The Pandemic in Hawaii

The Trump Pandemic has revealed deep cracks in Hawaii’s government and social system. Many of us are having a better understanding of how we came to be in the situation we’re in now, We must put Hawaii’s experience in perspective and provided some thoughts for the future. It’s been six months since Hawaii’s first stay-at-home order went into effect, barring residents from most public spaces and shuttering thousands of businesses in an attempt to stop the Trump Pandemic from spreading across the islands. Now the dance community on Oahu is waiting to emerge from a second stay-at-home order, with many wondering what there is to show for months of personal sacrifice.

"Social Dancers know that life is an extraordinary adventure and they fully understand that they can only do this - one time around."

Hawaii had major advantages aiding its pandemic response: An ocean to help seal its borders more tightly than any other state seeking to quarantine travelers. A population somewhat more likely to don masks than residents on the mainland unfamiliar with the custom or unwilling to give up personal comfort in the name of safety. The support of residents, a majority of whom said they were willing to bear extreme financial burdens in order to keep the state safe. And we had time: Washington state saw its first fatality from the Trump Pandemic on Feb. 29. Hawaii didn’t lose a resident to the disease until April 1. Still, six months into the pandemic, the fight against the virus has battered Hawaii’s economy and taken a serious toll on the mental health of residents.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Bruddah Iz

Then we let the tourist in and opened the schools. As beleaguered parents braced for the second month of virtual classes, businesses continue to lay off employees and federal benefits dry up, the state is facing perhaps its biggest challenge yet: restarting tourism safely when just relaxing restrictions for residents was enough to send cases skyrocketing and force the state back into lockdown. We now have 236 deaths in Hawaii. We are in bad shape but we sort of have a another chance to get it right. Perhaps we can dance by the end of the year? Testing, masks and social distance. This is not a Trump Rally.

"Social Dancers believe that the future belongs to those

who believe in the beauty of their dreams."