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Closure of the Ala Moana Shirokiya looms as the likeliest outcome of the retailer’s financial problems, underscoring how much has changed over six decades. For one, the Japan-based parent of Shirokiya itself changed operations from the department-store anchor it was in the early years. And the fact that only Foodland and Longs Drugs remain as the other two original tenants speaks volumes about the struggles of the shopping-mall model.
Kamaaina will mark it as a loss on the local scene, in any case.
Worried about hospital capacity
Given that Gov. David Ige is tracking hospital capacity levels as a factor in deciding whether to reimpose COVID-19 restrictions, it’s worrisome that the statewide count of hospitalized coronavirus patients this week reached into triple digits for the first time in six months. Also, although the increase has not yet bumped other hospital scheduling, such as for elective surgery, the possibility looms.
A surge in Hawaii’s stalled vaccination rate would ease these worries. It’s exasperating that the majority of recent patients are not vaccinated — as shots in arms could have kept them from landing in hospitals in the first place.