HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-04-03 Mayor Kim Recommends Wearing Cloth Face Coverings to Protect Others from COVID-19 -- press release
Roy Takemoto
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
County of Hawai‘i
Office of the Mayor
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 (808) 961-8211 Fax (808) 961-6553
KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Hwy., Bldg C Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740
(808) 323-4444 Fax (808) 323-4440
April 3, 2020
NEWS RELEASE
County of Hawai‘i Recommends Wearing Cloth Face Coverings to Protect Others
Hawai‘i County Mayor Harry Kim recommended Friday that people wear cloth face
coverings when in public to protect others from the spread of COVID-19. The
recommendation reflects one made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
and is supported by the Mayors of the State of Hawaii.
The Mayor made clear that he did not recommend surgical or N-95 masks for general
use, because supplies need to be reserved for first responders and health care
providers. Homemade masks can be made from household items, old clothing or
bandannas. For more information on how to make a face mask from fabric, please call
Civil Defense at 935-0031.
“This would be voluntary, and it would be to protect each other from Coronavirus,”
Mayor Kim said. “As Dr. John Martell of Hilo Medical Center says, ‘Let’s all protect each
other.’”
People can contract and spread the virus without showing symptoms, so it is wise to
assume that you could be a carrier and so wearing a mask would protect other people,
Mayor Kim said. A homemade mask can block one’s own germs from infecting others.
The Mayor recommended that everyone wear a mask when leaving home and
encountering others.
Let us all protect each other.
County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.