Gov. David Ige should ban all non-essential travel to Las Vegas immediately. Our senior citizens, who are the most vulnerable to suffering from COVID-19, are the majority of Hawaii’s people traveling to Las Vegas. Sin City is a very congested place where people all over the world visit and gamble. My wife and I go to Las Vegas about four times a year.

Whenever I used the restroom, I think over 80% of the men didn’t wash their hands. I saw this behavior all the time at casinos along the strip. They spread germs on the slot machines and furnishings throughout the gambling parlors. These people have poor hygiene habits.

We’ve been to Las Vegas in January and have reservations for the end of May. If this pandemic is still a serious problem then, we will definitely cancel our trip. There is plenty of time in the future to visit our favorite gambling place.

It’s better to be safe and well than to be sorry. Life is too short to gamble with.

Robert Hatakeyama

Salt Lake

Take time to reflect on what’s truly important

While the coronavirus is a global disaster for public health, economies, societies and politics, there may be a positive aspect too.

Social distancing provides a unique opportunity for individuals, communities and societies to engage in deep reflection on what is ultimately most important in life, including its meaning and significance, apart from the usual daily preoccupations such as traffic congestion, materialism and consumerism, politics and other sports and games, and entertainment.

Leslie E. Sponsel

Hawaii Kai

Restricting tourism can have positive effects

I support Gov. David Ige’s declaration to tourists to stop coming to Hawaii for 30 days (“Closed to tourism,” Star-Advertiser, March 18). It’s a bold move with major impacts. But I cannot help thinking of the 1700s, when whalers brought all kinds of diseases from the outside that nearly wiped out the Hawaiian population.

Hawaii was a small community then, with extended ohana living that allowed the diseases to spread rapidly.

Yes, we have much better medical knowledge and medical care now, so a wipeout of the current population is not likely.

However, the first cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii are all travel-related. We still have a small community with extended ohana living, and we have a huge elderly population that is most at risk.

Hopefully, this declaration will help to flatten out the curve.

Kenneth Wong

Downtown Honolulu

Canceling gatherings may not be best strategy

In a Joe Rogan podcast, straight-talking public health expert Mike Osterholm said:

>> The pandemic will get much worse and last three to six months;

>> People who are over 70, obese or have other health problems are most at risk;

>> Eating right, getting plenty of sleep, exercising and being as healthy as we can are the best defense;

>> No vaccine will be developed for years;

>> The pandemic likely will end when enough healthy people work through the illness and develop natural immunity;

>> Doing more to prepare for the next thing like this makes sense.

Under the circumstances, Osterholm explains, precautions such as warning sick and at-risk people to stay away from public events and other large gatherings make more sense than canceling them altogether.

Jeffrey S. Harris

Downtown Honolulu

Paper sensationalizes COVID-19 pandemic

The article, “Surge of coronavirus patients could cripple Oahu hospitals” (Star-Advertiser, March 18), again proves that the Star-Advertiser, as with past stories, is guilty of sensationalism.

“Could be,” “might get,” “potentially,” are all words that scare, rather than calm, people during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Only facts should be reported, not suppositions and innuendo. Shame on you!

Donald Graber

Downtown Honolulu

China could help U.S., if Trump would allow it

Just imagine the progress the world could make if America and China worked together to fight this pandemic instead of our president constantly calling it the “Chinese virus.” China is now sending much-needed medical supplies to Italy. We might need their help in a few more weeks. Wake up!

Andrew Kachiroubas

Moiliili

Green shows leadership during COVID-19 crisis

There are times in our elections when we by chance elect the right person at the right time. It happened in November when Dr. Josh Green was elected as our lieutenant governor.

In the COVID-19 crisis that we are now facing, Green has been out in front giving us the facts about the virus, unlike what the Trump administration was saying in January and February. It is also fortuitous that the lieutenant governor can explain medical issues in succinct language that we as his constituents and patients can understand.

We should all listen and follow his advice. The doctor knows best.

Moses Akana

Aiea

Legislators fail families on minimum wage

Recently, I attended a hearing of House Bill 2541 HD1, conducted by the Senate Committee on Labor. This bill is designed to assist working families and provides, among some modest tax benefits, an increase in the minimum wage to $13 by 2024.

The testimony of most everyone who spoke urged the committee to increase the minimum wage to a higher amount, moving us toward a living wage. The arguments were compelling and persuasive. Yet the committee members reluctantly voted to keep the bill as is.

One wonders why. Is it because they were simply following those who from the very start have been proposing the $13 figure? Needless to say, we were deeply disappointed, not only because we were not heard, but also because we left the hearing disillusioned with the so-called democratic process. When will our legislators stand up for what is right and just?

The Rev. Neal MacPherson

Nuuanu

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