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Question: How much slower will Hawaii mail be under the new U.S. Postal Service standards?
Answer: “The new service standards do not affect First Class Mail delivery within Hawaii. First Class delivery will remain unchanged for mail sent from one Hawaii address to another,” Joanne Short, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Honolulu.
“The standard for single-piece First Class mail traveling within a local area will continue to be two days,” she said in an email.
We asked for details about delivery times for mail between Hawaii and the mainland — whether mailed to or from a Hawaii address — but Short declined to discuss that, other than to say “we do not expect impacts to Hawaii mail” and to refer us back to a statement about systemwide changes that took effect Oct 1.
Those changes include transporting more First Class mail by truck within the mainland, rather than by air, which will extend delivery times. Although First Class mail from Hawaii would continue to reach its initial processing location by air, it seems plausible that delivery to a final destination far from the processing location might take longer than it used to, based on a Washington Post analysis of delivery changes nationwide.
Prior to Oct. 1 it was supposed to take no more than three days for a piece of First Class mail to be delivered within the mainland. Under the new service standards, it might take between two and five days.
Q: Can we go ahead with our wedding if it’s just us two and the reverend? I’m reading about the wedding industry getting crushed and wondering what is allowed. We can’t delay anymore.
A: On Oahu, “only weddings that can comply with the social gathering limits of 10 indoors or 25 outdoors, including all persons in attendance (guests, staff, vendors, bridal party, officiant), are allowed at this time,” according to oneoahu.org, the Honolulu County website that explains COVID- 19 restrictions. So, yes, you could go ahead with the trio you’ve described.
Q: How do we let law enforcement know something about the seals being killed? Can we be anonymous?
A: Yes, tips to investigators about the unprecedented deaths of endangered Hawaiian monk seals on Molokai can be anonymous, according to a news release issued Sept. 23 by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. People with information for investigators may call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement at 800-853-1964 or the DLNR enforcement hotline at 808-643-DLNR (3567) or use the DLNRTip app, it said.
Q: Does the Hawaii travel quarantine exemption for people who got over COVID- 19 require an antibody test showing they actually have antibodies?
A: No, neither an antibody test nor an antigen test is accepted for this exemption, according to the FAQ at ag.hawaii.gov/travel exemption. A person seeking to avoid quarantine upon entry to Hawaii because they have recovered from COVID-19 must submit a positive result from an acceptable test taken no more than 90 days and no less than 11 days before they depart for Hawaii and a letter from their medical provider clearing them from travel.
Mahalo
It happened to me. Some wonderful person paid for my Starbucks order at the Starbucks by Costco on Tuesday around noon. I wish I had noticed the person in front of me. I am so thankful to them for brightening my day, which at that time wasn’t going too well. I hope the person reads this and knows how grateful I am. — Sincerely, Mary C.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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