Certification of health would open up tourism

Our vital tourism industry would rebound very quickly if all people boarding any flight had to certify (within 72 hours of boarding) that they are not infected with the COVID-19 virus.

We would feel safe sitting next to someone for hours knowing that they do not have a weapon that poses a threat. We would also feel safe if all persons on any flight were required to take a test. This would also eliminate the need for quarantine upon arrival and further accelerate the economic recovery.

Certification of a recent test should be presented to TSA along with a picture ID and scanned carry-on luggage and clothing for all flights around our planet. This could be expanded for any present or future infectious disease. We would then know that all people passing through a TSA checkpoint are safe to be around.

Harry Ozols

Punchbowl

State lottery could help economy in disasters

Why not implement a state lottery to get us through this pandemic as well as future inevitable emergencies and catastrophes?

We should adopt a model similar to the Oregon state lottery and others. Oregon citizens who approved the allocation of the funds, and the government that appropriated them, ensured that significant portions were dedicated to economic development, job creation, public education, state parks and natural resource programs, veterans’ programs, and problem-gambling treatment.

Locally, a lottery would rescue our hospitality industry as well as meet our other needs.

Hawaii desperately needs out-of-the-box ideas and solutions in order to cope with and conquer COVID-19, its aftermath, future pandemics and other unforeseen catastrophes.

We now know that we need a solution that will spare our keiki and their keiki from the suffering and dying that we are experiencing.

A state lottery can be a solution if well-directed and managed.

John Hoshibata

Mililani

Odds are good we don’t need current restrictions

It is time to open locally without restrictions. When this first started, there were many unknowns and there may have been reasons to consider a shutdown. Now that there is more data, it appears that, based on the statistics available, the odds that the person next to you (locally) has the virus is less than 0.05%. And the survival rate if you do happen to get it is in the 90% range (the vulnerable probably still need to be cautious).

It is time for the fear that has been created around this to go away. Time to take off the masks and shake hands again.

Rob Rietow

Nuuanu

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