Seven

On Sinister Kahuna Day, State government officials announced that two tourists from Indiana tested positive for the novel coronavirus and are currently self-quarantined on Kau’ai. They had traveled to Mau’i then Kau’ai. Also announced, with just 32 novel coronavirus tests completed, there is absolutely no “community spread” of SARS-CoV-2 in Hawai’i. It is completely safe for tourists.

The following day, March 14th, there were two more confirmed cases on the island of O’ahu and on Mau’i, respectively. A visitor from Colorado was tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon return after a vacation here that spanned O’ahu, Mau’i and the Big Island. There still has been no national “mainstream” news coverage about coronavirus in Hawai’i.

The organization that manages the Sand Island homeless shelter (and several other shelters) will be testing the unsheltered homeless in Waikiki, although how that will be accomplished is debatable. Most of the homeless population are extremely transient, always on the move. In addition, who is willing to risk exposure to the contagion?

Today, the central bank of empire lowered short-term interest rates to zero as predicted. It has officially “run out of ammunition” to combat a recession that is likely to occur much later. NIRP is coming real soon!

Then, State officials announced another person on O’ahu has tested positive for the novel coronavirus after a returning from a visit to Florida. The other person on O’ahu, who tested positive, had returned from a visit to Colorado. Once again, officials emphasized that there has been no “community spread.”

Thousands of tourists from everywhere come and go daily, unimpeded by screening, yet the total number of people in Hawai’i who tested positive for the novel coronavirus is seven. Hawai’i must be the luckiest place on Earth.

Fake

The emperor has declared a “state of emergency” for empire. Don’t believe the hype! The only purpose for the announcement was to prop up the stock market and keep the asset “bubbles” inflated. The central bank of empire is expected to follow-up with ZIRP ... zero percent before the end of the month. NIRP is coming!

Well, there is another more nefarious purpose for declaring a “state of emergency.” Invocation of martial law is now possible with the domestic deployment of the military, curfews, internment, and other Draconian measures. Yeah, so apropos for Sinister Kahuna Day.

The State of Hawai’i has only tested 32 people so far for the novel coronavirus. The number of confirmed infections remains at two. That number, two, has most likely been widely disseminated to travel agencies around the world to “prove” that Hawai’i is the safest tourist destination. So, as of yesterday, a visual observation noted that tourist numbers have increased. The discounted airfares and hotel accommodations were obviously an added incentive.

Money is the only driving force for human existence. Even amidst the revelations that high profile individuals have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 disease, that insatiable driving force just keeps growing stronger. The “one percent” do not care about who perishes, even of their dastardly own kind. All that matters is who will be the “last man standing.”

Portrait

For those who are religiously inclined, this moment in time may be the “end times,” the fabled Armageddon. Certainly now with the prospect that about 150 million people in empire alone could contract SARS-CoV-2 given the level of government incompetence, deliberate or not. Only 80 percent are expected to recover. The other 20 percent are at the mercy of a debilitated
healthcare system.

Right now, there is a lot of misinformation, a lot of false bravado, and a lot more confusion circulating. Here in Hawai’i, a false sense of security has been foisted onto the unsuspecting public. Only two confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infections here. And, only 32 people have been tested so far. That with nearly infinite close proximity interactions with people from all over the planet. Other places, not so lucky. How is that? But, that is neither here or there.

Deep inside, most clinically sane individuals have already seen through the cognitive dissonance fog. The realization that the novel coronavirus has most likely been incubating and spreading for about a month now in Hawai’i gels into reality. With no intervention, the hidden cases increase exponentially. Suddenly, the pulse races as the thought of already being a carrier of the disease flashes through the mind. A tug-of-war of denial ensues, but the truth prevails.

That’s when the Kübler-Ross model, or the five stages of grief, takes over. It does not matter whether the morbidity rate is skewed toward decrepit senior citizens. There is still a finite probability that death will occur because of complications regardless of age. So, smugness is not an option.

Personally speaking, this has been a good time. “Social distancing” has already been a regular ritual, so the universal acceptance of the latter now is a welcome relief. The significant decrease in tourists has made life so much more pleasurable. There’s more personal space. There is a better sense of solitude. The ambient noise has been turned down several notches. Encounters with stupidity have decreased. There is nothing like a semi-quiet dinner experience. Riding an empty bus is not as eerie as it sounds. Being the only customer in a store is rewarded with good service. Time moves slower. Even the homeless have had a reprieve from tyranny. Is it all worth the possibility of being infected by the novel coronavirus? Yes and no.

Homeless Guy Enjoying Pandemic Solitude

There will not be another portrait in time like this, at least in Hawai’i. When the “all clear” signal is given, everything will return to the frenetic “normal.” Those who perish in the pandemic will be forgotten. Perhaps it is best to perish now than to return to the wretched state-of-affairs prior.

Pandemic is Official

The World Health Organization (WHO) finally declared the new coronavirus a pandemic, something that should have been done weeks ago. What exactly will be accomplished with the declaration is unclear. An educated guess: same ol’ shit.

Meanwhile, an oncologist from Canada returned home after visiting Hawai’i and has tested positive for the new coronavirus. The individual is now the first confirmed case in her resident city in Ontario. From what can be ascertained, given the incubation period of SARS-CoV-2, the individual was most likely infected here in Hawai’i. There can be no question that “community spread” is already happening.

The State government’s plan to incorporate “surveillance testing” for the new coronavirus (refer to Notes post, “Contagion”) may locate a few infected individuals. However, the focus should now move to concentrate on areas that are potential “hotspots” of coronavirus infections, that is, neighborhoods consisting primarily of Chinese and Filipino ethnicities. Many of the Chinese people here are immigrants, and they are employed in either the restaurant and transportation sectors of tourism. Filipinos are employed in all four sectors (hotel, restaurant, retail, transportation). There is no time for “political correctness” or “identity politics.” The time for action is now, for Molech’s sake!

Is Hawai’i prepared for the coronavirus pandemic? Unequivocally, no. There is a shortage of physicians and nurses. Many of them transferred to facilities in the mainland empire. Specialized medical equipment (needed for coronavirus treatment) is limited. In other words, if more than a handful of people need treatment, they will be “up shit creek without a paddle.”

Tamarind Park

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue unabated, the latest being downtown. A quick look at Tamarind Park at Bishop Square in the heart of downtown at 11:20am lunchtime. Yesterday, it was teeming with local wage slaves. Where is everyone?

Only senior citizens, mostly little old Chinese ladies, are out in force. Even at the gym, regular members are now exercising “social distancing” with fewer of them working out. Only the little old Chinese ladies, with their Chinatown shopping carts in tow, have been coming in to do whatever they call a workout. Don’t they know that they increase their risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus? Regular bus ridership is also down, except for ... little old Chinese ladies!

Addendum: The empire has suspended travel from Europe for 30 days. That translates to even less tourists. Wage slave shift reductions are already in place. Now, layoffs may be in the works.

Contagion

Local news about the novel coronavirus in Hawai’i finally burst forth today. Of particular interest was the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the tourist industry. The situation is obviously heating up and suppression of the news has become difficult.

In addition, the State government has announced that it will begin “surveillance testing” for the novel coronavirus. The State’s own laboratory will be randomly testing 200 patient samples per week collected for influenza that come back negative for the flu. Tests confirmed positive for COVID-19 will be flagged, and the affected individuals will be notified. While the move may seem proactive, the efficacy is questionable.

Many people in Hawai’i are employed at two or three wage slave jobs just to survive. Those jobs are mostly in the tourist sector (i.e., hotels, retail, restaurants, transportation) and often do not offer paid sick leave or full medical coverage. Missed days could result in termination. They are at high risk for exposure to the novel coronavirus, but unlikely to submit voluntarily for a medical examination. Heck, once the full impact of the coronavirus crisis is felt, they will lose their jobs anyway.

Kuhio Avenue

In the meantime, the local effects of the coronavirus on the sole driver of the economic engine of Hawai’i is obvious. A quick look at Kuhio Avenue at 5:30pm this afternoon tells all. The debacle is really just beginning. Worldwide, with the exception of the People’s Republic of China, the response has been slow and mediocre at best. There’s little doubt that the World Health Organization (WHO) will soon have to declare a pandemic.

Norelco® Shaver

All in all, the secular Apocalypse is probably here now. Many of us will die, if the pandemic cannot be contained. With that said, a new Norelco® rechargeable electric shaver was procured for $27 on sale at Longs® this evening. The old $9 electric razor could “conk out” at any time, and there’s no telling what the global supply chain will be like in the near future. After all, everything is made in China. Then, a pint of ice cream was procured at Target® to cap off the celebration. Cheers!

Preparation

The safest assumption at this point in time is that SARS-CoV-2 is silently incubating and spreading “in the wild” in Hawai’i. There can be little faith in government institutions. The entirely slow response to the coronavirus crisis in empire has already been documented as insufficient and incompetent. The empire already has a proven track record that it can barely handle regional disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina) as it is.

The latest advice offered by the CDC to senior citizens, for instance, is to stock up on food and go into seclusion. From all indications and from other regional antecedents, the coronavirus crisis is only just beginning. The peak of the crisis (during this first wave) is months away. So, how is seclusion going to work? Then, the latest bogus plan to reduce payroll taxes to assist wage slaves is really just another ploy to prop up the stock market. More “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic,” eh?

Incidentally, another dispersion issue concerning SARS-CoV-2 in Hawai’i is the fact that a large number of people have expatriated to the mainland empire (primarily the states of Washington, Oregon, and Nevada) in order to flee the high cost of living here. Relatives are constantly shuttling to and from those destinations. Of note is that both Washington and Oregon are currently experiencing a huge surge in confirmed coronavirus infections. The likelihood that some of those travelers have imported the coronavirus is high.

Thus, personal preparation is required. A foreseeable tragic scenario is the coronavirus infection of just one resident of the “old folks home” in Waikiki. Although, the “old folks home” is not an assisted care facility, it would be immediately locked down in quarantine. The “old folks home” would then transform into a death trap, a morgue.

What are the options? Moving to another location in empire may be futile. All transportation venues are risky. And, the pandemic is spreading such that no location will remain unaffected. Remaining in Hawai’i is possible. Moving out of the “old folks home” would become a priority. A temporary stay in one of the soon-to-be near-vacant hotels at discounted rates would precede the purchase of a cargo van camper conversion (i.e., homeless motorhome). Yeah, the homeless motorhome may be safest option, that is, until most of resident population becomes infected.

In the worst case scenario, the majority of the local population becomes infected and all of islands are individually quarantined. The greatest fear will then be the unpredictability of the myriad mental midgets residing here. They are essentially harmless in benign circumstances. However, when desperation goes “viral,” they will become lethal. What then? Just lay back and enjoy the Entropy 2020 festivities, I suppose.

Two

On Wednesday, an unidentified senior citizen was hospitalized in serious condition after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. The individual had visited the State of Washington, subsequently became ill there, and foolishly made the return flight to Hawai’i anyway. The individual is now the second confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection in Hawai’i.

Frankly, the assertion that there are only two cases of novel coronavirus infections and no “community spread” is sounding more ludicrous by the day. First, there was the elderly Japanese couple who both tested positive when they returned home after traipsing around Mau’i and O’ahu.

Then, the now-quarantined Grand Princess cruise ship docked on four islands and the 3,500+ passengers and crew were free to disembark and engage in tourist activities. The cross passengers on the ship were exposed to the novel coronavirus on the first leg of the ship’s itinerary to Mexico. The idea that only 19 people have tested positive is equally ludicrous given that everyone was so close-quartered. The ship is docking at a non-commercial port in Oakland on Monday. The remaining passengers and crew are to be quarantined and tested. The higher the number of people testing positive translates to more possible local coronavirus exposure than has been determined.

Finally, domestic and international tourists were flowing into Hawai’i until last week. There is absolutely no screening of any kind in place at the airports, as confirmed anecdotally by many tourists. Visitors from both South Korea and Japan kept arriving even during the time that new cases of novel coronavirus infections were ramping up in those respective nations.

The ridiculous CDC coronavirus testing prerequisites amount to test rationing. People exhibiting less severe symptoms were probably given a bottle of NyQuil® and dismissed. They are now lurking in the crowds, spreading the disease surreptitiously and unwittingly. Meanwhile, the disgusting odor of hand sanitizers permeates the air everywhere.

In Hawai’i, the hospitality industry, or tourism, is the only driver of its economic engine. Therefore, nothing must get in its way. That’s why Hawai’i, unlike other states in empire, received no national news coverage about its first and second confirmed novel coronavirus infections. There’s no mention that the governor declared a “state of emergency” either. What entity is involved in the cover-up? The Hawai’i Tourism Authority (HTA)?

Addendum: The ignorance displayed by myriad mental midgets cannot be overstated. “The coronavirus is a hoax. The [seasonal] flu kills way more people,” is the common refrain. Oh, why can’t someone develop a virus that decimates the mental midget population?

Coronavirus in Hawai’i

Grand Princess Cruise Ship

So far, there are 21 people aboard the quarantined cruise ship, Grand Princess, who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. However, only a total of 46 people were tested out of the over 3,500 aboard. The cruise ship is currently anchored off the coast of Cali near San Francisco and will be docking at an unspecified port. All remaining passengers and crew will then be tested for novel coronavirus infection.

The important point to remember is that the novel coronavirus was already present amongst the passengers and crew during the cruise ship’s prior itinerary to Mexico. Thus, the passengers and crew were already exposed to the coronavirus prior to docking at four island in Hawai’i. As the passengers and crew were allowed to disembark and engage in tourist activities, they were in close proximity to other tourists and locals.

Meanwhile, State officials have disclosed that there is now one confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection in Hawai’i. The individual was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship for the Mexico tour. The individual did not continue to Hawai’i on the cruise ship, but flew back on an unspecified airline. Soon afterward, the individual became ill and was tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Currently, the individual is self-quarantined. WTF?

The governor stated that he did not believe that there has been “community spread” at this time. There appears to be severe cognitive dissonance at play here, or there is some kind of feeble attempt to prevent outright panic that would disrupt tourism. Incidentally, only 8 people have been tested at this point in time. That’s 8 out of 1,415,872 people. What happened to the “state of emergency”?

The curious delay tactics and absurd platitudes offered by various local government officials across empire, the latest being Hawai’i, to the possible spread of novel coronavirus infection in their communities can actually be traced back to CDC policies. From the NY Post:

By contrast, the United States had performed a paltry 472 tests by March 2. Further, CDC testing criteria have precluded recognizing community spread because of requirements stipulating recent travel to China or exposure to an infected person. Adherence to these guidelines delayed testing in the first probable case of community transmission, in Northern California, by four days. 

The CDC has expanded indications for testing to include travel to Japan, Italy, Iran and South Korea, but testing guidelines remain biased toward the sickest individuals. 

For those without known exposures, the CDC only recommends testing for severely affected patients.

This seemingly explains the downplaying of the severity of first instance discoveries. Novel coronavirus testing is “free,” but physicians must follow CDC criteria before referral.

A nice dinner at Panda Express® and a pint of ice cream from Target® served as an impromptu celebration for the beginning of what might be a perilous epidemiological journey for Hawai’i residents. The novel coronavirus is here!

State of Emergency

The governor has declared a “state of emergency” for Hawai’i in order to, as he claims, make funds immediately available if and when novel coronavirus cases are verified. The move comes as a result of the recent visit of the Grand Princess cruise ship currently quarantined off the coast of Cali near San Francisco.

Grand Princess

Passengers and crew members are exhibiting symptoms of novel coronavirus infection. Two elderly passengers on the cruise ship’s prior itinerary to Mexico tested positive and one succumbed. Cruises are notoriously popular with senior citizens. The problem is that there were many cross passengers for the ship’s subsequent cruise to Hawai’i. The cruise ship had docked at four of the islands including O’ahu. Passengers were allowed to disembark and, thus, there is a high probability that there has been direct local exposure to the novel coronavirus. “Community spread” is now the most likely scenario.

Then, there is the issue of testing for the novel coronavirus. According to a Medicare bulletin, testing is “free,” but it can only be prescribed by a physician. Thus, at-risk populations (i.e., wage slaves in exploitive jobs, undocumented immigrants, the homeless) will be excluded from any screening. In addition, treatment may run upwards of $3,000 depending on required medical services and health insurance coverage.

A vaccine will not be available for several months. Nonetheless, there are no cures for viruses. Viruses, unlike bacteria, are not living organisms. And, they mutate rapidly. So, new vaccines must always be in the works. Again, the cost of the vaccine will be an issue for many people including those who have health insurance.

Pandemonium

The effects of the worldwide SARS-CoV-2 (aka COVID-19) outbreak appears to have arrived upon the shores of Hawai’i. While there have been no verified cases of infection, the tourism sector has clearly been adversely affected. Strangely, there has been no coverage in the local news. Coverage by Notes follows.

When the first novel coronavirus case finally surfaces, the tourist industry will grind to a halt. The ramifications will be fairly obvious. An exponential increase in people who “became homeless” by rental housing eviction from unemployment will be the most significant social cost in addition to the casualties of the frail and elderly who succumb to the disease.

Portions of the Makai Market food court in Ala Moana Center were conspicuously empty. Only a few of the restaurants had a queue of customers. The time is 7:30pm.

The Lanai food court in Ala Moana Center was also fairly quiet. Very few people were dining. A week ago, both food courts were packed with people to the point of being extremely uncomfortable. There was an actual air of civility for once.

The Apple® Store in Ala Moana Center is also normally packed with people. Not so tonight. Many of the other stores were completely empty (except for employees).

The Route 8 bus heading back to Waikiki at 8:33pm was nearly empty. Normally, this bus is fairly full. Needless to say, the trip was relaxing.

Upon arrival back in Waikiki, the walk along the promenade by the International Marketplace on Kuhio Avenue was found to be pleasant. A week ago, the area was teeming with satanic gargoyles.

Inside the International Marketplace was no different. The main pedestrian arteries on the second floor were devoid of foot traffic. The stores were mostly empty, too.

The Kuhio Avenue entrance of the International Marketplace was barren. Note the empty escalators, which are usually congested with satanic gargoyles.

The area that suffices as the surrogate “living room” was also devoid of people. Later, as was the case last night, the homeless filled the void to relax and enjoy the “creature comforts.”

Notable Quote: “There’s a pandemic happening, people are dying, and all these affluent shitheads can think about is their stock portfolio.” — Ol’ Lavahead (upon learning of the interest rate cut by the central bank of empire to “goose” stock market)

Note: This post was deleted accidentally due to shitty iPhone XR. Comments were lost during recovery. Mea culpa!