Harry Kim Opts out of pre-travel test program

[Seeb-2]

To have the individual county’s having separate plans is a BAD Idea. But O’ahu loves it than none of the tourist can go to the big island and have to spend their money in Honolulu

Where does Harry think the money is going to come from to pay tax’s next year. I guess the plan is that federal money is just going to rain from the sky. But there are way more influential places competing for that money

[kalianna]

I'm also wondering how he plans on giving a second test to people who are not quarantined once they go on their merry away around the island. How would this be enforced? Yeah, I know. County OT. Great plan, Harry. Can we vote soon please?

[eightfingers2.0]

Harry’s plan is to wait until November. Everything will be fixed then.

[kalakoa]

Harry Kim already has his pension and benefits, he's just screwing over the next mayor.

[SBH]

Our legislators are not too happy with Kim either...

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/202...g-program/

[MyManao]

Our legislators are not too happy with Kim either...

I think the weakness in our legislator's position is best exemplified when they write...

“We support a secondary test requirement, as soon as it is feasible to implement. However, in the meantime, we urge the county to retain the Oct. 15 start date for the pre-travel testing program, while simultaneously working towards standing up a program that includes post-arrival testing."

Wherein they express their willingness to go against good science and bend to the pressures of the economy. Which is understandable, to a point. Thankfully Harry is making the better, harder, choice that others would find too difficult to make.

The bottom line is we need a robust testing program. Testing for all citizens first. With that we can return to school, return to open eateries, to bars and gyms, etc. Once that is done, and has cleared our communities of the virus, we can begin to open to tourism. Until then for every opening there will be spikes in infections and closings to follow.. why waste our time on that rollercoaster? 

At least this way we can opt in once the Ige/Green method proves itself worthy of our considerations, if in fact they work. I'd much rather this approach than having to scramble to shut down again if, as many fear, they prove to not work.

[randomq]

Perfect is the enemy of good. Right now we just have an unenforced quarantine. Even some testing is better than no testing.

[Obie]

"The bottom line is we need a robust testing program. Testing for all citizens first. With that we can return to school, return to open eateries, to bars and gyms, etc"

The only way this could work is to test everyone in the state on the same day and quarantine everyone who has a positive tests and then test everyone again for 14 days.

---

I'm in my 7th day of quarantine as a returning resident.
It's a joke. They send me an email every morning at 7:30 and ask if I am quarantined in the place I said I would be.
I of course answer yes.
I doubt that they are tracking my phone but if I wanted to leave I could and just leave the phone at home.

Free pass for 24 hours until check in time tomorrow.

[kalakoa]

The goal has never been to actually control the spread, merely to mitigate it so that our precious few resources aren't overrun.

Bonus side effect: arbitrary rules, changed on a whim, with citations between $2-5K.

Phone app can't do location tracking like it was supposed to.

If I ever travel again I'm getting a burner phone at Walmart.

Note that the proposed "surveillance testing" (10% of visitors, 4 days after arrival) includes a "catch-and-release" policy for positive results. That's right, the State will not be sending those infected people to quarantine, while still requiring a 14-day lockdown for residents' interisland travel.

[Durian Fiend]

Dr. Fauci weighs in on Covid in Hawaii. My interpretation is "stop worrying so god damned much and move forward", though I'm sure others will see it differently. https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/10/0...o-recover/