Editorial: Brace for arrival of COVID-19 here

Some health-minded habits are easier to form than others.

But as the state Department of Health (DOH) and first responders work to stave off the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, it’s a crucial time for all to be more cognizant of everyday hygiene habits, such as thorough hand-washing with soap and water, to help prevent the spread of respiratory illness.

While Hawaii so far has not had any confirmed case of the potentially deadly coronavirus, health officials say their management focus is shifting from attempting to shield the islands through containment tactics, to include stepped-up mitigation — taking action aimed at reducing the severity of an expected spread of COVID-19 here and elsewhere.

While the vast majority of those infected so far have mild symptoms and make full recoveries, the death toll is approaching 3,000 worldwide. Since December, when the virus began enveloping central China, there have been more than 82,000 cases in at least 33 countries, including 15 in the United States.

As the case count climbs outside of Hawaii, it’s prudent to err on the side of over-preparation. Failure to adequately prepare risks crashing the health care system’s ability to respond to threats posed by this fairly new, mysterious respiratory pathogen.

Along those lines, state lawmakers are right to support Gov. David Ige’s request for $7.2 million — even raising the amount to $10.56 million, likely — to cover the next several months of mitigation efforts, such as for DOH and state Department of Defense surveillance of potential cases and quarantine.

Also wholly encouraging is news that the DOH, after being sent defective COVID-19 test kits earlier, should be ready to start testing for the coronavirus within a week. “It’s hopeful we’ll have that testing capacity as early as next week,” said state’s epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park, which should help to compress time lags for verification.

At the national level, President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Vice President Mike Pence to oversee U.S. efforts against COVID-19. Shortly thereafter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first suspected case of “community spread” in the United States.

In that case, a California patient appears to have contracted the virus in the community, rather than during a trip abroad or through close, prolonged contact with a known patient. That raises an uneasy likelihood of other such undetected cases, with expanded mitigations needed on the mainland.

On Thursday, the DOH, coordinating with other state agencies and the CDC, issued a full-throated call for Hawaii residents to take steps now to guard against the possibility of community spread. In addition to vigilant hand-washing and other practices that help fend off germs, residents are sensibly advised to compile a list of medical contacts and assemble a 14-day emergency kit.

While the need to stash enough food and water for two weeks may seem remote, it’s a prudent move, given that COVID-19 has essentially halted everyday business in some hard-hit areas — most notably, Wuhan, China, which remains under quarantine. Among the latest closures: Japan has ordered all K-12 schools nationwide shut down for roughly one month, starting next week.

In a statement to Hawaii lawmakers, Ige said widespread community transmission here — should it come — could trigger consideration of intensive mitigation, such as canceling public gatherings, closing schools, remote working, home isolation and monitoring of patients by phone. All businesses should be reviewing contingencies now, just in case, to enable flexibility among their workforces.

So far and fortunately, Hawaii seems to have avoided direct COVID-19 cases. But the concern remains not if, but when. Ramping up now with hygiene, education and readiness are all critical, due to the possibility that we may be grappling with COVID-19 for some time.