requirement during this pandemic for unemployed people having to certify each week or every two weeks (whichever their UI category) online that they had no wages. You did similarly to waive the need to look for 3 jobs a week to collect.
See, I like countless others, can’t get through online daily from early morning to later night, the online portal is crashed! But currently, we then must get through to certify no work and get our benefits. It’s a horrible catch 22.
Alternately buy more bandwidth to take more incoming client sessions etc.
This needs a fix, and your Governor’s rule to waive this source of bottlenecking standstill temporarily will save thousands of residents their sanity, now spent on speed dialing with odds worse than the lottery it seems. Thank you.
Jenn Tyler, Kapaa
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Paulo? Such Fear you possess! Why would you wanna hold on to such an Albatross? Are you afraid of your own life?
UI Hawaii is a complete Joke, I still haven’t gotten through going on 6 plus weeks! The Governor should be held Accountable for the system’s online Failure!
Bootstraps, rk, use ’em!
Let us first ponder how we can help an obviously troubled individual who would see a small group of people having fun swimming in the ocean (speaking Japanese), and feel compelled to whine, snivel, and complain about it to anyone? Is it possible for a virus to alter brain function in this way?
Unemployment and accepting “other people’s money” should never be made easy, nor should one ever feel that they deserve it. Even in this virus mess there is someone who will pay you something to do something! How spoiled our society has become, and how horrible it will be when reality hits our spoiled populace right between the eyes.
Unemploymnet insurance is just that. Insurance! Its not other peoples money, its our money, we paid into it, or at least our employers did, as a benefit to us. I assume you own a car. So lets say you are traveling to your favorite fishing spot and wham!! Out of no- where someoneT-bones you and you end up with a smashed car or worse with some injuries. Thank god, you think , I have insurance and at least I wont have to bear the expense of car repairs all on my own….But wait, you attempt to notify your insurance company but nobody answers the phone. You check the website but all you get is an automated splash page that says that they experiencing high volumes and to try back later. You send an email but nobody replies. This is what thousands of people are experiencing on Kauai through no fault of their own….Get it now?
You realize that if you’ve been employed in the past, you’ve already paid into the unemployment insurance fund and it’s your own money? So yes, you deserve it.
In response to Paulo Tambolo, Wailua Homesteads, I totally understand his sense of frustration. Having been visiting Kauai for over forty years, visiting family and as a tourist, I am more than willing to curtail my visits to the island until this pandemic is over. I firmly believe it would be best for Kauai and its residents if visitors were not allowed to visit. It’s sadly apparent that some visitors have no respect, regard or concern for the people on the island. Again, as much as I would love to be there visiting right now, now is not the time. Consideration of not allowing visitors is something to once again think about.
My neighbor has a couple that arrived earlier this week. The National guard & Police stopped by the next day to verify that he was at home, and after that they took off to go sightseeing for the rest of the day in an old pick-up truck, not a rental car – not sure where they got it from.
The next day he was walking in my front yard for a a minute before he decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood – I had to call the police.
It seems that just about everyone who is vacationing here now is doing so with no intention of following the rules – and I get it. Who in their right mind would spend money on a vacation, only to be quarantined for 2 weeks? It seems we now have a lot of selfish, cheap a**holes to deal with – not just the tourists, but the people who let them stay at their places & provide them with transportation.
hey paulo if you were that closed to here if they were “possibly speaking Japanese”, which I am sure you have no idea the distinction between Filipino, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, or south Korean either in looks or in language, could it be that if they were white or some other prominent race that is more “local”, you would not have batted an eyelash over it? I mean I am concerned as the next person about visitors, but here is where it gets sticky. Asians are being targeted. if they are speaking “Japanese”, then they7 aren’t part of the dreaded “Wuhan” crowd? Japanese are not Chinese.
It seems you were the one that was not social distancing, pal. You were that close you could here what language? That means you were way closer than six feet. Japanese people do not squawk loudly like chickens, or bray like donkeys. They speak rather softly.Stop bringing your racial hatreds and prejudices into the forums, here. If you have a concern, you should have called DLNR and had them come out and check it out. Instead you write a thinly disguised racial piece against Japanese? Wow. We have a lot of Japanese here, born and raised. Many also speak Japanese. Or are you still thinking this is WW2, and its time for the Japanese to be locked up again in detention camps? Or are you Charlie Kimchee, the number one guy who always posts bad things against Japanese people, and thinks he is Lost Bravo Charlie on Midway Island? Just asking for a friend.
This rule having to re-certify those on unemployment should be waived. Aren’t there still people who have not even gotten through to apply? Why make it this hard for those who are stressed enough?
If I saw a group of folks like this anywhere on the island I would not hesitate one minute to call the police. I hope you did.
Hawaii Self Destruction!
I am a frequent 2 week visitor from Texas. I have watched your citizens protest new arrivals. I have read of visitors being arrested for leaving their hotel room to go to the drive through. Your state seems to enjoy being on lockdown. Hawaii doesn’t sound willing to put out the welcome mat for visitors.
Some caution can be understood, but the numbers don’t show this alarmism is necessary. Total number of positive cases for all of Hawaii are less than 650. You have a population of 1.416 million. Less than 5 people in 10,000 have tested positive in the past. One of your newspapers disclosed that 90% have recovered. Only 1 person in 20,000 is apparently actively sick. Hopefully, that person is in self quarantine.
You have shut down your entire economy and continue to treat visitor poorly. How are you going to pay for your social programs if you don’t visitor tax revenue? I’m not planning a return any time soon. I just don’t feel like I will be welcome.
This virus has taken a tremendous toll on the elderly and at risk. The rest of us can and will fight this off. It’s time to get out from behind your closed doors and live life. Every day life has risks. You cannot hide forever. Please open your state soon.
Thank you for telling citizens of a different community how best to serve your preferences.
It’s amazing that people don’t seem to grasp the cause and effect here. The reason Hawaii has done so well is because rules were put in place early which have proven effective at keeping the virus from being the horrible issue that it is on the mainland. The 14 day quarantine, while not perfectly enforced, and the suspension of cruise ships has kept the virus from infiltrating the island. Whether people like them or not, think they are fair or not, the rules have worked to keep us healthy and alive. There is no question that opening up the island to tourists will bring the virus back to the islands and if so our leaders have indicated the rules will be put back in place. By the way, Richard, Hawaii has a very large elderly population who are particularly at risk should they get sick. You acknowledge this but evidently do not care because by inference you are young and will, as you say, be able to “fight it off.” Please. Yes we do depend on tourism but please stay away at this time if you are not willing to obey our state’s rules. No one should be traveling for pleasure during a worldwide pandemic. Mahalo and have a nice day.
Dear Richard from Texas,
Please know that Kaua’i needs to look at NATIONAL and global numbers. In one week at work, I saw people from 48 states and 3 – 8 countries. Many elderly people work in grocery stores and hotels. We only have 9 ICU beds on the island. We need to evolve our economy. If you haven’t, please speak with COVID-19 survivors or those in NYC hospitals. I have had friends (25 – 45) face harrowing times with this disease that can linger for months. A friend just lost her 32 year old co-worker, healthy, no underlying conditions. This virus is a mystery and It is not to be messed with. Encourage Ige to evolve the economy to better serve us all and the islands.
Richard from Texas, our numbers are so low BECAUSE of the actions our Mayor and Governor took! The fact that you don’t get this indicates that you don’t understand what is going on. So, I would strongly suggest that you remain in Texas, and find somewhere else to spend your “frequent two weeks.” Your dig at our “social programs” was yet another offensive comment in your post. We really DO NOT NEED VISITORS LIKE YOU.
So…Bye, Felicia! Don’t let the doorknob hit you on the way out.
COVID-19 MEMORY LANE
Lets take a look back at what has worked. Certainly the drastic steps taken in early March were successful in not just limited the virus but actually eliminating it from Kauai. Initially little was known about the virus and their was an extreme level of fear, notwithstanding the WHO at one point telling the world that the virus could not be transmitted human-to-human.
Today we are much wiser. We know that the aged with underlying condition are the most at risk; over half the deaths in states like NY and NJ were people who were living in nursing homes and similar facilities thus taking extreme measures to protect such people are paramount. Based on antibody testing which have shown a large number of asymptomatic cases, we now know that the actual death rate is closer to 0.1 to 0.3 percent, still serious but not so scary. We know that being outdoors, without a mask while social distancing is very safe, unless of course an infected person sneezes in your face. We know from a recent NY study that most people who get the virus get it indoors, not outdoors. Given these facts and many more why are we still pushing a stay at home order?
Given the advantage of hindsight we now know that many of the measures initially taken to control the virus, measured which have caused sever economic damage to our economy, businesses and many individuals, were misguided and overly broad, though well meaning at the time. Per Mayor K not only were our health care facilities not overwhelmed but emergency room admittances were down over one-third in March and over one-half in April; traffic accidents were down 57%, etc. It is now clear, that the restrictions initially put in place were extremely overly board. Many of the recently lifted restrictions should been removed weeks ago. Many of the remaining restrictions should be lifted immediately. Failure to do so is causing needless damage to people in many forms and the blame for such damage lies squarely on the shoulders of our governing officials should they continue to fail to act based on what we now know.
In the future should a few cases show up on the island we do not need to go back to a total lock down. The rest of the world is not taking that approach and to do so will ultimately destroy even further life as we know it. The goal should not be to keep Kauai COVID-19 free but rather to take a reasoned and measured approach which restrict the virus while at the same time returns many of our freedoms.
Voice of reason here. Anybody listening?
Richard from Texas,
Nobody is “enjoying” this lock-down, nor are we putting out the welcome mat for anyone at the moment. Since last month the Governor has kindly asked that visitors stay away for now, but that request has fallen on deaf ears for some. Hawaii has extremely limited medical resources and is not equipped to handle a serious outbreak of COVID-19. The positive cases, and deaths, have remained low because of our Mayors and Governors quick, strict actions. And, the visitors ignoring their quarantine aren’t just going for a drive. They’re blatantly disrespecting it by going to the beach and shopping, while residents are doing what’s been asked of us. With so many currently unemployed you don’t think we’d like to go the beach too?
Since you obviously lack respect for Hawaii’s residents as well, perhaps it’s best you consider another destination for future vacations. Or better yet stay in Texas. We won’t miss you; we’ll be busy sharing aloha with the visitors that DID stay away during this pandemic without their negative opinions about what we’re trying to, and have, accomplished during this trying time for all.