COVID-19, aka CORONAVIRUS, HAWAII WEDDING UPDATE
This post will be updated whenever I hear more news about the Coronavirus, and its effect on your Hawaii Wedding. I will only post what I know, and if you feel there are corrections that I should make, please comment below so I can correct this thread.
10/28/2020 UPDATE:
HAWAII IS FINALLY OPENED!
Yup, we’re open, with the Catch-22 that you need a negative COVID test to galavant around. Find more info by clicking here. It’s been really tough people. Really really tough. Virus infections are down though. I think we built some type of herd immunity, but we’ll have to see. We are rounding the corner on this though. Even though infections are up, most are youngins who won’t die. On top of that, we have vaccines and therapies coming out that will kick COVID’s ass.
I’m pretty confident that I can close this message thread. I’ll still keep it up as memories, though. What a journey 2020 has been. It sucks almost as much as the Cowboys suck right now.
5/20/2020 UPDATE:
TOURISM IS STILL SHUT DOWN, UNFORTUNATELY
Infections in our state are bouncing near zero. On some days we hit zero, then we hit one, then zero. The Coronavirus is definitely close to leaving the building. Out of all the states, Hawaii is probably the safest. Restrictions are slowly being lifted. We still need to wear masks to stores but are not required to wear them outside, but we are recommended to. Malls are being slowly being opened. Inter-island travel will hopefully open up by the end of this month.
There are no solid plans to open up tourism yet, though. The 14-day quarantine has been extended to June 30th.
I’ll keep you update on what’s happening.
3/21/2020 UPDATE:
HAWAII TOURISM HAS LITERALLY BEEN SHUT DOWN
and some positive thoughts of mine.
Starting on March 26, 2020, incoming tourist and returning residents must undergo a 14-day quarantine:
- Visitors would be responsible for any costs associated with quarantine.
- Those who break quarantine would face a $5,000 fine and a year in jail.
- The quarantine would apply to international and mainland flights. Inter-island travel is not affected.
- The mandate would not apply to emergency responders and other essential workers, including those who are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. It would also not apply to flight crews.
- Residents would quarantine in their homes.
- The rule would not apply to any of the visitors already in Hawaii.
This will be enforced. And I don’t know how long this restriction will last. I’m thinking it may go until we get COVID-19 under control.
And that pretty much ends Dream Weddings Hawaii wedding ceremonies officially, although most of my clients were already rescheduling given the State of the Nation.
Am I bummed? You bet I am, but I saw it coming. This year was gearing up to be incredibly good. Business was booming and the economy was cracking. Then this happened and slowly things got worse. And now suddenly, people are looking at Italy and thinking that could be the United States in a few weeks. It could be, but we’ll see. The cases in Hawaii are still rather low. It’s 48, and most of the cases are a result from tourist, not locals. There may be a community spread, or not. What’s important that we’ve closed off our borders. And once we separate the sick from the healthy, that curve will go down faster than it will from the rest of the nation.
We’ll all get past this. The flu takes about two weeks to get over. And around that time, we should see light at the end of the tunnel. COVID-19 has pretty much gifted us with a rare opportunity. If you stay home, you’ll save the world, haha. It’s that simple.
While I say this, don’t worry too much about COVID-19 as it’s not a dangerous virus. It is literally like a bad case of the flu. If we look at China, only 3,200 people died from COVID-19. Well, around 18,000 Americans died from the flu this year. Worldwide, 13,000 people died from COVID-19. Again, 18,000 Americans died from the Flu this year. Zero kids died from COVID-19 worldwide. In America, 149 kids died from the Flu this year. If I’m a crazy sensationalized journalist I can say that the Flu is 149% more dangerous than COVID-19 this year.
Everyone’s hunkered down right now and that’s how we’re going to end this. When the virus fails to find a host, it’ll eventually mutate into a very weak version of itself to survive, and it will become a horrible cold.
About a month ago, China and South Korea were making headlines, now they pretty much have everything under control. We’ll get there….
Now, in the meantime, there’s no need to postpone your wedding planning. You can still contact me and figure out what you want for your Hawaii Wedding. And then, when this blows over, we can set a date, and you can make everything official with a 50% down payment. My company will still be around when this is all over. I may be selling BBQ or doing odd jobs on the side to pay the bills, but once tourism starts up again, this will be once again, be my full-time gig.
CONTACT ME TO START A CONVERSATION!
3/17/20 UPDATE
TEN CASES IN HAWAII
ONE MAY BE A RESULT OF COMMUNITY SPREAD…MAYBE
EVERYTHING IS CLOSING, NOW IS A TIME TO NOT TRAVEL TO HAWAII
What’s going on in Hawaii, you are probably already experiencing in your country or State. COVID-19 is spreading, businesses are doing their part and shutting their doors, and too many people are panic buying at your local grocery store. Here in Hawaii, all our tourist activities are closed, from Kualoa Ranch to Pearl Harbor. When I walked around Waikiki yesterday, restaurants and stores were open, and you honestly couldn’t tell that we were living in a pseudo-Zombie apocalypse. But all of that fun came a screeching halt when we got our first case of POSSIBLE community spread (which I doubt).
A tour guide at Kualoa Ranch was diagnosed with COVID-19. She’s 25-years-old and asthmatic. She is currently self-quarantined. Her family is undergoing testing right now. How she got it, who she gave it too, is still unknown. The good news is that she’s tested, and those that were in contact with are being tested, and the correct measures of quarantining them from the public are happening.
Is it from a community spread? It’s hard to say, but most likely not. She probably got it from a tourist.
Right now, business for me has come to almost a complete halt. I’m still working on photos and I’m getting an inquiry here and there, but other than that, business has ground to a standstill. All of what is happening now is just temporary. But who we are, when we emerge from this pandemic, will be different. For some of us, we may not come back to the same jobs. The companies that some may work for, may not be there anymore. Companies may merge to stay afloat. And people may just be a little jumpier when a person sneezes. I’m still going to be doing weddings, but I’m going to have to do something else for the time being to make ends meet. I’m honestly thinking about selling my BBQ on the Facebook marketplace!
If you have a wedding planner, and if you still want to get married in Hawaii, I’m all game. But something tells me that you’re hunkering down as well. And I’m not even sure of domestic travel will be on lockdown. At this point, I really wish they’d close all travel to and from Hawaii turn Oahu into some anti-COVID-19 utopia free zone.
If you want to postpone your wedding, just email me, call, whatever. I heard airlines and hotels are giving 100% refunds or discounts. That means we can just reschedule when all of this becomes a funny story to tell the next generation.
COVID-19 is serious. But it will get better if we all limit our exposure socially, and quarantine ourselves if we get sick. There’s a lot of misinformation out about there so I wanted to share some information just to put you at ease. Here is what I wrote on facebook a day ago:
COVID-19 will not affect 70% of the population. In Hubei, the epicenter of the virus where the Chinese lived in close quarters, the virus only affected 3% of the population.
On the Diamond Princess Cruiseship, which was a Petri dish for COVID-19, the infection rate did not surpass 20%, which leads many scientists to believe that most people are just naturally immune to this virus.
From what I recently have read, if your immune system is high, meaning your Vitamin A, C, an D levels are topped off, COVID-19 has a very high chance of literally bouncing off your healthy cells. https://youtu.be/lzC59WiW_Fs If you don’t believe me, you can listen to this MIT Doctor of biological engineering.
Also, the death rate of COVID-19 is not anything to panic about. At the epicenter of the virus, Hubei, 3,111 people died. But right outside of Hubei, the numbers are much smaller, with the next highest province, Henan, only having 22 deaths.
If we subtract the 3,111 deaths from the total deaths in the world, 7,139 you have a 2.2% death rate, not 3% plus…and if you add the total number or non-confirmed cases, those who didn’t feel sick, this number would be much lower, closer to the flu.
In the US, we have 85 deaths, 48 of these deaths in Washington in care homes. But other than that, COVID-19 has not been lethal in America. It’s only killed 7 people in California since 2020. At least 7 people die from gun-related gang violence per day in California! COVID-19 has only killed one person in Georgia. Do I need to mention how dangerous Atlanta can be?
COVID-19 is also not as contagious as the media advertises If we take a look at the numbers at the epicenter, Hubei, where there was a dramatic increase of cases by 30% every day, at that rate, if it continued exponentially, the entire world would have been infected within 90 days. But that didn’t happen.
The slowing of the rate had to do a lot with China’s extraordinary measures of social distancing and quarantines. COVID-19 is said to spread it’s infection to 2.5 people. If we adhere to cleanliness and social distancing, that will drop to 1.5. Quarantining is very important as we want to keep healthy people away from sick…and we only want the sick to see the sick. China has had one new person get infected for a week. Things are getting back to normal. And mostly everyone recovered.
We all need to do our part to nip this in the butt… Let’s practice safe partying so we’re not living in the real Walking Dead. Luckily, all we have to do to fight this zombie is to wash our hands.
3/14/20 UPDATE:
TWO TOURISTS ON KAUAI TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
They are currently isolated on the Island of Kauai. Reports are that they spent time on Maui while they were symptomatic and did not self-quarantine. Don’t they sound a bit selfish, huh? If you’re sick, stay home. Don’t travel. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Hawaii to 4, which is one too many.
We will see if their trip here set off a community spread, I’m hoping it won’t. But we’ll see. We are fully ready to test and quarantine. I’ll let you know the updates. But Hawaii is set up pretty well. Not only is our climate not ideal for spreading COVID-19, everyone is kinda fearful, washing their hands, avoiding crowds. So, that’s a good thing.
Still, NO ONE here has contracted COVID-19 from the community. We only have cases, all of which were imported into our state by idiots. Geez, does it take one idiot to kill a village? Our first idiot decided to go onto a cruise, even after they knew it was infected. Then we had another idiot who went to the epicenter of Washington State while it was infected. They are quarantined at the moment, but something tells me this should last for the rest of their lives.
CANCELLATIONS
I have been getting cancellations and it’s completely understandable. If you can’t get toilet paper or food at home, have no job security, and your kid’s school is shut down, now is not the best time to travel to Hawaii even if it’s safe. I swear, the fear caused by COVID-19 is hurting us all more than the virus itself. Is there a pandemic of fear? Hmm…quite possibly. There’s a thin line between being concerned and flat-out paranoid.
If you do still want to come to Hawaii to get married, I’m here, ready, and virus-free! But just to let you know, a lot of group activity places are shut down. The luas, the museums, events, even the freaking movie theaters, are all closed. So, if you come down here, you’ll probably have to do a lot of outdoor activities such as surfing, hiking, ATV’ing, horseback riding, zip-lining – hmm, doesn’t sound too bad does it?
3/13/20 UPDATE:
SHOULD YOU CANCEL YOUR HAWAII WEDDING PLANS?
Before I address this serious topic, let me first give you the latest news here in Hawaii:
- We have zero new cases in Hawaii, all cases are still on Oahu, and they were not from a result of community spread. One patient was from the Grand Princess Cruise Ship, the other was a local returning visiting from Washington State.
- In early February, an infected Japanese visitor spent time on Maui and Oahu, and there was zero evidence of a community spread. This leads many to presume that Hawaii’s high humidity and temperatures detrimental to the spreading COVID-19. This correlates with other global data, where high humidity and heat, community spread seems to be minimal or non-existent. For example, Florida, which is very humid, has 30 cases, but none seem to give evidence of a community spread. Most resulted from a Cruise Ship port. So, let’s hope it warms up fast.
- Drive-through testing for COVID-19 is available in Hawaii and free of charge.
- The Merry Monarch has been canceled along with many events. The University of Hawaii has made the decision to cancel all sports and to put all courses online.
Now onto the topic at hand, “Should you cancel your Hawaii wedding plans?”
No.
But, you may want to postpone it.
I may have a bias here. Of course, I want you to come to Hawaii to get married, and to use my company, haha. If you are eloping, are young and healthy, I believe you’ll be very safe, it is my opion you will not have to worry about contracting this virus at all during your trip, and during your flight here and back. Plane trip prices are insanely low right now, as with hotel prices. So, this may be a good time to ironically get married.
Then there’s the fact that COVID-19 is much more than just a virus affecting your health. It’s a virus that could be affecting your bank account. Is your job stable enough to see this through? If it isn’t, you may want to think of putting off your wedding plans, at least until this blows over. There will be a lot of layoffs as the economy slows to a complete standstill. China, South Korea, and Italy, had to grind their country to a standstill. Right now, that’s slowly happening in the United States. The NBA, PGA, NHL, and XFL, have suspended their seasons. Disneyland is closed. Movie premiers are halted. A local helicopter tour company informed me that they have gotten zero business in for the past few days and they are starting to panic. If your job is affected, it’s best not to get married in Hawaii right now.
If you have a large wedding with a party that includes seniors with underlying health problems, I would consider moving your date as well.
If you’re wondering if you should buy wedding insurance, forget it. I found out that they don’t cover pandemics. Isn’t that convenient?
If your wedding date takes place during the summer, next year, or the latter portion of this year, I wouldn’t break a sweat. This virus will blow over once the weather changes.
3/12/20 UPDATE:
UNITED STATES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS TRAVEL FROM EUROPE
NBA POSTPONES SEASON
TOM HANKS GETS INFECTED IN AUSTRALIA
ZERO NEW CASES ON OAHU
Checkout those headlines. Are you panicked yet? I have to admit, it does get to me. I’m VERY concerned, but the panic has caused more damage than the virus at this point. I do believe that our President is doing all he can to get us through this, but we have to do our part too, and I’ll address that later.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. This does not mean it’s the end of the world. Does anyone remember the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic that infected 6.8 billion and killed anywhere between 150,000-575,000? We got through that fine, and we’ll get through this. I honestly forgot about that…
And here’s some good news:
This graph was taken from John Hopkins Realtime monitoring system, which you can find here. Very soon, we will see more total recoveries from COVID-19 than those infected in China and the world, put together. Quarantines, cleanliness, travel bans, are working. Getting through this is just ugly.
Winter is just about to come to an end on March 19th, which will bring about the end to flu season, and hopefully an end to COVID-19. There’s something about the cold weather that creates the perfect storm to help these viruses spread.
What does this mean for your Hawaii wedding?
- Well, if you’re coming to Hawaii to get married, you don’t have anything to fear. There’s no community spread here. We have had two cases, and we didn’t get them from the community. And so far, no one here has tested positive that would indicate a community spread. The people of Hawaii don’t live tightly in condos. For the most part, we live mostly in single-family homes, and in the suburbs, so that’s a good thing. If there are no events going on, you’ll find the most people either at Costco, the malls, or the beach (where the Coronavirus probably has zero chance of surviving). In other words, we’re not a city like New York.
- There’s no need to fear flying on the plane as no one, to my knowledge has contracted COVID-19 via a plane.
- The moral of the story is that there’s honestly nothing to fear in Hawaii unless you’re elderly with health conditions.
Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t change your routine. Changing our routine is how we will beat this quickly when the weather gets warmer.
- You should still wash your hands frequently when you enter and leave an establishment, and avoid touching doorknobs to the bathrooms
- You should try to avoid crowds whenever possible: concerts, events
- You should not visit elderly loved ones because they are the ones who are the most vulnerable.
- You should not take a cruise right now
- You should eat at home more often
- Speaking of elderly, if you fit in the category of a senior citizen, and have existing health conditions, you should be extraordinarily vigilant and not think about traveling at all.
- And you should be very choosy on where you fly, not flying. For example, I wouldn’t recommend taking a vacation to Seattle, New York City, or Los Angeles right now.
- If you feel sick, quarantine yourself immediately. Don’t go to work.
3/11/20 UPDATE:
I TOOK THIS PHOTO AT COSTCO TODAY
BE VIGILANT, BUT DON’T PANIC
I love zombie movies, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live during end-times. I think I’m getting my wish because right now, the entire world seems to be acting as if everything hit the fan, and humanity is about to end. Today, I saw an old dude wearing around a gas mask that reminded me of videogame, FALLOUT 3. That’s the picture above. Costco was empty. There were no new cases of COVID-19 today in Hawaii, which is great news. Still, no community spread. And I think the paranoia, which I think is silly, is also one of the reasons why this virus will die once the warm season begins. Don’t we all want Global Warming, now? haha. But on a serious note, Costco wiped down every gas pump after each use. They wiped each shopping cart. They were moping and wiping down panels, counters, handles.
And on another serious note, Coronavirus means no line at Popeyes. So I finally got to eat a chicken sandwich.
So, this is the real zombie apocalypse? No toilet paper or hand sanitizer, no lines at fast-food restaurants, and crazy people shopping at Costco as though they are deep-sea diving. Geez, all these zombie shows got it wrong huh.
I’ve still been researching whether or not there were any reports of anyone in the world contracting COVID-19 from a plane trip with an infected patient, and so far, I could not find one person. I always thought that you get sick when you travel on the plane because the air gets recycled. Well, though my research, I’ve found out that the air in a plane is heavily filtered, through High-Efficiency Filters that make the air you’re breathing, cleaner than what you inhale in the office or movie theater. All the tables and trays are wiped down, even more so now. So the chance of catching COVID-19, is very low. Especially if the airline begins to check the temperature of passengers before boarding, as they do in the east now.
So, I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s not the flight that will mostly give you COVID-19, but the city that chose to land in. In other words, I wouldn’t recommend flying into JFK now and trotting around Manhatten.
Hawaii on the other hand, is still very safe.
3/10/20 UDPATE:
TOTAL OF TWO CASES IN THE STATE OF HAWAII NOW, BOTH ON OAHU
There is another case of COVID-19 In Hawaii. Not from a community spread, as we don’t have an outbreak to my knowledge. This was from a man who was symptomatic after returning from Washington State. His age wasn’t released, but all clues point indicate that he is elderly.
What I really want to know right now if there are any cases of anyone contracting the coronavirus via a plane trip. We know that cruise ships have just been oversized Petri dishes, but what about planes? Does anyone know? I’m doing my internet research and haven’t been able to come up with one case.
3/7/20 UPDATE:
THE CORONAVIRUS HAS MADE ITS WAY TO HAWAII
Yes, we have our first confirmed case of the virus here, but there is still nothing to panic about yet. A returning local male contracted the virus during the Grand Princess tour. As soon as the infected individual began to show symptoms, he reported himself for testing, and then quickly self-quarantined himself.
Here is what we know:
- He did not get this from a community infection in Hawaii
- We don’t know if he infected the community (which I must admit is concerning)
- The State is currently testing individuals who came into contact with this individual while he was asymptomatic.
Important notes to remember, so we all don’t freak out:
- A Japanese tourist came to Hawaii in early February, infected with COVID-19, then later returned to Japan with symptoms and as diagnosed in his country. He contracted the virus in his country. While his stay in Hawaii, he as asymptomatic for the duration of his journey and fell ill in Hawaii during his last days. We are past the two-week mark, even the four-week mark, and no one in our State who came into contact with this individual has tested positive for COVID-19
- Our high humidity, 75% on average, and 75 to 80-degree weather may be perfect honeymooning weather, but it’s not perfect for the Coronavirus to survive.
- From recent scientific journals, the virus looks very similar to the flu. That’s not to say that it shouldn’t be taken lightly because the flu kills tens of thousands of Americans per year. And who the hell wants to get the flu while you’re on vacation, right?
- Wash your hands and try to avoid touching your face
- Be aware of handles and elevator buttons, as they tend to carry all types of viruses, not just COVID-19
- Wipe down surfaces that you are on sure of, airplane seats and trays, movie theater seats, etc…etc…
- It looks as though the Coronavirus is spread through coughing and sneezing, and when patients are symptomatic. According to the CDC, while there are reports of the virus being spread while a patient is asymptomatic, it is not thought of to be the main vehicle.
Wedding Advice:
My advice right now still remains the same. I would get married in Hawaii after winter is officially over, temperatures start to really rise, and this virus dies off. But, I would definitely commence planning and buy your travel immediately, because travel is HELLA CHEAP! Make sure to buy travel insurance just in case this virus hits the fan, but chances of this turning zombie apocalypse on us are very slim. So keep inquiring, there’s no need to hold off on planning. Just make sure you plan your wedding dates when temperatures are warmer.
3/4/20 UPDATE:
We’re getting more information out there about the COVID-19 and it’s really looking like a though it’s very similar to the flu. And it looks as though this virus only affects the elderly, not kids, and kills only those who have underlying health problems. Check out this study for more information
On other news, Hawaii is still free of the virus. Recently, we had six people were suspected of being infected, who ended up testing negative. As of now, our own local lab can test up to 250 cases per week, and we have been testing people, with zero positives.
Here’s something really cool. Airfare has been super cheap to Oahu lately. I’m not sure what’s happening, but it looks as though all of the flights that were once going to Asia are now coming here. Wedding couples have been showing be fares lower than $200 from Oakland to HNL. I think a couple just got three roundtrip tickets from San Jose to HNL for $700. That’s $233 per head.
There are some tips you should take when traveling on the plane during this time.
- Wipe down your seats and tray then wash your hands
- You can wear a mask, but it’s not needed. I would take one just in case you’re seated next to someone who is coughing.
- I would take some zicam before you board. Zinc prevents the flu and many doctors are saying it may prevent the coronavirus from getting into your lungs
2/28/20 UPDATE:
Still no reports of the virus here, but there are many locals who are panicking. Today in Costco parking lot, there was a mad dash to buy – toilet paper – AGAIN! So much that it made the national news. That was kinda embarrassing. Really? Out of all things, toilet paper? This happens all the time when locals face emergency situations. A hurricane is on its way, and then they stock up on toilet paper, not food. I wasn’t part of that mad dash, I went for a bike ride instead.
The Coronavirus is nothing to joke about, but I want to put a few facts out there:
The kill rate of the common flu is .01%, during the 1957 and 1968 pandemic it was 2-3%
The kill rate of SARS was 2.3%
The kill rate of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrom) was 37.1%
The kill rate of ebola was 22% to 88%!
And the kill rate of the Coronavirus is 2.3%
Just in the past two weeks, just in the United States, 5000 people have died from the flu.
Around 50,000 people die from pneumonia each year in the United States, that’s also 5000 a month.
3 million people die from pneumonia each year around the world versus 3000 deaths from the Coronavirus.
As of today, only 17 people have contracted Covid-19 here. The rest of the people who got it, contracted it from other countries, then evacuated here and are in quarantine.
And so far, zero people have died from the Coronavirus in the United States.
The Coronavirus is a minor respiratory disease compared to MERS or even pneumonia. If you contract the virus, you have a 98% chance of survival in China, 100% chance if you’re in the United States.
What it comes down to is that you have a higher chance of catching the flu or pneumonia, that the Coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned. If this does reach pandemic levels, which it may, then we really need to worry about it. We need to be vigilant, not paranoid.
Also, from what I’m reading, the mask are not very helpful from preventing you from catching the virus. If you have the virus, it most likely will prevent you from spreading it to others, no the other way around. The best way to not get the virus is to avoid crowds and to wash your hands with soap and water. Also, avoid touching your face and mouth after you touched a dirty surface.
Here’s an article that may help:
Lastly, there is some good news. We are able to test for the Coronavirus now, and there have not been any reported cases.
2/27/20 UPDATE:
Here’s what I know so far about the Coronavirus’s introduction into the State of Hawaii.
- An infected Japanese Couple traveled to the island of Maui between January 28th and February 3rd. The couple did not report to have any symptoms. I did not hear what hotel they were staying at, or where they went. The State, for some reason or another, I believe the fear of this virus affecting our tourism, has kept us in the dark.
- This couple then traveled to the island of Oahu between the dates of February 3rd and February 6th. During their stay, the man developed flu-like symptoms. He did stay Grand Waikikian by Hilton Grand Vacations. What room he stayed has not been released to the public. As of now, we do not believe any of the hotel staff has exhibited any coronavirus symptoms. The man, reportedly wore a mask when he developed flu-like symptoms, but continued to vacation around Honolulu.
- Where this man vacationed is not being disclosed.
- Upon returning to Japan, the man checked into his local clinic where he and his wife were diagnosed with the coronavirus
- Last reports, the man is in critical condition but did not hear if he’s gotten better.
- The wife may have already recovered. I heard this, but can’t verify.
- It’s been over two weeks since the couple vacationed here, three actually, and no one here has reported any symptoms of the novel virus, but we’re not out of the woods because we don’t have a test kit readily available.
- No one has self-quarantined.
- No cases that come even close to being classified as the Coronavirus has been reported to the media by hospitals.
- AS OF NOW, NO ONE IN HAWAII HAS THE CORONAVIRUS and we are past the two week incubation period.
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS:
- ALL FLIGHTS FROM CHINA TO HAWAII HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED – This was done in late January
- It’s not to say the Chinese are not coming to Hawaii. I have seen a handful of Chinese tourists here. From what I have heard is that they made their way down here through Japan or Korea.
- Travel bans on incoming flights from South Korea and Italy may be on their way.
- Many airlines are already dropping routes, here is the worldwide list created on 2/27/20
HAWAII WEATHER MAY BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE CORONAVIRUS?
There is speculation, not confirmation, that humidity and heat, severely handicaps the ability of the Coronavirus to spread. According to Linsey Marr, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, “We know that some respiratory viruses in the air or on surfaces lose their ability to infect cells under warmer and moderately humid conditions.” This may be the reason why there are no cases of Covid-19 here, despite two infected Japanese tourists coming here.
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HAWAII WEDDING?
At this moment in time, personally, I believe you can carry on with your Hawaii wedding plans, but be vigilant. Make sure you buy travel insurance on everything, so just in case there is an outbreak, and ALL TRAVEL is suspended, you’ll get a 100% refund. You can wear a mask when you travel, I know some of my friends are already doing it when they head west for vacation. Here in Hawaii, I don’t see many people wearing masks. The ones who are, are just paranoid Asians (that may sound racist, but it’s the truth. And if you must know, I’m Asian, but don’t wear a mask.)
My suggestion is to keep planning without any fear. If there is any real reason to be scared, I’ll let you know. Be concerned, don’t be scared.
I’m planning a vacation to California and Iowa in August and I’m not worried too much. I’m buying insurance. And if things change, they change.
THE CURRENT STATE OF PANIC IN HAWAII?
Well, basically zero. It’s almost impossible to get masks here. Everyone is buying them to send to either China or Korea, no one is wearing the mask. There was a run on toilet paper at Costco today, which I find rather interesting. If the Coronavirus hits, apparently locals are more concerned about wiping their butt than buying canned goods. But everyone is still going out to movies, restaurants, concerts, churches. It’s business as usual.
Steve Young
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