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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-04-04 Letter to the Editor re Mayor's position on not signing letter to President -- news 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 4, 2020 Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: I am writing to explain my position on not signing the letter to the President requesting a ban on all non-essential travel to the State of Hawai‘i until April 30, 2020. The Governor’s 14-day quarantine order mandating that all arriving passengers from the Mainland and overseas go into self-quarantine upon arrival has been very effective in deterring travelers from coming to Hawai‘i. The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority today showed that there were zero international arrivals and only two Mainland visitor arrivals to Kona airport. The total arrivals from the Mainland today at all Hawai‘i airports, including crew, residents and visitors was only 543: Kona had a total of 32 people aboard two flights, Maui had 33 people aboard one flight, Līhu‘e had six people aboard one flight and O‘ahu had 472 people aboard 13 flights. This time last year, Hawai‘i airports saw 30,000 travellers a day. These are dramatic results from the 14-day quarantine rule. I believe that it would not be worth imposing additional travel bans, because the quarantine rule is working to severely reduce incoming passengers. It is estimated that 97% of all incoming flights from the Mainland and Asia have been cancelled. Travel from Japan is zero. This shows the effectiveness of the 14-day quarantine rule. The other reservation I had against signing the letter to the President is that once flights are stopped, it is extremely difficult to reestablish flights. This would be detrimental to our State, and it would prolong Hawai‘i’s recovery from this emergency. What needs to be improved is the monitoring and enforcement of the arriving passengers, who are automatically required to self-quarantine. The enforcement problem for Hawai‘i Police Department and all County police officers has been pointed out to General Hara. General Hara immediately responded that this would be followed up on. At his press conference today, General Hara confirmed his actions to address this. Thank you for the opportunity to clarify our position. Aloha, County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Harry Kim MAYOR County of Hawai`i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.