The first hurricane to threaten the United States since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is presenting new challenges to Hawaii officials long accustomed to tropical storms.
For example, how do you secure enough shelter space when people have to stay at least 6 feet apart from one another? What happens when someone shows up at a shelter with a fever?
The storm approaches as Hawaii grapples with increasing COVID-19 numbers. On Thursday, the state reported 55 newly confirmed cases, its highest single-day increase since the pandemic began."I never thought in 30 years of doing this I'd be answering medical questions," said John Cummings, the public information office for Honolulu Emergency Management, underscoring the odd position authorities have found themselves in.
He recommended staying with friends and family if home isn't safe. Seek refuge in an interior room, he said. Going to a city-run shelter should be a last resort, he said. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said that in "non-pandemic world" the city prepares 10 square feet per person at shelters. But in order to have 6 feet of physical distancing between people, it must allow 60 square feet per person or family.
Many of Hawaii's hotels have empty rooms or are completely closed because the pandemic has shut off most travel to the islands. "It's the time to look at ourselves as one big ohana working with each other," Caldwell said, using the Hawaiian word for family.
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