LIHU‘E — Concerns about spreading COVID-19 reinforced by the announcement of new safety and health guidelines by Gov. David Ige on Aug. 10 have resulted in cancellations and “postponements” of events that were scheduled this weekend.
The Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i Branch’s 32nd annual Food Drive Day scheduled for Saturday and the Relay For Life 2021 Luminaria Experience scheduled for Sunday are the latest events to announce postponements or cancellations because of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
“Unfortunately, with the uptick in positive COVID cases in recent days, we decided to postpone the Sunday event scheduled to take place at The Coconut Marketplace,” said Patti Ornellas, the American Cancer Society West Region development manager. “We are as bummed as all you were looking forward to the Luminaria Experience. However, postponing was the only decision we could make.”
Ornellas said that if the numbers start declining, the Relay For Life 2021 hopes to do this Luminaria Experience later in the fall.
“This is nothing to do with the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i,” said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack of Kukui Grove Center. “The orders came from Honolulu. The need for food is still there, and people are welcome to help the Hawai‘i Foodbank by visiting their website at https://hawaiifoodbank.org/kauai-food-drive-day/ and contributing through the donation button.”
The Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i staff expressed disappointment with the cancelation.
“The staff was really enthused,” McFerrin-Warrack said. “This was the final day for their food drive, and they were determined to make this a truly fun day.”
Wes Perreira, the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i director, said that in lieu of hosting its physical food collection sites Saturday, the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i is encouraging the community to show its support by donating online, give virtually and advocate.
“With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the rise on the island, we believe this is the most responsible thing for our organization to do,” Perreira said.
“Mitigating the spread of the virus is essential to continuing our daily mission of nourishing those in need. Our primary goal is to keep our ‘ohana — our employees, volunteers, partners, families, keiki, kupuna and all those we serve — safe and healthy. As we move forward, we will continue to use this as our guiding principle.”
The other event scheduled for Saturday — the fundraising book sale with Kumu’s Cupboard partnering with Sheila Bradley and Usborne Books and More — will continue to be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at KGC.
“The pandemic has taught our organizations many things, including how quickly circumstances can change and just how fragile food security can be,” said Chyenne Beach of the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i.
“But it has also shown us just how resilient the people of Kaua‘i are. Time after time, we continue to see people step up and give by example. For all those reasons, it’s important for our community that we keep Food Drive Day going,” Beach said.
Other events suffering less of an impact by the shutdowns include the practices of the Special Olympic Kaua‘i Athletes and Unified Partners who qualified for and became eligible for the national competition in Florida next year.
“We just received clearance to be back on the field a few weeks ago,” said Special Olympics Kaua‘i coach Ona Sa McDermott. “But we just found out that all activity has been suspended until further notice.”
The Special Olympic Kaua‘i Unified Team includes Melissa Iida, Ana Munoz, Lisa Laureta and Carleen Yamamoto. The singular Special Olympic Kaua‘i athlete is Rondelle Lee.
“We’ll be doing some fundraising to help them get to Florida,” Sa McDermott said. “However, anyone can donate to help them — they need to raise about $1,500 apiece — by visiting the Special Olympics Hawai‘i website, or contact our area director Jocelyn Barriga.”
Robin Jumper of the Kaua‘i Marathon is hoping the new restrictions will not impact the scheduled Keiki Run planned for Sept. 5 at the grassy area fronting the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort &Spa in Po‘ipu.
“I just got through mailing out the final package for the Stride for Kaua‘i 100-mile Challenge that attracted participants from around the world,” Jumper said. “With the Keiki Run coming up, I’m already in communication with the COVID team about securing the necessary clearances for this ‘professionally planned’ event. We’ll keep you updated.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
The deadline for the high schools to decide if they want to cancel the season for football is September 24. This is the date they all must comply with travel too. Vaccines. They will not budge. And neither will I. Comply or be fined by cancellation. Season.
Gov. Ige and this virus can’t control us and run our lives forever, it’s time to let the people govern themselves and make their own choices, this isn’t a dictatorship, this is America
You seem to think America is an Anarchist state
The only thing Covid’s done is reveal the political stupidity, lack of true leadership, and shown us which “Politicians” are the most susceptible to becoming Power Drunk! It’s also clearly revealed the depth of the corruptness in the highest echelons of our Government. All for a flu that everyone in the world will get eventually anyway. isn’t any more dangerous than flu’s we’ve had in the past (“SARS”, Spanish Flu, H1N1 etc.), and that 99% of us would survive if everyone in the world got it! Covid kills nearly ZERO healthy people of all ages! The latest study from Emory University, and funded by the NIH, concluded with the following – “Recovered Covid 19 patients retain broad and effective immunity to the disease”. This study is going on a year now and the immunity is staying strong if you actually get Covid! All while Pfizer and the Drug cartels are telling us – Whoops! “Our experimental shots aren’t vaccines at all! They only give acceptable protection for 6 months, many people who have been vaccinated are getting Covid regardless, and you may have to buy “BOOSTER” shots every 6 months or year, FOR LIFE!” (their money making shots won’t be Government paid forever!) All while the long, and even short term, effects of this shot are not known, BY ANYONE! And this would include the drug companies who refused to release their shots “to save humanity” unless they were given total immunity from you being able to sue them, obtain money from them to pay medical bills if their shots hurt or kill you, deform your children, or cause Heart Inflammation that could come back and kill many healthy people later etc.! Do these manipulated RNA spikes pass through the Blood Brain Barrier into your brain? If so, what are the long term effects of that? NOBODY KNOWS! I’ll let you be the naïve Guinea Pig/Lab Rat for the unbelievable corrupt Fauci and the drug companies. As a father who cares about my children’s long term health, we’ll pass on their shot experiment thanks.
Yes, you will become immune if you get the disease and survive, but by then you may infect a dozen other people. Wouldn’t it be better if we all get vaccinated and end this thing!
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
These events are cancelled to protect people from getting infected and sick. If people were vaccinated we wouldn’t have to worry. Thanks unvaccinated!
Vaccinated people are still getting infected nor does it prevent transmission…duh!
Send the Anti-Vaxxers to Moloka‘i
The vaccines don’t protect against spreading the virus. They only make the symptoms milder
“New restrictions means canceled events on Kaua‘i”
Perfect: the frightened lemmings being led by fools, who themselves just don’t know what to do except trash your God-given rights.
And, in the end none of it will make a lick of difference except that we’ve relinquished our individual liberties to the fools. The virus will simply spread throughout the ENTIRE population and will not stop until then…”vaccines” notwithstanding.
Sweden should be a shining example of what to do. The US had very good pandemic protocols in place circa 2008-2009 which were endorsed by the WHO. But then along comes SARS CoV-2 from China. China does a tyrannical communist style brutal lock-down and claims to have arrested the spread (how’d that work out?). The WHO rolls over & follows the communist example. Subsequently, the fools running the US system fall in line. And now no one is allowed to question the US & WHO flip-flops–even with actual data. This has been accomplished by widespread censorship by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Susan Wojcicki, Jack Dorsey, etc. etc. All fools & none of whom know poop about viruses.
We’ve become collectively insane and brainwashed by the repeated lies of the fools.
RG DeSoto
This makes sense. Cancel all the locals events so the tourists can have their luau’s. Can’t have all those positive case tourists not have fun. Don’t fall for it only being 1 or 2 %. That 1 or 2 % are only the really sick ones that sought help so they got tested. Otherwise what tourist is stupid enough to consent to a test and ruin their vacation.
If vaccines work why would vaccinated people be afraid of un-vaccinated people?