Masks, tourism, diversification of the economy

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) – As Hawaii continues to recover and adapt to the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the panelists said Thursday that wearing masks could continue into the future.

“I think we should plan for the long term,” said Dr. Nadine Tenn Salle, Head of Pediatrics at Queen’s Medical Center. “Wearing masks is becoming a regular way we go out, interact in schools and in society.”

Dr. Tenn Salle said that while vaccines will play an important role in reducing the risks of the virus, masks have been shown to limit the spread of COVID and are necessary to keep families and our surroundings safe.

State economists said tourism was key to getting the economy back to pre-pandemic levels.

But they stress that it should be done responsibly.

“We still have 70,000 unemployed in Hawaii,” said Carl Bonham, director of the University of Hawaii economic research organization.

“In the short term, the only way we can get our neighbors back to work is to bring tourism back safely, and it’s going to be a little uncomfortable … because we operate on the islands with no tourists.”

In the past week alone, more than 3,300 Hawaiian residents registered unemployed for the first time.

Bonham said while a short-term recovery was needed, the state also needs to diversify its economy. The sooner the Hawaii can do this, he added, the better.

The Board of Hawaii leaders discussed the “new normal” on the islands, including how the state has adapted to the pandemic for a year and what needs to happen next.

Bonham said the new normal will depend on what job someone does or what business they do. Recreation, hospitality, construction, and tourism will all be affected differently and will need to adapt based on Hawaii’s ability to achieve herd immunity.

Click here to learn more about the Pandemic: A Year with Coronavirus special series.

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