Members of the Honolulu City Council are pushing for more urban resources to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including additional test sites, isolation facilities and resumption of testing program prior to travel.
Calls for increased efforts come as the state hits record levels of COVID-19 infections and hospital capacities remain tight.
Council Chairman Tommy Waters and Councilor Esther Kia’aina have tabled four resolutions related to the city and state’s COVID-19 response.
“At the test and quarantine sites, it is clearly common sense that if you have an increased need, be it vaccination or testing, you will need both,” said Kia’aina.
“We have an obligation to take care of everyone.”
The city currently has a test facility at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. However, councilors have heard that access to the area is challenging for some people.
Waters suggested making more parking spaces available.
“We just have to work with the governor and the state and airport department to provide parking for the people,” he said.
Kia’aina is working with state government officials and nonprofits to set up testing facilities in areas like Waimanalo or the west side of the island, which may be too far from the airport for area residents to use the city’s current facility.
“You have to figure out how to contact her,” she said.
“That would not only have more creative possibilities, but we also look at boots on site in the community.”
The city has been allocated $ 386 million in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act to combat the public health and economic effects of COVID-19.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s office has told the council that it has raised $ 15 million.
Kia’aina and Waters are also pushing for more isolation rooms for those infected with COVID-19 but with no place to isolate.
Oahu currently has 64 isolation rooms, but the city hopes the state health department will increase that number to 130. However, Hiro Toiya, director of the city’s emergency management, said there is still no concrete timetable for the expansion as the DOH would have to remove the current residents from the room. In addition, DOH has shifted the focus on the use of isolation facilities away from the separation of family members and instead tries to use the isolation facilities more for people in communal facilities.
“By the time someone becomes infected, becomes symptomatic, is tested, receives the result, asks for help, and is actually admitted to one of these facilities – by then they would in all likelihood have exposed all of their household members,” Toiya said. called.
“But it would be effective in certain circumstances, such as in meeting places where they still have the ability to separate people instead of having a major outbreak.”
Kia’aina rejected the idea that family isolation facilities are ineffective.
“I don’t know anyone who has not been in pain from those who test positive and are not in distress,” she said.
“You’re looking for creative ways to isolate yourself. … My concern is: Not everyone can do that. “
Waters and Kia’aina applauded Blangiardi’s Safe Access O’ahu program, which from September 13 would require a COVID-19 negative test within 48 hours or proof of vaccination to enter facilities such as restaurants, gyms and movie theaters.
However, Waters would have liked to implement the plan before Labor Day weekend.
“I worry that people have two weeks before this happens and they are really going to take advantage of that,” he said.
“I understand that there are likely logistical obstacles in place because you want to give people the opportunity to get vaccinated to get their papers together, but at the same time, that really scares me. … I hope it doesn’t get worse. “
Kia’aina and Waters also launched a measure to urge the state to rerun the pre-travel testing program, which requires travelers to submit a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arriving in Hawaii. Vaccinated travelers can currently avoid the obligation to test.
“We know that with the Delta variant you can still get sick with a vaccine,” said Waters.
“I just think we need to come back to that based on the spike.”
It would be up to Governor David Ige to re-implement the policy; However, Waters and Kia’aina both felt it was important to demonstrate the council’s support for the measure. This is to be discussed in a council meeting on Thursday.
