Isolated by Oceans: Hawaii, Other Islands Hold Down Virus
2020-05-07
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1Pacific islands like Hawaii usually depend on their beauty and beaches to draw in visitors to keep their economies strong.
2But in an effort to fight the new coronavirus, island leaders have been forced to take an extreme step - cutting off tourism completely.
3Hawaii has among the lowest COVID-19 infection and death rates in the United States.
4In March, Governor David Ige did something no other state truly could do: close its borders.
5The move stopped the tens of thousands of visitors who usually arrive every day.
6People who do make it onto the island face a required two-week quarantine.
7"We also had the opportunity to enact a quarantine, make it meaningful and most importantly, know that we could really...reduce the number of visitors we get," he told the Associated Press.
8With more than 3,220 kilometers of ocean separating it from the rest of the world, Hawaii is in a much better position to control the spread of the virus.
9Unlike states like Alaska, Montana and Wyoming, it is not possible to drive into Hawaii or take a train.
10While Hawaii has been effective in defending against the virus, the travel restrictions have severely damaged the tourist-fueled economy.
11As a result, Hawaii now has one of the nation's highest unemployment rates, with nearly 33 percent of workers jobless.
12The governor said keeping the community safe and healthy "had come at the expense of more than 225,000 residents who are now unemployed."
13Nearly all the places in the world that do not have confirmed COVID-19 cases are in the Pacific.
14American Samoa is a U.S. territory west of Hawaii.
15It is the nation's only place that is free of the virus.
16Officials there have asked Hawaiian Airlines to stop daily flights from Honolulu in an effort to keep the territory virus-free.
17Every other U.S. state and territory, including the islands of Guam and Puerto Rico, have reported cases of coronavirus.
18Hawaii became the first state to require travelers to quarantine as a way to keep the virus from spreading.
19The state has arrested several tourists for breaking quarantine, which can bring a $5,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
20Arrivals to Hawaii for this time of year fell from about 30,000 people a day to just a few hundred.
21Most of the arrivals are Hawaiians returning home.
22Mary Ann Jenkins left Honolulu to see family in Indiana in early April.
23She knew she would have to quarantine when she returned.
24Indiana did not have the same restriction. "There was really no problem going into Indiana," Jenkins said.
25She agrees with the governor's order to limit visitors to Hawaii.
26"On the mainland, you can go from one state to the next and you're just still driving down the road so you never know who, what or where you're coming in contact with," Jenkins said.
27Hawaii also expanded testing to close contacts of infected people, said Lieutenant Governor Josh Green.
28He says that for the next year, or until the virus is no longer a threat, travelers should be tested 72 hours before arriving.
29I'm Susan Shand.
1Pacific islands like Hawaii usually depend on their beauty and beaches to draw in visitors to keep their economies strong. But in an effort to fight the new coronavirus, island leaders have been forced to take an extreme step - cutting off tourism completely. 2Hawaii has among the lowest COVID-19 infection and death rates in the United States. In March, Governor David Ige did something no other state truly could do: close its borders. 3The move stopped the tens of thousands of visitors who usually arrive every day. People who do make it onto the island face a required two-week quarantine. 4"We also had the opportunity to enact a quarantine, make it meaningful and most importantly, know that we could really...reduce the number of visitors we get," he told the Associated Press. 5With more than 3,220 kilometers of ocean separating it from the rest of the world, Hawaii is in a much better position to control the spread of the virus. Unlike states like Alaska, Montana and Wyoming, it is not possible to drive into Hawaii or take a train. 6While Hawaii has been effective in defending against the virus, the travel restrictions have severely damaged the tourist-fueled economy. As a result, Hawaii now has one of the nation's highest unemployment rates, with nearly 33 percent of workers jobless. 7The governor said keeping the community safe and healthy "had come at the expense of more than 225,000 residents who are now unemployed." 8Nearly all the places in the world that do not have confirmed COVID-19 cases are in the Pacific. 9American Samoa is a U.S. territory west of Hawaii. It is the nation's only place that is free of the virus. Officials there have asked Hawaiian Airlines to stop daily flights from Honolulu in an effort to keep the territory virus-free. 10Every other U.S. state and territory, including the islands of Guam and Puerto Rico, have reported cases of coronavirus. 11Hawaii became the first state to require travelers to quarantine as a way to keep the virus from spreading. The state has arrested several tourists for breaking quarantine, which can bring a $5,000 fine and up to one year in jail. 12Arrivals to Hawaii for this time of year fell from about 30,000 people a day to just a few hundred. Most of the arrivals are Hawaiians returning home. 13Mary Ann Jenkins left Honolulu to see family in Indiana in early April. She knew she would have to quarantine when she returned. 14Indiana did not have the same restriction. "There was really no problem going into Indiana," Jenkins said. She agrees with the governor's order to limit visitors to Hawaii. 15"On the mainland, you can go from one state to the next and you're just still driving down the road so you never know who, what or where you're coming in contact with," Jenkins said. 16Hawaii also expanded testing to close contacts of infected people, said Lieutenant Governor Josh Green. He says that for the next year, or until the virus is no longer a threat, travelers should be tested 72 hours before arriving. 17I'm Susan Shand. 18The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 19________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21tourism - n. the business of visiting a place for pleasure 22quarantine - n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading 23opportunity - n. the chance to effect something 24at the expense of - expression. using someone or something to one's own benefit