Aggressive isolation
Although I am now a practicing pediatrician in the California Bay Area, I was born and raised in Hilo, and consider it my home.
Being on the medical front lines and contemplating the dire consequences that may occur, and are already occurring, in parts of this country, I most strongly recommend that Mayor Harry Kim institute all measures to keep people socially distanced — that means “sheltering at home” and closing all work places that are not necessary at this time.
Realize that “community spread” can be silently occurring as asymptomatic persons can spread the infection.
Working on the front lines, with critically low supplies of masks and other personal protection equipment, and anticipation that some of my colleagues or I myself may fall ill — I fearfully recognize that the Big Island is vulnerable — there will very limited resources both in hospital bed number, ventilators and critical care medical providers on the island.
Prevention is the only strategy at this time of crisis — and the only means of prevention is aggressive social isolation.
Judi Yamamoto
Santa Cruz, Calif.
Build infrastructure
The coronavirus is causing unprecedented economic damage to Hawaii and the rest of the world. Millions of people could be ultimately laid off.
This is why the Legislature needs to approve funding for Gov. Ige’s proposed CIP projects contained in HB 2725 (SD1).
These nearly shovel-ready projects include the proposed Saddle Road extension, Waiaka bridge replacement, the Waimea Regional Traffic Safety improvements, and Keaau-Pahoa highway widening.
These infrastructure projects will help stimulate the Big island’s economy through increased construction activity and employment. In other words, this funding will help our economy recover from the damage inflicted by this virus outbreak.
The other important appropriation is $10 million allocated to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to construct a fiber-optic cable landing station on Oahu.
There is already an entity that is interested in landing a fiber-optic cable at this proposed station, which would continue onward to Hilo and South America. This would solve two issues facing Hawaii: replacing aging trans-Pacific and interisland cable capacity.
If Hawaii wants to really diversify its economy and continue to compete on the world stage, it needs reliable interisland and trans-Pacific fiber-optic cable connectivity.
It would be huge blow to our economic future, both short and long term, if any of this funding is removed from HB2725 when the Legislature reconvenes.
Aaron Stene
Kailua-Kona