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State officials are deliberating when to pull the trigger on “social distancing measures” such as canceling public gatherings, closing schools and working remotely in the likely case of a coronavirus outbreak in Hawaii. Read more

State officials are deliberating when to pull the trigger on “social distancing measures” such as canceling public gatherings, closing schools and working remotely in the likely case of a coronavirus outbreak in Hawaii.

They are meeting with local businesses to encourage policies and contingency plans that promote teleworking and allow sick people to stay home, while considering the right circumstance for school closures and other measures that would keep people from gathering in large numbers.

“I do think as the virus spreads around the world and others may be exposed, any of these events can promote spreading of the virus,” Gov. David Ige told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “We are talking about what those trigger points might be.”

Japan is taking drastic steps to prevent widespread community transmission, including a monthlong shutdown of the country’s schools, with 12.8 million students, and the postponement or cancellation of large sports and cultural events in the coming weeks.

When asked whether Hawaii officials are considering closures of gathering places such as restaurants, sporting events and visitor accommodations, state Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said federal authorities are discussing those options.

“Those are things that I can tell you are being discussed very carefully. When we’re talking about a respiratory pathogen, we’re trying to limit that face-to-face contact — especially prolonged face-to-face contact,” Park said. “So if you’re a business that relies on talking a lot with clients, does that mean more telephoning or videoconferencing as opposed to in person? How do we space people out? Does that mean half the workforce should be teleworking … in order to increase that space between people with less people in the office?”

The object of social distancing is to protect everyone who has not yet been exposed, she added.

“Most of us in the U.S., not just in Hawaii, have not yet been exposed to this virus, so how do we keep it that way?” Park said. “The questions really are what measures do we take that are really viable and feasible for our communities here, because whatever measures we do undertake have to be sustainable. Then the question is, How long do we sustain that?”

Ige anticipates additional travel restrictions as the deadly virus sweeps across the globe. The state is intensifying preparations for what officials believe is inevitable: the spread of the disease in the islands.

Health officials are urging the public to prepare for a future outbreak of COVID-19, which has infected more than 83,000 people across the globe and killed more than 2,800. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning Americans that the virus will likely start spreading in the United States, confirming the first potential case of community infection in a California resident who did not have a travel history to China or exposure to another patient with COVID-19.

“That’s why we are trying to lean forward in getting people to think about staying home instead of going to events when they’re sick and those kinds of activities,” Ige said. “All of those actions would help to slow the spread if the virus should ever arise here. Certainly, we are having conversations internally about … what the triggers (for a shutdown) would be. Obviously, it filters through the whole community. We are being thoughtful about all of those impacts.”