Provide free masks for everyone to wear

Since it is now being suggested by our governor that everyone wear a mask whenever they go outside of their home (and because masks are so hard to find) I urge our state government to provide free masks to everyone. It should purchase huge quantities and distribute them, first to our health care workers and other emergency personnel, but also to every resident in our state. The post office could distribute them.

Masks are very hard to find anywhere. I’ve been looking and can’t find any (open) store that has them available. Surely the state itself could use its purchasing power and acquire enough for everyone.

Roger Garrett

Kapahulu

Hard to be safe without masks, hand sanitizers

They talk about flattening the curve, but you can’t buy face masks or hand sanitizers when we need to do grocery shopping or buy our medicine at the pharmacy.

Why can’t our senators and representatives get the government to provide this for our citizens?

Self-quarantine is good, but we need personal protective equipment now for all.

Ernie Itoga

Waialae Iki

Hawaii’s spirit of aloha will carry us through

These past weeks, due to the widespread coronavirus, we have been faced with fear, panic and confusion. Thousands have lost their jobs, businesses had closed their doors and students have to stay home from school.

With orders of a lockdown, our state of aloha has enforced social distancing. We are not able to shake hands, to hug or embrace one another. But we are still in this together, to support each other, to pray for one another.

Our spirit of aloha is strong. We are a family. We care, we share. We are a people filled with aloha. We have each other.

And when this is over, we will emerge stronger and victorious. And again, we will cheer together, laugh together. Most of all, we will express our love and unite together in our customary way through our aloha spirit with one another.

After every storm is a beautiful rainbow.

Jean Jeremiah

Kakaako

Missing baseball season, but let’s remain safe

As a baseball fan and author of a book about the “father of baseball,” Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr. — who spent more than half his life in Hawaii after writing down the rules we follow today in 1846 — I missed baseball’s opening day. As other letter writers have lamented, I continue to miss what should have been the ongoing season (“Lack of sports leaves fans without escape,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, March 27).

And I will especially miss the annual gathering for Cartwright’s birthday at his Oahu Cemetery gravesite on April 17. It will be No. 200 for the man who helped create the Honolulu Fire Department, the phone company and the library system, and was instrumental as a financial adviser to Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma in founding The Queen’s Medical Center.

But Cartwright also offers another hope for modern Hawaii.

A baseball phrase shows the way for defeating the novel coronavirus that is making so many of us miss baseball and other public gatherings so much: safe at home.

Don Chapman

Kaneohe

Social distancing hasn’t shown full effects yet

In this time of pandemic, panic, confusion and misinformation, getting the facts right matters, now more than ever. A recent article said the following: “Lt. Gov. Josh Green warns that if people do not listen to the government’s social distancing rules, Hawaii could see 8% more cases in two days …” (“Child is among 204 coronavirus cases in Hawaii,” Star-Advertiser, March 31).

I don’t think this is what Green intended to say.

If you look closely at the white board, the notes appear to show that Hawaii would see 8% more cases in two days only “if we are perfect” with regards to social distancing measures. It appears these statistics represent the best-case scenario, with social distancing taken into effect.

The numbers I’ve observed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that, without intervention, every three to four days we could see roughly 50% more cases. We won’t see the effects of social distancing for some weeks. We should expect an exponential increase in the coming days.

Janice Greenwood

Waikiki

Mahalo to Susan Scott for 33 years of columns

I was saddened and surprised by the sudden departure of columnist Susan Scott last week (“Citizen scientists needed to track kolea in Hawaii,” Star-Advertiser, Ocean Watch, March 28).

I have enjoyed reading her articles, especially those dealing with the kolea birds. Those articles reminded me of Honolulu Advertiser journalist Bob Krauss, who often wrote about the dear kolea as well.

Scott’s final column for the Star-Advertiser was a great reminder of the resiliency and fortitude of the kolea — much like the times we are weathering now. I’d like to thank her, and your paper, for 33 years of dedication to reporting about the importance and beauty of Hawaii’s nature.

Mahalo and aloha. A hui hou, Susan!

Vera Arita

Mililani

Presidents should not have consecutive terms

Here’s a two-word, nonpartisan proposition for future presidencies: no incumbency.

Limiting the office to one term, possibly five years, would free the president to work on what the country needs, rather than poorly thought-out exploits and short-term pluses that are often detrimental in the long run to improve his or her chances to be re-elected. Nor would the second half of the president’s first term be preoccupied with campaigning and fundraising instead of full-time governing.

But he or she could run again. Just not consecutively. By then, the outcomes of his or her policies, decisions and wisdom would already be manifested, experienced and judged by the people.

Should this ex-president run again and be re-elected, what worked and what didn’t work would be a heads-up for what needs to be changed, improved or perpetuated. And there would be no re-election monkey business.

Caroll Han

Makiki

KINDNESS GOING VIRAL

Even in these days overshadowed by the coronavirus, bright spots exist. If you see kindness or positivity going on, share it with our readers via a 150-word letter to the editor; email it to letters@staradvertiser.com. We’ll be running some of these uplifting letters occasionally to help keep spirits up, as we hunker down. We are all in this together.

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