vox--2020-03-30--Please don’t go to Hawaii on a “corona vacation” right now

On March 20 , the sound of honking horns tore through the air on an otherwise serene afternoon in Waikiki , Hawaii ’ s most renowned tourist haven .
The Kū Kiaʻi Hawaiʻi convoy , dominated by nearly 100 trucks and SUVs , many flying the Hawaiian flag , had come with a message for tourists idling on the sidewalks and beach that day : Go home .
Before Hawaii Gov .
David Ige ordered a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals beginning March 26 , his most aggressive containment measure was to urge visitors to postpone their vacations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders or closures of nonessential businesses .
At that point , Hawaii was already days out from its first reported coronavirus case of a resident who hadn ’ t traveled : a tour guide at Kualoa Ranch on the windward coast of Oahu , leaving many to assume she contracted the virus from a tourist .
By the time he imposed the quarantine , Hawaii already had 48 confirmed cases of Covid-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , up from 14 cases on the day he encouraged visitors to cancel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the governor said that while he recognized residents ’ concerns about visitors bringing the virus to the islands , the state ’ s authority was limited , but officials were coordinating with the National Coast Guard and other federal agencies to screen visitors .
Not only were tourists not heeding his call , but , as Covid-19 cases were blooming across the US almost overnight , many more seized the opportunity to “ escape ” the new pandemic by isolating in paradise as airfares plummeted .
A quick search of “ corona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endless stream of users pining for a “ corona vacation ” to the islands because , as one visitor says , they would rather quarantine where they could “ live it up ” in luxury .
“ Crisis tourism is billionaire bunker mentality , ” Honolulu resident Khara Jabola-Carolus , who works at the Hawaii Department of Human Services as executive director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women , told Vox .
“ A crisis erupts and you jet off with no regard for the impact on the host @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Target when it was seemingly full of such “ crisis tourists , ” mostly mainland visitors who , she says , had exploited the pandemic to travel to Hawaii at a bargain and escape the virus in an idyllic place .
Now that they ’ re here , she said , they ’ re competing with locals for basic necessities , noting the bare shelves as she walked down the store ’ s aisles .
It ’ s happening around the US , “ but Hawaii ’ s strong escapist ‘ brand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tourism , has resulted in a [ particularly ] concerning situation here.
” Then there is the impact on limited hospitals and clinics in the state additional people would cause if they became sick .
“ Our health care system is ill-equipped to handle the influx of people who will need beds and ventilators , much less have the resources to assist other ailments at the same time , ” Kauai Police Chief Todd G. Raybuck recently said in a statement .
“ This is a moment to consider the health of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is truly essential.
” With tourism being an added threat during an already scary time , it didn ’ t take long for locals to mobilize .
Kawena Phillips , a Native Hawaiian activist who coordinated the convoy through Waikiki , planned the action in a day and a half .
“ It was important for us to step up and at least say something on the matter , ” Phillips told Vox .
“ If our government officials aren ’ t going to do [ anything ] , then we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them .
We can ’ t be caught flat-footed and complacent.
” Inspired by similar actions on Molokai and Maui earlier that week , he gathered the group to ride from the Honolulu airport down through Waikiki , blaring bullhorns and shouting their various sign slogans out of the car windows to announce that Hawaii was closed to tourism .
“ People were flipping us off , and there were some instances of tourists sarcastically coughing in our direction , ” Phillips said .
“ There were a few interactions like that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost entitled to being there.
” This hostility might come as a surprise in a state known for its aloha and the informal motto to “ hang loose.
” “ The internal culture in Hawaii [ has always been ] , ‘ no make waves ’ — don ’ t make too much noise , kind of keep your head down , just go by to get by , ” said Phillips .
“ That ’ s definitely changing now .
People are more willing to stand up , make their voices heard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and have that dramatic impact.
” Tourism is the state ’ s largest employer , so there is incentive to maintain a paradisiacal image for tourists .
Last year ’ s visitor spend brought in $ 17.75 billion in revenue , generating $ 2.07 billion in state taxes .
But for residents , it ’ s a double-edged sword : While many locals depend on the industry for their livelihoods , they often also find themselves displaced and subjugated by it .
For example , when a pandemic hits .
Many felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initial response to the climbing number of Covid-19 cases — which was also criticized by state Senate and House officials for not doing more to impede travel — reflected his unwillingness to stymie the flow of tourism dollars .
Despite urgent calls for the governor to immediately order the 14-day quarantine by the Senate Special Committee on Covid-19 — supported by the Airport Division of the Department of Transportation ; Adjutant General Kenneth S. Hara , the incident commander of the Covid-19 response ; and Lt. Gov .
Josh Green , the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spokesperson for the governor said he was still weighing his options .
It took two days before he issued the mandatory quarantine , to go into effect five days later .
And state Senate leader Ron Kouchi told Hawaii News Now that legislators had been urging the governor to issue a stay-at-home order for at least a week before he actually did .
In that time , travel into the state continued uninterrupted .
While tourism has contributed to the state ’ s consistently low unemployment rates , 48 percent of families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ household budget to survive , according to a study of financial hardship in Hawaii .
Adjusted to the cost of living , the highest in the country , Hawaii has the nation ’ s lowest minimum wage .
A recent report estimated that a family of four would need to make upward of $ 80,000 a year to afford even a frugal lifestyle in Hawaii , nearly double what two adults would earn on the minimum wage right now .
Unsurprisingly , two-thirds of residents are struggling financially , working multiple jobs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in multigenerational households ( some of which is also based on tradition ) , and dipping into savings .
For the astronomical cost of living , all roads lead back to tourism — or , more accurately , to the state government ’ s apparent prioritization of tourism over its citizens .
The Hawaii Tourism Authority ’ s ( HTA ) last Resident Sentiment Survey , in 2018 , reported that two-thirds of respondents agreed with the sentiment , “ This island is being run for tourists at the expense of local people.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic hit .
Now , as families worry about not only financial ruin but also the spread of a virus that would ravage those multigenerational households , it ’ s no wonder that locals were angered to see tourists jamming the sidewalks and soaking up the sun in Waikiki , essentially carrying on like business as usual .
Protests put pressure on the governor to shut down travel Two days before the Waikiki convoy , some 60 protesters stood outside the airport on the small neighboring island of Molokai to await disembarking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the protesters held signs that read “ Tourist stay home ” and “ Please keep your distance ocean length.
” They said nothing to the tourists , who bowed their heads as they walked past , but the tension was palpable and the message was clear : Tourists were not welcome .
“ If we waited for the government , we would wait till we got infected , and [ only ] then would they react , ” Walter Ritte , a longtime activist who organized the protest , the first among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down tourism , told Vox .
The protest proved effective .
Staff of Makani Kai Air , a smaller airline operating flight services to and from Molokai , later approached Ritte and told him they would only run essential flights from then on .
Hotel Molokai , the only active hotel on the 260-square-mile island , followed suit and closed .
“ Our hope was to create a spark , ” said Ritte .
“ Hopefully , it would create a flame , and all of the other islands would get involved.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started protesting , and Phillips ’ s convoy on Oahu followed that weekend .
The mounting pressure seemed to have worked .
A day after the convoy took place , Ige ordered the 14-day mandatory quarantine , the first such measure in the nation .
Two days after that , he issued a statewide stay-at-home order for both residents and tourists , noncompliance with which would be punishable by a fine of up to $ 5,000 , up to one year in jail , or both .
But Ritte believes that even the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the governor ’ s delay in implementing the quarantine , which was issued March 21 but didn ’ t go into effect for another five days , he said , “ People ’ s lives are in danger , and [ Ige ’ s ] worried about giving [ tourists ] time to take care of their reservation.
” While the state admits that enforcement will be a challenge , Tim Sakahara , a spokesperson for the Hawaii Department of Transportation , said that hotels , collaborating with the HTA , would call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were staying in .
What the process will be for visitors staying at short-term vacation rentals was unclear , but Kouchi told Vox over the phone , “ The most effective way to track [ visitors ] is not having to track them [ at all ] .
Flights are almost empty [ now ] , which was the whole point of the 14-day quarantine.
” The governor ’ s office did not reply to Vox ’ s request for comment on what was being done with the tourists who arrived before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand that a stay-at-home order has never been implemented in our communities , ” Ige said in a press conference on March 23 , two days before it went into effect .
“ I would like to say that when we first announced these actions , the compliance has been overwhelming.
” Honolulu police say they issued 70 citations for violating the stay-at-home order on the first day it went into effect , mostly at public parks .
That same day , police on the island of Kauai initiated islandwide checkpoints , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to return to their hotel and comply with the new stay-at-home guidelines .
Historically , Native Hawaiians ( Kānaka Maoli ) have always been active in galvanizing their communities to wield collective political power , well before the overthrow of 1893 , when American and European businessmen , aided by the US military , staged a coup and forced Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate her throne , dissolving the Kingdom of Hawaii two years later .
It might , then , seem easier to understand the colonial undertones of a people ’ s mistrust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dispossessed , as well as of the historical trauma tied to an “ imported ” disease making its way through the remote island chain .
“ Hawaii ’ s tumultuous political history is easy to gloss over because it ’ s very easy to ignore this tiny little group of islands in the middle of the Pacific , ” says Phillips .
“ So [ community action ] is an opportunity for us to amplify our image and make sure that people hear about and know about what ’ s going on here.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is tradition .
Ritte has long been a central figure in contemporary Hawaiian political movements , protesting the US military ’ s bombing of the island of Kaho ’ olawe in the 1970s , the farming of genetically modified crops on Molokai , and , more recently , the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on the sacred site of Maunakea .
Often framed as a battle between culture and progress , the legal fight for Maunakea has been ongoing for the better part of the last decade .
( Maunakea is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common spelling , is a reference to any white mountain . )
The $ 2.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope ( TMT ) would become the largest telescope in the Northern Hemisphere , but its proposed site is at the summit of Maunakea on Hawaii ’ s Big Island — a mountain revered in Hawaiian culture for sharing genealogical ties with Kānaka Maoli .
While the project ’ s permit issuance had been contested on environmental and cultural grounds throughout , in 2018 , a state Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a head last July , however , when Ige announced TMT construction was cleared to begin .
Kia ’ i , or protectors , formed a physical blockade on the single access road up to the summit , preventing construction crews from passing .
Photos of Kānaka elders , or kūpuna , being arrested — their hands bound in zip ties , some using wheelchairs and walkers , while others were literally carried away — grabbed international headlines as public outrage rang out .
An encampment , called Pu ’ uhonua o Pu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the line thereafter .
The movement to protect Maunakea from desecration has galvanized Kānaka across the islands and across generations , as well as garnered staunch supporters abroad as it reached beyond its borders to link arms with other contemporary indigenous movements .
“ We were the people that no one expected to rise the way that we did , ” Pua Case , one of the leaders of the Protect Mauna Kea movement , told Vox .
“ We are there , as an extension of an ancestral right to safeguard what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genealogically connected to.
” For those not able to get to the Mauna , a convoy of hundreds of people was organized in a show of support for the kia ‘ i in September .
While a convoy might appear like a strong-arm tactic to intimidate people , the convoy as a protest tool actually enjoys unique pride of place in recent community-led organizing in Hawaii .
Jamie Rodrigues , one of the Mauna convoy organizers , who also worked with Phillips for the Kū Kiaʻi Hawaiʻi convoy , told local news KITV4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of display that is unique to Oahu because we have such long roads , freeways .
It made sense to utilize the resources on our island , ” adding , “ We wanted people to rally and share and show up with their innermost feelings and pride about being who they are.
” Another reason for more energized protest among Kānaka and locals in recent years : social media .
“ As a government official , I have a front-row seat to the state ’ s response , and as a community organizer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the people ’ s response , ” Jabola-Carolus says .
“ I ’ ve been able to get information , but the public is in the dark , so disseminating information on social media has been a top priority for me.
” Social media , of course , is how Phillips got the word out about the Kū Kiaʻi Hawaiʻi convoy , and how Ritte gathered such a large group to meet him at Molokai Airport .
It ’ s also how Pu ’ uhuluhulu communicates updates to its followers , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the camp and abide by Ige ’ s stay-at-home order , out of safety for its kūpuna .
In the midst of this crisis , Jabola-Carolus uses her platform to elevate the “ mainly women organizers mobilizing and unseen women in and out of government doing the heavy lifting.
” Right now , she is most concerned about the disproportionate impact the coronavirus crisis will have on women .
“ Hawaii has the highest concentration of multigenerational families in the United States , ” she said .
“ With shelter-in-place and school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constant cleaning , prepared meals , and round-the-clock child care and elder care .
The worst , hardest , and most tedious aspects of that labor will most likely fall to women.
” The Hawaii government ’ s response to Covid-19 has lagged behind that of other islands swift to enact travel bans .
Its peers across the Pacific were some of the first to adopt strict containment measures , including suspending air travel , denying disembarkation of cruise ships , and refusing access to supply vessels .
The Marshall Islands closed its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and returning Marshallese stranded in Honolulu and Guam .
The country remains sealed off from all inbound air travel .
French Polynesia , which has also experienced some crisis tourism , also imposed a travel ban , effective the same day , and began repatriating nonresidents immediately thereafter .
While Hawaii , unlike the other islands , can ’ t ban flights from coming in ( only the federal government has jurisdiction over airspace ) , it has control over what visitors can do within its borders — and for that , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ examples .
New Zealand has closed its borders , Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying of the current national lockdown that she hoped to avoid “ the scenes of Bondi Beach in New Zealand ” by adopting the strictest recommended suppression measures .
The country , which has an estimated 240,000 to 260,000 visitors within its borders as of late March , has recruited law enforcement to ensure tourists were complying .
In Hawaii , the stay-at-home order is now in effect , but the city and county of Honolulu has provided conflicting directives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persons in this crisis .
Hawaii has the second-highest homeless population in the nation , the majority of which are Native Hawaiians .
Phillips says he plans to join actions to ensure “ that they ’ re not put under any extra trauma or duress , or [ are ] targeted and made more vulnerable to this virus.
” It ’ s not his job , of course , but communities in Hawaii have shown an extraordinary capacity to care for one another .
“ As unfortunate as it is that the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own defense , ” Phillips said .
“ It ’ s also great because that means that every time we rise up , we bring more people along with us .
”

On March 20, the sound of honking horns tore through the air on an otherwise serene afternoon in Waikiki, Hawaii’s most renowned tourist haven. The Kū Kiaʻi Hawaiʻi convoy, dominated by nearly 100 trucks and SUVs, many flying the Hawaiian flag, had come with a message for tourists idling on the sidewalks and beach that day: Go home.
Before Hawaii Gov. David Ige ordered a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals beginning March 26, his most aggressive containment measure was to urge visitors to postpone their vacations, defaulting to county mayors to impose shelter-in-place orders or closures of nonessential businesses. At that point, Hawaii was already days out from its first reported coronavirus case of a resident who hadn’t traveled: a tour guide at Kualoa Ranch on the windward coast of Oahu, leaving many to assume she contracted the virus from a tourist.
By the time he imposed the quarantine, Hawaii already had 48 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, up from 14 cases on the day he encouraged visitors to cancel their trips. At that press conference, the governor said that while he recognized residents’ concerns about visitors bringing the virus to the islands, the state’s authority was limited, but officials were coordinating with the National Coast Guard and other federal agencies to screen visitors.
Not only were tourists not heeding his call, but, as Covid-19 cases were blooming across the US almost overnight, many more seized the opportunity to “escape” the new pandemic by isolating in paradise as airfares plummeted. A quick search of “corona vacation Hawaii” on Twitter yields an endless stream of users pining for a “corona vacation” to the islands because, as one visitor says, they would rather quarantine where they could “live it up” in luxury.
“Crisis tourism is billionaire bunker mentality,” Honolulu resident Khara Jabola-Carolus, who works at the Hawaii Department of Human Services as executive director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, told Vox. “A crisis erupts and you jet off with no regard for the impact on the host place.”
She recalled a recent visit to Target when it was seemingly full of such “crisis tourists,” mostly mainland visitors who, she says, had exploited the pandemic to travel to Hawaii at a bargain and escape the virus in an idyllic place. Now that they’re here, she said, they’re competing with locals for basic necessities, noting the bare shelves as she walked down the store’s aisles. It’s happening around the US, “but Hawaii’s strong escapist ‘brand,’ combined with its dependency on tourism, has resulted in a [particularly] concerning situation here.”
Then there is the impact on limited hospitals and clinics in the state additional people would cause if they became sick. “Our health care system is ill-equipped to handle the influx of people who will need beds and ventilators, much less have the resources to assist other ailments at the same time,” Kauai Police Chief Todd G. Raybuck recently said in a statement. “This is a moment to consider the health of the community as a whole and to reevaluate what is truly essential.”
With tourism being an added threat during an already scary time, it didn’t take long for locals to mobilize.
Kawena Phillips, a Native Hawaiian activist who coordinated the convoy through Waikiki, planned the action in a day and a half. “It was important for us to step up and at least say something on the matter,” Phillips told Vox. “If our government officials aren’t going to do [anything], then we need to protect our communities and take care of them. We can’t be caught flat-footed and complacent.”
Inspired by similar actions on Molokai and Maui earlier that week, he gathered the group to ride from the Honolulu airport down through Waikiki, blaring bullhorns and shouting their various sign slogans out of the car windows to announce that Hawaii was closed to tourism.
“People were flipping us off, and there were some instances of tourists sarcastically coughing in our direction,” Phillips said. “There were a few interactions like that during the day with people who felt almost entitled to being there.”
This hostility might come as a surprise in a state known for its aloha and the informal motto to “hang loose.” “The internal culture in Hawaii [has always been], ‘no make waves’ — don’t make too much noise, kind of keep your head down, just go by to get by,” said Phillips. “That’s definitely changing now. People are more willing to stand up, make their voices heard, say something, make some waves, and have that dramatic impact.”
Hawaii’s complicated relationship with tourism
Tourism is the state’s largest employer, so there is incentive to maintain a paradisiacal image for tourists. Last year’s visitor spend brought in $17.75 billion in revenue, generating $2.07 billion in state taxes. But for residents, it’s a double-edged sword: While many locals depend on the industry for their livelihoods, they often also find themselves displaced and subjugated by it.
For example, when a pandemic hits. Many felt that Gov. Ige’s lackluster initial response to the climbing number of Covid-19 cases — which was also criticized by state Senate and House officials for not doing more to impede travel — reflected his unwillingness to stymie the flow of tourism dollars. Despite urgent calls for the governor to immediately order the 14-day quarantine by the Senate Special Committee on Covid-19 — supported by the Airport Division of the Department of Transportation; Adjutant General Kenneth S. Hara, the incident commander of the Covid-19 response; and Lt. Gov. Josh Green, the state’s liaison for coronavirus prevention — a spokesperson for the governor said he was still weighing his options.
It took two days before he issued the mandatory quarantine, to go into effect five days later. And state Senate leader Ron Kouchi told Hawaii News Now that legislators had been urging the governor to issue a stay-at-home order for at least a week before he actually did. In that time, travel into the state continued uninterrupted.
While tourism has contributed to the state’s consistently low unemployment rates, 48 percent of families with children do not make the minimum household budget to survive, according to a study of financial hardship in Hawaii. Adjusted to the cost of living, the highest in the country, Hawaii has the nation’s lowest minimum wage. A recent report estimated that a family of four would need to make upward of $80,000 a year to afford even a frugal lifestyle in Hawaii, nearly double what two adults would earn on the minimum wage right now. Unsurprisingly, two-thirds of residents are struggling financially, working multiple jobs to make ends meet, living with relatives in multigenerational households (some of which is also based on tradition), and dipping into savings.
For the astronomical cost of living, all roads lead back to tourism — or, more accurately, to the state government’s apparent prioritization of tourism over its citizens. The Hawaii Tourism Authority’s (HTA) last Resident Sentiment Survey, in 2018, reported that two-thirds of respondents agreed with the sentiment, “This island is being run for tourists at the expense of local people.”
Many residents were already struggling before the pandemic hit. Now, as families worry about not only financial ruin but also the spread of a virus that would ravage those multigenerational households, it’s no wonder that locals were angered to see tourists jamming the sidewalks and soaking up the sun in Waikiki, essentially carrying on like business as usual.
Protests put pressure on the governor to shut down travel
Two days before the Waikiki convoy, some 60 protesters stood outside the airport on the small neighboring island of Molokai to await disembarking tourists. Standing staggered for social distancing, the protesters held signs that read “Tourist stay home” and “Please keep your distance ocean length.” They said nothing to the tourists, who bowed their heads as they walked past, but the tension was palpable and the message was clear: Tourists were not welcome.
“If we waited for the government, we would wait till we got infected, and [only] then would they react,” Walter Ritte, a longtime activist who organized the protest, the first among the eight main islands to address shutting down tourism, told Vox.
The protest proved effective. Staff of Makani Kai Air, a smaller airline operating flight services to and from Molokai, later approached Ritte and told him they would only run essential flights from then on. Hotel Molokai, the only active hotel on the 260-square-mile island, followed suit and closed.
“Our hope was to create a spark,” said Ritte. “Hopefully, it would create a flame, and all of the other islands would get involved.” The next day, people on Maui started protesting, and Phillips’s convoy on Oahu followed that weekend.
The mounting pressure seemed to have worked. A day after the convoy took place, Ige ordered the 14-day mandatory quarantine, the first such measure in the nation. Two days after that, he issued a statewide stay-at-home order for both residents and tourists, noncompliance with which would be punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, up to one year in jail, or both.
But Ritte believes that even the quarantine order was a compromise. Criticizing the governor’s delay in implementing the quarantine, which was issued March 21 but didn’t go into effect for another five days, he said, “People’s lives are in danger, and [Ige’s] worried about giving [tourists] time to take care of their reservation.”
While the state admits that enforcement will be a challenge, Tim Sakahara, a spokesperson for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, said that hotels, collaborating with the HTA, would call rooms at random times to ensure guests were staying in. What the process will be for visitors staying at short-term vacation rentals was unclear, but Kouchi told Vox over the phone, “The most effective way to track [visitors] is not having to track them [at all]. Flights are almost empty [now], which was the whole point of the 14-day quarantine.” The governor’s office did not reply to Vox’s request for comment on what was being done with the tourists who arrived before the quarantine was implemented.
“We do understand that a stay-at-home order has never been implemented in our communities,” Ige said in a press conference on March 23, two days before it went into effect. “I would like to say that when we first announced these actions, the compliance has been overwhelming.”
Honolulu police say they issued 70 citations for violating the stay-at-home order on the first day it went into effect, mostly at public parks. That same day, police on the island of Kauai initiated islandwide checkpoints, in which some 58 visitors islandwide were advised to return to their hotel and comply with the new stay-at-home guidelines.
Hawaii’s history of protest
Historically, Native Hawaiians (Kānaka Maoli) have always been active in galvanizing their communities to wield collective political power, well before the overthrow of 1893, when American and European businessmen, aided by the US military, staged a coup and forced Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate her throne, dissolving the Kingdom of Hawaii two years later. It might, then, seem easier to understand the colonial undertones of a people’s mistrust in the government by whom they feel dispossessed, as well as of the historical trauma tied to an “imported” disease making its way through the remote island chain.
“Hawaii’s tumultuous political history is easy to gloss over because it’s very easy to ignore this tiny little group of islands in the middle of the Pacific,” says Phillips. “So [community action] is an opportunity for us to amplify our image and make sure that people hear about and know about what’s going on here.”
Protest, in this way, is tradition.
Ritte has long been a central figure in contemporary Hawaiian political movements, protesting the US military’s bombing of the island of Kaho’olawe in the 1970s, the farming of genetically modified crops on Molokai, and, more recently, the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on the sacred site of Maunakea.
Often framed as a battle between culture and progress, the legal fight for Maunakea has been ongoing for the better part of the last decade. (Maunakea is a proper noun; Mauna Kea, another common spelling, is a reference to any white mountain.) The $2.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) would become the largest telescope in the Northern Hemisphere, but its proposed site is at the summit of Maunakea on Hawaii’s Big Island — a mountain revered in Hawaiian culture for sharing genealogical ties with Kānaka Maoli. While the project’s permit issuance had been contested on environmental and cultural grounds throughout, in 2018, a state Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for the project to proceed.
Things came to a head last July, however, when Ige announced TMT construction was cleared to begin. Kia’i, or protectors, formed a physical blockade on the single access road up to the summit, preventing construction crews from passing. Photos of Kānaka elders, or kūpuna, being arrested — their hands bound in zip ties, some using wheelchairs and walkers, while others were literally carried away — grabbed international headlines as public outrage rang out. An encampment, called Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu, quickly formed to hold the line thereafter.
The movement to protect Maunakea from desecration has galvanized Kānaka across the islands and across generations, as well as garnered staunch supporters abroad as it reached beyond its borders to link arms with other contemporary indigenous movements.
“We were the people that no one expected to rise the way that we did,” Pua Case, one of the leaders of the Protect Mauna Kea movement, told Vox. “We are there, as an extension of an ancestral right to safeguard what we hold dear and what we are genealogically connected to.”
For those not able to get to the Mauna, a convoy of hundreds of people was organized in a show of support for the kia‘i in September. While a convoy might appear like a strong-arm tactic to intimidate people, the convoy as a protest tool actually enjoys unique pride of place in recent community-led organizing in Hawaii.
Jamie Rodrigues, one of the Mauna convoy organizers, who also worked with Phillips for the Kū Kiaʻi Hawaiʻi convoy, told local news KITV4, “It’s a form of display that is unique to Oahu because we have such long roads, freeways. It made sense to utilize the resources on our island,” adding, “We wanted people to rally and share and show up with their innermost feelings and pride about being who they are.”
Another reason for more energized protest among Kānaka and locals in recent years: social media. “As a government official, I have a front-row seat to the state’s response, and as a community organizer, I’m in the middle of the people’s response,” Jabola-Carolus says. “I’ve been able to get information, but the public is in the dark, so disseminating information on social media has been a top priority for me.”
Social media, of course, is how Phillips got the word out about the Kū Kiaʻi Hawaiʻi convoy, and how Ritte gathered such a large group to meet him at Molokai Airport. It’s also how Pu’uhuluhulu communicates updates to its followers, such as its most recent decision to pack up the camp and abide by Ige’s stay-at-home order, out of safety for its kūpuna.
In the midst of this crisis, Jabola-Carolus uses her platform to elevate the “mainly women organizers mobilizing and unseen women in and out of government doing the heavy lifting.” Right now, she is most concerned about the disproportionate impact the coronavirus crisis will have on women.
“Hawaii has the highest concentration of multigenerational families in the United States,” she said. “With shelter-in-place and school closures, our crowded homes will need constant cleaning, prepared meals, and round-the-clock child care and elder care. The worst, hardest, and most tedious aspects of that labor will most likely fall to women.”
Neighboring Pacific island nations also brace for impact
The Hawaii government’s response to Covid-19 has lagged behind that of other islands swift to enact travel bans.
Its peers across the Pacific were some of the first to adopt strict containment measures, including suspending air travel, denying disembarkation of cruise ships, and refusing access to supply vessels. The Marshall Islands closed its borders with little warning, leaving visitors and returning Marshallese stranded in Honolulu and Guam. The country remains sealed off from all inbound air travel. French Polynesia, which has also experienced some crisis tourism, also imposed a travel ban, effective the same day, and began repatriating nonresidents immediately thereafter.
While Hawaii, unlike the other islands, can’t ban flights from coming in (only the federal government has jurisdiction over airspace), it has control over what visitors can do within its borders — and for that, it can readily take from its neighbors’ examples.
New Zealand has closed its borders, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying of the current national lockdown that she hoped to avoid “the scenes of Bondi Beach in New Zealand” by adopting the strictest recommended suppression measures. The country, which has an estimated 240,000 to 260,000 visitors within its borders as of late March, has recruited law enforcement to ensure tourists were complying.
In Hawaii, the stay-at-home order is now in effect, but the city and county of Honolulu has provided conflicting directives for how it will care for unsheltered persons in this crisis. Hawaii has the second-highest homeless population in the nation, the majority of which are Native Hawaiians. Phillips says he plans to join actions to ensure “that they’re not put under any extra trauma or duress, or [are] targeted and made more vulnerable to this virus.”
It’s not his job, of course, but communities in Hawaii have shown an extraordinary capacity to care for one another. “As unfortunate as it is that the community continues to be forced to act in its own defense,” Phillips said. “It’s also great because that means that every time we rise up, we bring more people along with us.”


vox--2020-03-30--Americans are sewing homemade masks to fight coronavirus

By mid-March , Megan Jansen , an ICU nurse in Salt Lake City , Utah , knew what was coming .
Covid-19 had spread to major US cities like New York and Seattle , and it was a matter of time before her own hospital would be overrun with cases .
She also knew that hospitals all over the country had found themselves unprepared for the deluge of coronavirus patients and the personal protective equipment ( PPE ) that caring for them required .
Megan didn ’ t know how to sew , but plenty of people in her network @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she started a Facebook group called Sewing for Lives .
It connected health care facilities in need with those who could sew mask covers that could lengthen the life span of medical-grade N95 respirators .
Within just a few days , the Facebook group became a website with its own database , where volunteer tailors can apply and first responders can request materials .
Megan , along with a handful of fellow health care workers and soon-to-be medical students , now spends her free time coordinating between mask-makers and organizations in need .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and my heart is so full knowing that when health care needs help , people are there for us , ” she says .
“ People are so scared and isolated and it really just brings the community together with a purpose.
” Sewing for Lives is just one part of an enormous wave of newly galvanized craftspeople lending their skills to help fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
For weeks , American hospitals have faced a critical shortage of masks , gowns , gloves , and other PPE that protects workers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead to even more patients , fewer nurses and doctors , and more deaths .
The PPE shortage has been characterized as one of the biggest failures in the US ’ s response to coronavirus .
For years , pandemic simulations have shown deficiencies in the availability of equipment and our ability to produce it quickly , yet the government has long underfunded disease preparedness programs .
The Strategic National Stockpile included 12 million N95 respirators and 30 million surgical masks — just 1 percent of what the country requires in a pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first , President Trump was reluctant to activate the Defense Production Act , which gives the government more control over how supplies and equipment are allocated .
It wasn ’ t until March 27 that Trump ordered GM to ramp up its production of ventilators , although the administration was already in negotiations with the company .
If invoked further , the DPA could help scale up the production of desperately needed N95 respirators , as many hospitals have had to rely on looser-fitting and less effective surgical masks .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now ” In the meantime , businesses have stepped up to help : JoAnn Fabrics donated supplies to customers who shopped for fabric to sew masks and acted as a collection point for protective gear .
Fashion designers like Christian Siriano , Brandon Maxwell , and Alice + Olivia have pivoted to mask-making , as have sewing and costume guilds from Minnesota to Hollywood and even Amish country .
While scaling up corporations ’ production of PPE could take weeks or months , sewers have stepped up to fill the gap .
YouTube @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full of sewing patterns and tutorials on things like transforming a long-sleeve shirt into a balaclava .
Mask-making has become something of a national pastime in a period where many people have found they have more time than ever .
Megan is clear that Sewing for Lives isn ’ t providing actual masks to doctors to prevent infection : They ’ re meant to be worn over medical-grade masks , a machine-washable cover to prolong the integrity of the equipment underneath .
“ When we ’ re exposed to bodily functions and soiling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mask cover , get a fresh one , and continue on with our day with our mask preserved , ” she says .
“ It ’ s the best we can do for now.
” These cotton masks and mask covers , made mostly of cotton and elastic , aren ’ t a substitute for N95 respirators — tightly fitted devices that filter out 95 percent of airborne particles — nor are they as effective as surgical masks , which are disposable items used by doctors to prevent infection or protect against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a handmade cotton mask is indeed the best they can do .
As one doctor at NYU Langone Health told the New York Times , homemade masks free up the surgical masks for the highest-risk people .
The precise effectiveness of a homemade cotton mask is thus far mostly unknown .
One study from 2013 showed that both homemade masks and surgical masks “ significantly reduced ” the number of microorganisms expelled by participants , although the surgical mask was three times more effective in protecting the wearers themselves .
Study authors concluded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals , but it would be better than no protection.
” Yet the study involved just 21 participants , and one Australian study of health care workers cautioned that cloth masks could actually increase the wearer ’ s risk of infection due to moisture retention and poor filtration .
Adding to the confusion is the US government ’ s unclear and contradictory guidance on mask-wearing for the public .
In an effort to curb panic-buying , some experts said that wearing masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but that messaging backfired when it became clear that hospitals and health care workers desperately needed them , making officials appear untrustworthy .
Some experts now say that wearing masks in public , as is typical in many parts of Asia , is good practice for average citizens , while reserving the more effective respirators for those in direct contact with patients .
Cloth masks and homemade mask covers are now in high demand , and when crafters are called to duty , they answer .
Dorothy Jones-Davis , the executive director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has been overwhelmed by the readiness of makers and hobbyists .
The organization is working with # GetUsPPE , which connects people with equipment to those in need and offers information on how to volunteer .
“ People snapped into play , ” she says .
Much of that is thanks to Facebook , where the sewing and 3D-printing communities are already heavily organized and connected .
Through Facebook groups like the nearly 60,000-strong Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies , crafters and medical workers have tinkered with sewing patterns and tutorials while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines change because people are more willing to accept things that they might not have been willing to accept even a day ago , ” says Jones-Davis .
For now , Nation of Makers is focusing on making sure people are following the most updated sewing patterns and instructions and informing them on the health care system ’ s most pressing needs ( “ Gowns are the new mask , ” Jones-Davis says ) .
One of the biggest difficulties , ironically , is tempering people ’ s excitement to act .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wait a second before you make them , let me tell you the right— ’ and they ’ re like , ‘ No , I ’ ve already made 100 [ masks ] and I need to know where they ’ ve got to go , ’ ” she says .
“ We ’ re such doers.
” It ’ s a very human response to a pandemic in which many of us feel largely helpless .
People we often lean on in times of strife — family and friends , local and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of reach owing to the difficult ( but necessary ) mandate of social distancing .
People with special skill sets might naturally feel compelled to take part in the increasingly complicated and bleak fight against coronavirus , even if the masks themselves aren ’ t a replacement for medical-grade respirators .
Jones-Davis says she ’ s even seen Brownie troops and children ’ s art classes devoting time to making them .
“ When you think about why makers make — certainly it ’ s fun to crochet or make a 3D @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you get down to it , a lot of times it has to do with doing something for someone else , ” she says .
“ So when you have a callout like this , where people are saying , ‘ We need you to help us , ’ people are immediately ready to go.
” Stories of sewing communities being called into action now offer more than protective gear for health care workers : They ’ re a rare glimpse of good news when coronavirus deaths are skyrocketing and each new day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone we love being infected .
To remember that so many people are waiting and ready to help provides its own sort of comfort , even when it obscures the grim reality of why it ’ s even necessary in the first place .
“ When you have something you ’ re facing that you feel like you have no control over , ” Jones-Davis says , “ it ’ s really nice to have something that you feel like you can do .
”

Update, April 4: The CDC has issued new public health guidance, recommending everyone wear cloth face coverings in certain public settings. Here’s a guide to creating your own cloth mask. For our most up-to-date coverage, visit our coronavirus hub.
By mid-March, Megan Jansen, an ICU nurse in Salt Lake City, Utah, knew what was coming. Covid-19 had spread to major US cities like New York and Seattle, and it was a matter of time before her own hospital would be overrun with cases.
She also knew that hospitals all over the country had found themselves unprepared for the deluge of coronavirus patients and the personal protective equipment (PPE) that caring for them required.
Megan didn’t know how to sew, but plenty of people in her network did, so on March 20, she started a Facebook group called Sewing for Lives. It connected health care facilities in need with those who could sew mask covers that could lengthen the life span of medical-grade N95 respirators.
Within just a few days, the Facebook group became a website with its own database, where volunteer tailors can apply and first responders can request materials. Megan, along with a handful of fellow health care workers and soon-to-be medical students, now spends her free time coordinating between mask-makers and organizations in need.
“It gives me hope and faith and my heart is so full knowing that when health care needs help, people are there for us,” she says. “People are so scared and isolated and it really just brings the community together with a purpose.”
Sewing for Lives is just one part of an enormous wave of newly galvanized craftspeople lending their skills to help fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. For weeks, American hospitals have faced a critical shortage of masks, gowns, gloves, and other PPE that protects workers from getting sick — an outcome that could lead to even more patients, fewer nurses and doctors, and more deaths.
The PPE shortage has been characterized as one of the biggest failures in the US’s response to coronavirus. For years, pandemic simulations have shown deficiencies in the availability of equipment and our ability to produce it quickly, yet the government has long underfunded disease preparedness programs. The Strategic National Stockpile included 12 million N95 respirators and 30 million surgical masks — just 1 percent of what the country requires in a pandemic scenario, according to officials.
At first, President Trump was reluctant to activate the Defense Production Act, which gives the government more control over how supplies and equipment are allocated. It wasn’t until March 27 that Trump ordered GM to ramp up its production of ventilators, although the administration was already in negotiations with the company. If invoked further, the DPA could help scale up the production of desperately needed N95 respirators, as many hospitals have had to rely on looser-fitting and less effective surgical masks.
“It’s the best we can do for now”
In the meantime, businesses have stepped up to help: JoAnn Fabrics donated supplies to customers who shopped for fabric to sew masks and acted as a collection point for protective gear. Fashion designers like Christian Siriano, Brandon Maxwell, and Alice + Olivia have pivoted to mask-making, as have sewing and costume guilds from Minnesota to Hollywood and even Amish country.
While scaling up corporations’ production of PPE could take weeks or months, sewers have stepped up to fill the gap. YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok are now full of sewing patterns and tutorials on things like transforming a long-sleeve shirt into a balaclava. Mask-making has become something of a national pastime in a period where many people have found they have more time than ever.
Megan is clear that Sewing for Lives isn’t providing actual masks to doctors to prevent infection: They’re meant to be worn over medical-grade masks, a machine-washable cover to prolong the integrity of the equipment underneath. “When we’re exposed to bodily functions and soiling and moisture, we can take off the mask cover, get a fresh one, and continue on with our day with our mask preserved,” she says. “It’s the best we can do for now.”
These cotton masks and mask covers, made mostly of cotton and elastic, aren’t a substitute for N95 respirators — tightly fitted devices that filter out 95 percent of airborne particles — nor are they as effective as surgical masks, which are disposable items used by doctors to prevent infection or protect against splashes. Yet for some workers, a handmade cotton mask is indeed the best they can do. As one doctor at NYU Langone Health told the New York Times, homemade masks free up the surgical masks for the highest-risk people.
The precise effectiveness of a homemade cotton mask is thus far mostly unknown. One study from 2013 showed that both homemade masks and surgical masks “significantly reduced” the number of microorganisms expelled by participants, although the surgical mask was three times more effective in protecting the wearers themselves. Study authors concluded that homemade masks should “only be considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals, but it would be better than no protection.” Yet the study involved just 21 participants, and one Australian study of health care workers cautioned that cloth masks could actually increase the wearer’s risk of infection due to moisture retention and poor filtration.
Adding to the confusion is the US government’s unclear and contradictory guidance on mask-wearing for the public. In an effort to curb panic-buying, some experts said that wearing masks wouldn’t help laypeople prevent infection, but that messaging backfired when it became clear that hospitals and health care workers desperately needed them, making officials appear untrustworthy. Some experts now say that wearing masks in public, as is typical in many parts of Asia, is good practice for average citizens, while reserving the more effective respirators for those in direct contact with patients.
Cloth masks and homemade mask covers are now in high demand, and when crafters are called to duty, they answer. Dorothy Jones-Davis, the executive director of the national nonprofit Nation of Makers, has been overwhelmed by the readiness of makers and hobbyists. The organization is working with #GetUsPPE, which connects people with equipment to those in need and offers information on how to volunteer.
“People snapped into play,” she says. Much of that is thanks to Facebook, where the sewing and 3D-printing communities are already heavily organized and connected. Through Facebook groups like the nearly 60,000-strong Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies, crafters and medical workers have tinkered with sewing patterns and tutorials while responding to real-time feedback. “The guidelines change because people are more willing to accept things that they might not have been willing to accept even a day ago,” says Jones-Davis.
For now, Nation of Makers is focusing on making sure people are following the most updated sewing patterns and instructions and informing them on the health care system’s most pressing needs (“Gowns are the new mask,” Jones-Davis says).
One of the biggest difficulties, ironically, is tempering people’s excitement to act. “I’m like, ‘Just wait a second before you make them, let me tell you the right—’ and they’re like, ‘No, I’ve already made 100 [masks] and I need to know where they’ve got to go,’” she says. “We’re such doers.”
It’s a very human response to a pandemic in which many of us feel largely helpless. People we often lean on in times of strife — family and friends, local and religious communities — are now held just out of reach owing to the difficult (but necessary) mandate of social distancing. People with special skill sets might naturally feel compelled to take part in the increasingly complicated and bleak fight against coronavirus, even if the masks themselves aren’t a replacement for medical-grade respirators. Jones-Davis says she’s even seen Brownie troops and children’s art classes devoting time to making them.
“When you think about why makers make — certainly it’s fun to crochet or make a 3D print of Baby Yoda — but when you get down to it, a lot of times it has to do with doing something for someone else,” she says. “So when you have a callout like this, where people are saying, ‘We need you to help us,’ people are immediately ready to go.”
Stories of sewing communities being called into action now offer more than protective gear for health care workers: They’re a rare glimpse of good news when coronavirus deaths are skyrocketing and each new day means a higher chance of ourselves or someone we love being infected. To remember that so many people are waiting and ready to help provides its own sort of comfort, even when it obscures the grim reality of why it’s even necessary in the first place.
“When you have something you’re facing that you feel like you have no control over,” Jones-Davis says, “it’s really nice to have something that you feel like you can do.”


vox--2020-03-30--Eater at Home: How to stock a pantry, the best cookbooks, and more

In this time of shelter-in-place and social distancing , while restaurants have switched to delivery-only or closed entirely , eating @ @ @ @ @ in eating , wherever we can — has taken on a whole new urgency .
@ @ @ @ @ source for anyone who wants to feel deeply engaged with food and dining culture , @ @ @ @ @ ever , is in our homes .
Of course , dining culture has never been @ @ @ @ @ restaurant food ; it ’ s about feeding our curiosity toward new experiences ( including @ @ @ @ @ , consistently cooking at home for the first time ) .
It ’ s also @ @ @ @ @ shows , and movies that center and find meaning in what and how we eat @ @ @ @ @ about the little things that provide fleeting moments of satisfaction — like making all those @ @ @ @ @ .
So , stay home .
Eater ’ s still got you covered .

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vox--2020-03-30--Democrats are ready to start work on a fourth coronavirus bill. Republicans want to wait.

The House and Senate likely won ’ t return to Capitol Hill until April 20 at the earliest , but that ’ s not stopping House Democrats from thinking about a fourth coronavirus stimulus package .
One major initiative Democrats are already contemplating is an infrastructure bill , particularly related to coronavirus recovery .
A list could include expanding America ’ s broadband and 5G internet to allow more Americans to work from home ; modernizing hospitals and community health care centers ; and updating crumbling water pipelines .
“ The fourth bill would be about recovery , ” House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters on a Monday press call .
“ We would like to see in what comes next something that has always been nonpartisan ... and that would be an infrastructure piece that takes us into the future.
” Pelosi and two House committee chairs — House Energy and Commerce Committee chair Frank Pallone and House Committee on Education and Labor chair Bobby Scott — laid out a number of priorities they plan to work toward in the coming weeks , including more protective equipment and increased health and safety regulations for doctors and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grocery store workers and pharmacists .
Democrats also continued to push for free coronavirus treatment for everyone , including the uninsured .
“ I guarantee you you ’ re going to get some surprise bills , whoppers , ” Scott said , nodding to the high cost of a visit to the emergency room or long-term intensive care .
“ The average family is going to be bankrupt , even if they have insurance.
” Of course , in order to have a bill go anywhere , Pelosi would need buy-in from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Republican-controlled Senate .
Having just passed a historic $ 2 trillion bill , Republicans right now seem reluctant to spend much more .
“ I ’ m not sure you need a fourth package , ” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R-CA ) said this weekend on Fox News ’ Sunday Morning Futures .
The three influential House leaders also talked about where they think Democrats and Republicans could agree on another potentially costly stimulus package .
Pelosi repeatedly came back to infrastructure , noting that it is one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
“ In terms of recovery , that ’ s probably the most bipartisan path we could take , ” Pelosi said .
“ Infrastructure ’ s never been a partisan issue , ever .
It ’ s a public health issue , actually : clean air , clean water .
In addition to that , it ’ s an economic issue , it ’ s a job issue.
” What we know about House Democrats ’ priorities so far Pelosi emphasized to reporters that the House is in the very early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus bill .
The legislation is yet to be drafted , but the House speaker added she ’ d like something ready to go when Congress returns next month .
“ I do think it is important that as soon as we ’ re here , we ’ re ready to pass legislation , ” Pelosi said .
“ I ’ d not suspect we ’ d have any bipartisan legislation before we return.
” Here ’ s what ’ s on House Democrats ’ list of ideas that could show up in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for workers ’ safety : For the last three rounds of bills , Democrats have been attempting to beef up regulations for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) , which currently don ’ t include a standard to address airborne infectious diseases .
Specifically , Democrats want OSHA to adopt an Emergency Temporary Standard to get regulations on the books both for doctors and nurses , and other essential workers like pharmacists and grocery store workers .
“ It is absolutely essential that legislation is required , ” Pelosi said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we will be making the situation even more dangerous.
” • Free coronavirus treatment : House Democrats included this provision in a bill they introduced last week , before the Senate passed the CARES Act .
It would eliminate cost-sharing for coronavirus treatment and vaccines for all patients , including those who are uninsured .
The cost of coronavirus treatment can range from thousands of dollars to tens of thousands , according to a recent Time report .
( Though , as Rep. Katie Porter pointed out to my colleague Emily Stewart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own . )
• Increased direct payments to workers : On Monday ’ s call , Pelosi floated the idea to send out more direct payments to Americans and possibly increase the amount .
After the passage of the CARES Act , every American making less than $ 75,000 annually will receive a one-time $ 1,200 check from the federal government to spur consumer spending .
Depending on how long the coronavirus outbreak and resulting economic crisis in the US last , Pelosi made it clear she ’ d like to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill : Pelosi , Pallone , and Scott all talked about provisions they ’ d like to see if House Democrats pursue an infrastructure bill to help put Americans back to work after the coronavirus outbreak lessens .
Although infrastructure talks between Democrats and Trump haven ’ t gone very far in the past three years — to the point that “ Infrastructure Week ” has become a running joke in Washington — Democratic leaders seem eager to find common ground on issues like expanding America ’ s rural broadband and 5G internet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals and community health centers ; and repairing or rebuilding water infrastructure like aging pipes .
“ We need more community health centers in rural areas , ” Pallone said , highlighting one of the ways Congress could improve America ’ s health infrastructure after the coronavirus crisis subsides .
Democrats are in the earliest stages of brainstorming ideas for a next coronavirus package , and it ’ s too early to tell whether Republicans will get on board .
But this gives us an outline of what to expect from Democratic leaders @ @ @

The House and Senate likely won’t return to Capitol Hill until April 20 at the earliest, but that’s not stopping House Democrats from thinking about a fourth coronavirus stimulus package.
One major initiative Democrats are already contemplating is an infrastructure bill, particularly related to coronavirus recovery. A list could include expanding America’s broadband and 5G internet to allow more Americans to work from home; modernizing hospitals and community health care centers; and updating crumbling water pipelines.
“The fourth bill would be about recovery,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters on a Monday press call. “We would like to see in what comes next something that has always been nonpartisan ... and that would be an infrastructure piece that takes us into the future.”
Pelosi and two House committee chairs — House Energy and Commerce Committee chair Frank Pallone and House Committee on Education and Labor chair Bobby Scott — laid out a number of priorities they plan to work toward in the coming weeks, including more protective equipment and increased health and safety regulations for doctors and nurses, and other essential workers like grocery store workers and pharmacists. Democrats also continued to push for free coronavirus treatment for everyone, including the uninsured.
“I guarantee you you’re going to get some surprise bills, whoppers,” Scott said, nodding to the high cost of a visit to the emergency room or long-term intensive care. “The average family is going to be bankrupt, even if they have insurance.”
Of course, in order to have a bill go anywhere, Pelosi would need buy-in from the Trump administration before she could get cooperation from the Republican-controlled Senate. Having just passed a historic $2 trillion bill, Republicans right now seem reluctant to spend much more.
“I’m not sure you need a fourth package,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said this weekend on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
The three influential House leaders also talked about where they think Democrats and Republicans could agree on another potentially costly stimulus package. Pelosi repeatedly came back to infrastructure, noting that it is one of the priorities Democrats share with President Donald Trump.
“In terms of recovery, that’s probably the most bipartisan path we could take,” Pelosi said. “Infrastructure’s never been a partisan issue, ever. It’s a public health issue, actually: clean air, clean water. In addition to that, it’s an economic issue, it’s a job issue.”
What we know about House Democrats’ priorities so far
Pelosi emphasized to reporters that the House is in the very early phases of gathering ideas for a fourth coronavirus bill. The legislation is yet to be drafted, but the House speaker added she’d like something ready to go when Congress returns next month.
“I do think it is important that as soon as we’re here, we’re ready to pass legislation,” Pelosi said. “I’d not suspect we’d have any bipartisan legislation before we return.”
Here’s what’s on House Democrats’ list of ideas that could show up in an eventual draft:
OSHA regulations for workers’ safety: For the last three rounds of bills, Democrats have been attempting to beef up regulations for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which currently don’t include a standard to address airborne infectious diseases. Specifically, Democrats want OSHA to adopt an Emergency Temporary Standard to get regulations on the books both for doctors and nurses, and other essential workers like pharmacists and grocery store workers.
“It is absolutely essential that legislation is required,” Pelosi said. “If we fail to act, we will be making the situation even more dangerous.”
Free coronavirus treatment: House Democrats included this provision in a bill they introduced last week, before the Senate passed the CARES Act. It would eliminate cost-sharing for coronavirus treatment and vaccines for all patients, including those who are uninsured. The cost of coronavirus treatment can range from thousands of dollars to tens of thousands, according to a recent Time report. (Though, as Rep. Katie Porter pointed out to my colleague Emily Stewart, the administration could do this on its own.)
House Democrats included this provision in a bill they introduced last week, before the Senate passed the CARES Act. It would eliminate cost-sharing for coronavirus treatment and vaccines for all patients, including those who are uninsured. The cost of coronavirus treatment can range from thousands of dollars to tens of thousands, according to a recent Time report. (Though, as Rep. Katie Porter pointed out to my colleague Emily Stewart, the administration could do this on its own.) Increased direct payments to workers: On Monday’s call, Pelosi floated the idea to send out more direct payments to Americans and possibly increase the amount. After the passage of the CARES Act, every American making less than $75,000 annually will receive a one-time $1,200 check from the federal government to spur consumer spending. Depending on how long the coronavirus outbreak and resulting economic crisis in the US last, Pelosi made it clear she’d like to see additional direct payments.
On Monday’s call, Pelosi floated the idea to send out more direct payments to Americans and possibly increase the amount. After the passage of the CARES Act, every American making less than $75,000 annually will receive a one-time $1,200 check from the federal government to spur consumer spending. Depending on how long the coronavirus outbreak and resulting economic crisis in the US last, Pelosi made it clear she’d like to see additional direct payments. An infrastructure bill: Pelosi, Pallone, and Scott all talked about provisions they’d like to see if House Democrats pursue an infrastructure bill to help put Americans back to work after the coronavirus outbreak lessens. Although infrastructure talks between Democrats and Trump haven’t gone very far in the past three years — to the point that “Infrastructure Week” has become a running joke in Washington — Democratic leaders seem eager to find common ground on issues like expanding America’s rural broadband and 5G internet capacity; investing money into rebuilding aging hospitals and community health centers; and repairing or rebuilding water infrastructure like aging pipes.
“We need more community health centers in rural areas,” Pallone said, highlighting one of the ways Congress could improve America’s health infrastructure after the coronavirus crisis subsides.
Democrats are in the earliest stages of brainstorming ideas for a next coronavirus package, and it’s too early to tell whether Republicans will get on board. But this gives us an outline of what to expect from Democratic leaders going forward.