HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0843.236 2018-2020 COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAII
RECEIVED
:Zh
Thu 3/19/2020 11:26 PM Time I1A'i By
Lack of Leadership Will Be Fatal
Date MAR 1 9 2020
To: Council Testimony
County Council:
The measures taken by the County, under the direction of Mayor Kim,are wholly inadequate, and
downright dangerous,to the health and safety of the community. I am specifically referencing the article
"Hawaii County Parks, Beaches to Remain Open as Mayor Kim Creates Cleanliness Task Force" published
March 19, 2020 on Big Island Now.
This state had a unique opportunity to protect itself from COVID-19.We do not share borders; no one
can simply drive across.We know who enters the state at all times. Instead of taking COVID-19 seriously,
the state dithered around while a national crisis bloomed,and failed to take any lessons learned from
states or countries with advanced cases. Our county has been the last to implement any prophylactic
measures, and we are likely to pay a significant price for it.
At the time of this email,there are over 244,000 cases confirmed worldwide. (Source:John Hopkins
Coronavirus Map: https://coronavirus.lhu.edu/map.html
).This is a global pandemic that unfortunately requires leadership—and when there is none from the
federal government,the need for it trickles all the way down to local government.Just because local
government has never trained for this kind of crisis does not mean that careful,thoughtful steps can not
be taken to ensure the least amount of harm to this island community. Mayor Kim has failed to
meaningfully engage the public in any of his decisions, or take swift and decisive action to halt the
spread of COVID-19.This may be the first pandemic in recent memory on the islands, but it will not be
the last.
Mayor Kim's directive to keep county parks open so that teenagers can congregate there is foolish and
directly contradicts recommendations by the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control,
specifically to avoid groups of 10 people or more,to limit social activities, and avoid discretionary travel.
The Center for Disease Control advice on how to prevent community-based spread of the disease does
not even contemplate that parks would be used at a dire time like this—because it is patently foolish.
The CDC specifically advises"Discourage children and teens from gathering in other public places while
school is dismissed to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the
community." (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/get-your-household-
ready-for-COVID-19.html) Mayor Kim seems to think the Parks employees can work as bouncers,
monitoring"reasonable size" crowds;that"fogging"with bleach multiple times a day will be a solution
to slow the spread of the virus.Several knowledgeable people have voiced concern over the
effectiveness of a plan seemingly based on Ghostbusters: https://bigislandnow.com/2020/03/19/mayor-
kims-plan-poses-serious-health-risks-scientists-say/ The better solution is to take this crisis seriously
and encourage people, residents and tourists alike,to stay home.
Mayor Kim has also decided to disregard Governor Ige's weak directive that bars and restaurants should
close,and has determined that Hawaii County establishments can make their own discretionary
decisions about remaining open. People largely mimic what they see around them—and if they have an
opportunity to go out, many will, but everyone will pay the-price.The mayor does not want to bear the
responsibility for taking tough action that may hurt businesses and tourism in the short run but protect
Comm. No. Ion•1'3V
- Ref. To: Pum.,
Ref. Date MAR 2 0 2022
the citizens who live here—and only months; possibly a few years from now,will there be an ability to
run the numbers to show the damage done.to:the county.,If a public message is properly crafted,
tourists could feel reassured about returning"to the'island once serious measures were taken and the
disease was under control. Instead, Mayor Kim has commented he has a responsibility to the tourists,
and either values it more or equates it with county citizens.Tourism is going to suffer regardless;why
not enact instant and severe measures so that our island can recover quicker and say with assurance to
tourists that they are safely welcomed back.
_ In closing, Mayor Kim has deemed all county employees as essential and all county offices are at full
staff.That seems nonsensical, and encourages the public to keep up business as usual. If parks are
closed,so is the need for employees to clean those trash cans and bathrooms and put themselves at
risk. Certain county departments could offer an amnesty period for people unable to complete their
business with the county. If the county isn't setting an example to show it values the health and safety
of its employees, how can we expect the community to do so?
Annaliese Wolf
J.D., Masters of Public Administration
Kailua-Kona