With reopenings in the works here and elsewhere, cooped-up Hawaii residents eager to book a getaway trip should keep in mind that the “new normal” will vary from place to place.

In Las Vegas — home of the “Ninth Island” — the casino workers’ Culinary Union is calling for requirements such as testing staff for COVID-19 and screening people, including guests, with temperature checks. So far, a Nevada board that gets the final say on reopening shuttered casinos, has limited much of its approved rules to a cap on the count of customers, keeping gamblers spaced apart and disinfecting dice, cards and other surfaces.

Stay-healthy practices affect flu, too

Months before coronavirus concerns surged, health officials were issuing flu season messaging. Among the stay-healthy drills: Wash hands often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth to prevent virus spread; and get a flu shot, as vaccination stands as the best defense against the contagious respiratory illness. The COVID-19 outbreak has, of course, riveted much more attention to these and other illness-prevention tactics.

An encouraging upshot, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s latest report, based on data collected in late April and early May, is that Hawaii is among 44 states seeing a minimal level of flu cases.