The Johns Hopkins counter as of 3:50 AM HST, March 24
Copyright © 2020
by Ralph F. Couey
At one point a few years ago, I was doing research for a paper on the Black Death, the name given to the pandemic of Bubonic Plague that swept through Asia and Europe in the 14th century. I had read Barbara Tuchman's "Distant Mirror" and also searched through most of the online sources. As I dug, I developed a kind of morbid fascination for that period, mainly through the individual stories of those who lived through that time. The viewpoint from within that rolling disaster is necessarily different than the historical one, and I wanted to know what it was like to be there, watching the deadly events unfold.
Fast-forward to 2020, and now I'm living through a pandemic of my own. When I wrote about this nine days ago, I was considerably more optimistic than I am now. I assumed that people would be acting responsibly, but the horde of dumb kids swarming to spring break hotspots dispelled that notion. Now, its being reported that some of those kids are testing positive for the Corona virus, a result that surprises no one except them.
Here in Hawai'i, there are now 72 reported cases across the state and now the first death. What is most disturbing is that for that first fatality, the virus wasn't discovered until after the patient died. One has to assume that there are dozens, if not hundreds more who are infected but don't know because they are either asymptomatic or not yet presenting symptoms. Individual counties began instituting stay-at-home orders (each major island is a county, by the way) one at a time. Governor David Ige seemed reluctant to impose a state-wide lockdown, but once Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell issued his own order, Ige was forced into issuing the statewide lockdown order. There are a lot of exceptions, such as necessary trips to replenish supplies and food, joggers and walkers, and those who are considered emergency essential which includes both Cheryl (a nurse) and I (state EMA employee).
While a little out of my way, I've adopted a route to my work site inside Diamond Head crater that takes me through the Waikiki district. I had been doing this because I was getting a certain amount of happiness out of seeing people out enjoying what for many was the vacation of a lifetime. The streets were always busy with tourists, local people out for a stroll, and street musicians. It was loud, musical and joyous. Tonight, the first day of the lockdown, driving the entire length of the district past the high-end stores, the historic hotels, the modern high-rise hotels, and the section fronting Waikiki Beach, I saw only six people, two who seemed to be getting off work, and two who appeared to be homeless. In fact, in driving past the concrete shelters by the beach, which had been collection points for the local homeless, I saw they were all empty and taped off. The rooftop bars were dark and silent and the only businesses I could see with open doors were the ubiquitous ABC Stores, sort of a combination convenience and souvenir outlet. I think ABC would keep its doors open during a zombie apocalypse. I don't mind telling you that the effect was spooky. I've heard from folks in Vegas who report the same kind of effect on Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street.
In town, some stores remain open, albeit with severely curtailed hours. Walmarts, once opened 24 hours now close before 9 PM. Grocery stores are also closing early, so if you need food, supplies, or whatever, you need to shop early in the morning. There are empty shelves, but totally due to panic buying and not a failure of the supply chain.
Hawai'i exists economically on the spending of tourists, around 250,000 of whom are on the ground for any given day. But Governor Ige last week pleaded with vacationers to stay home. He instituted a mandatory 14-day quarantine for both visitors and residents arriving here. So, if you do come to visit, you'll be confined to your hotel room for two weeks. The penalty for violating the quarantine is a $5,000 fine and a year in jail. But even if there wasn't a quarantine, there's absolutely nothing to do here. All the parks and beaches are closed and barricaded. All the tourist sites are closed, including the zoo, aquarium, museums, cultural sites, restaurants, bars, coffee houses, public performances and gatherings (including luaus). Even the shopping malls are on a shorter daily schedule. There is literally nothing for you to do here. So stay home. Local people are even beginning to hold protests, urging visitors to go home, or as one sign stated, "Vaccines, not vacations."
I mentioned last time that the state of Hawai'i exists on a tenuous lifeline of ocean-going ships. An unsubstantiated rumor two weeks ago of a pending shutdown at the docks sent an even more serious wave of panic buying. Last week, there was a disturbing report out of the Port of Houston that one of the dockworkers had tested positive for the virus, and as a result, the entire container port was shut down. Now, for mainlanders there's always another port to go to. But not here. The big three shippers, Matson, Pasha, and Young Brothers are all committed to the regular daily shippings, so there will be no shortage of goods. Still though, hoping fervently for excellent health for all those hard-working stevedores.
I heard a report on the radio that researchers have found a combination of drugs that seems to have a rapid beneficial effect on those who are ill. There's still some work to be done before the cocktail is released for wide treatment, but the reporter noted that once it's available, the downward effect on the numbers of ill people should be apparent within a week. Some good news at least.
Some of us husbands were talking and regretting the long list of "honey-dos" we said we would attend to "when we have the time." Now, we have the time. Gear up, gentlemen.
In congress, a $2 trillion relief bill is stalled. Both sides point to the other as being the problem, but the problem with this bill is the same one as any other large spending bill, even an emergency measure. The Democrats say they want increased protections for workers, but what they're really protecting are the politically-motivated goodies in the bill, such as measures to curtail global warming, additional funding for renewable energy sources, money for unions, the arts, and special interests, all of which have absolutely nothing to do with COVID-19. Democrat representative James Clyburn told reporters that this bill is "a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision." Republicans are far from without sin in this, as they have despicably loaded their own Easter eggs into this bill, mainly large financial tidbits for big business unrelated to the pandemic, all the while complaining loudly about the Democrats.
This is what frustrates me the most. People are suffering, even dying and these politicians are unwilling to stop being political even during a national emergency. Voters, please pay attention and remember the election in November.
Another day dawns, and the crisis grinds onward. We haven't seen even the midpoint of this crisis, let alone the end. There will still be tough hills to climb in the near future, but we'll get through this as long as we climb them together. One of the enduring qualities of Americans is our ability to adapt to rapidly changing situations and turn them into successes. Also, we have a singular ability to maintain our sense of humor, even when inappropriate. If ever there was a time when those two characteristics were desperately needed, now would be that time.
Above all, keep calm and quarantine on. At least we'll have fantastic, if scarcely believable stories to tell our grandchildren.
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