We know that hospitals and health care entities are gearing up for the potential surge in COVID-19 cases. Our health care providers — doctors, nurses, lab techs and support staff — are on the front lines, working overtime, foregoing days off and are still very worried about bringing the virus home to their loved ones.

My physician daughter just realized that she needs toilet paper, Kleenex and sanitation supplies for her home, but she really doesn’t have the time to wait in line for 3-plus hours. It would be great if stores like Costco, Long’s, Target, Walmart and others set aside a certain amount of supplies for health care providers and any support staff — maybe even providing delivery to hospitals and clinics where staff have preordered and paid for the products.

I for one would be very grateful, as it would help our health care providers and first responders focus on the vital work they do for our community without having to take off to stand in long lines for basic products their families need.

Jennifer Shishido

St. Louis Heights

China should pay for coronavirus failures

I think China should pay reparations to the countries of the world that have been impacted by the coronavirus. China knew of the virus and did not advise the rest of the world for a period of time; consequently, the virus was not contained and now is a global pandemic.

I think a couple trillion dollars would be the beginning of compensatory damages. China should be accountable.

John Berry

Punahou

Treat animals humanely to reduce health threats

As I’ve watched the coronavirus become a global pandemic, my thoughts have continued to wander back to the source: the wildlife market in Wuhan.

Cages upon cages of livestock and wild animals, one stacked on another, filth everywhere. I dare you to Google one of the online videos. The look of hopelessness on the faces of these animals will absolutely break your heart. And in case we start feeling smug as “civilized” Americans, who would never dream of patronizing such a market, our large-scale livestock farming is also the stuff of nightmares. Could the next new virus originate in one of our chicken factories? It doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.

How did we get to this place? We are all complicit, myself included, but maybe it’s not too late to evolve beyond the anthropocentric ideas of the past, where we humans have dominion over all the animals of the Earth, and re-interpret that biblical proclamation to cast ourselves in the role of caretaker. I hope it’s not too late.

Marcy Wilhelm

Waipahu

Doctors can reduce risks with video conferencing

In these times of trying to avoid unnecessary community contact, I ask that isle physicians rethink how they conduct business.

Many office visits could be done remotely via cell phone video calls. Obviously, this would not be applicable for all patients or all situations, but it would save many of the elderly from having to expose themselves to possibly contaminated environments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises the elderly to avoid unnecessary office visits, and conference-call visits are a viable alternative.

It’s time for all of us to think outside the box. Conference-call medical visits have been carried out in remote parts of Alaska and Canada for decades, and it works.

Patricia Deryke

Kailua

Japan can offer ideas for diversified economy

I agree with Lee Cataluna’s column (“Weren’t we going to diversify our economy?,” Star-Advertiser, March 11).

Several administrations ago, when our tourism industry ran into a slump, our politicians said that the state needed to diversify our economy and be less dependent on the tourism industry.

Well, I have not seen any concerted effort to diversify our economy. Every time the governor or mayor went to Japan, it was to promote Hawaii as a tourist destination.

Why couldn’t they look at things like how the Japanese repair their roads in a quick and efficient manner? How they revitalize the older sections of their cities and towns? Could we possibly adapt some of their procedures to improve our process?

In light of the current downturn in our economy, this would be a very good time to get serious and really do something to diversify our economy.

Dennis Nakamura

Mililani

Naval Air Museum has educational significance

Naval Air Museum Barbers Point versus the state Department of Transportation (DOT) Airports Division, a modern-day David and Goliath.

The museum is a nonprofit that has been in existence for 20 years, and is dedicated to preserving the memory of Barbers Point Naval Air Station and its military history. Four of the existing buildings on the airfield are of historic value.

DOT has developed a plan that calls for generating money by leasing lots to third-party vendors, adding hangers and converting the historical hangers for private use. It is a joint civil-military venture. This development plan calls for closing the museum, as DOT insists there is no space for the museum on its 757 acres.

The museum has on display: P3 Orions, A-4 Skyhawks, F-4 Phantom, C-130, DC-8, CH-53, Huey, Cobra, various tanks, trucks and military vehicles. It provides tours and hands-on/ climb-aboard experiences to patrons and schoolchildren. it is a travesty that the state does not realize the historical and educational significance of the museum’s offerings.

Roxanne Whalen

Ewa Beach

Financial literacy helps high school students

April is National Financial Literacy Month. Hawaii was recently ranked 44th in the nation for financial literacy. This is because we don’t mandate personal finance courses in high school. Meanwhile, states such as New Hampshire and Utah require students to take a personal finance course and rank at the top.

A practical class covering topics such as taxes, budgeting and economics would benefit students in the long run.

Financial literacy is key to many of the biggest decisions that people make. Our legislators need to do more to give our keiki solid financial foundations.

Elijah Abramo

Mililani

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