Stay home, stay busy, stay safe
I was unfortunate enough to be exposed to one of the two persons confirmed with COVID-19. I found out on March 16, and have self-quarantined since that very day. I called my physician and he told me to get tested. Of course, we didn’t have any available testing sites here in Kona, so I just stay home in my ohana, away from my children and grandchildren. I am NOT going to rush down to Old A and wait in line for hours to get tested. There is, in my opinion, no reason to do so. I feel fine, I am keeping myself busy and informed as the pandemic evolves.
I have been exposed. I may be sick. But right now I am not. If I am infected, I will find out in a few days because I will show the symptoms. At that time, I will get tested, and be told to go home and self-quarantine myself so I don’t expose others. If I get really sick, I will advise my doctor and unless he tells me otherwise, I will stay home. If I am not infected, I will not show any symptoms, and I will continue to stay home myself to keep from getting the virus. Either way you look at it, I will stay home.
Testing should be for people who show signs of symptoms that are indicative of COVID-19. Fever, headaches, etc. or just a gut feeling that something is going on with your body that is not normal. I have chronic sinusitis and other ongoing ailments that make me a prime candidate for this bug, but I feel normal for my age.
Please, people, don’t just rush down to the testing site and get tested unless you are symptomatic. Save our resources for those that really need them.
Stay home, stay busy, stay safe. Protect our beautiful island ohana.
Aunty Lani Lee
Kailua Kona
14-day quarantine away from some but not all
This was not thought out very well in my opinion, you are letting these visitors come to our islands and protecting the public but you are not thinking about everyone they will come in contact with before they reach the quarantine.
Flight crews, airport employees, rental car company’s and the hotel staff that has to deal with them when arriving. We all have families we have to go home to and you have not considered the number of our island hard workers you are exposing to COVID-19. Other states with a lot less visitors have locked down and we need to do the same.
Randy Mulvaney
Kailua-Kona
Essential vs. nonessential
Reading the West Hawaii Today these past few days has made us realize that the coronavirus scare has provided us with some unintended information. For one thing, it confirmed that the state has some unnecessary employees and the county does not.
Gov. David Ige is quoted in the March 18 paper “directing all nonessential staff stay home” and they will be paid for doing so. The next day, Mayor Harry Kim ordered all county employees to work for the pay they are receiving.
After this crisis is over, will these state nonessential employees then be considered essential and be reinstated as essential? Will their 15-day vacation be considered a bonus?
Leningrad Elarionoff
Waimea