Kokua Line: Will the city have quarantine lodging?

Question: If I test positive for COVID- 19 after I get back from the mainland, I cannot stay at home. Will they still have lodging for this purpose? I am fully vaccinated and boosted and will be testing out of an abundance of caution for my elderly parents, who live with me (they also are fully vaccinated and boosted). I am taking every precaution and hope I will not be infected, but I cannot cancel this trip, which is set for mid-January.

Answer: “The City and County of Honolulu is currently assessing the public health need for an isolation/quarantine facility in light of the Department of Health’s recent decision that statewide coordinated Iso/Q serv­ices were no longer necessary after Dec. 31, 2021. The city currently has an Iso/Q facility at Harbor Arms in Pearl City and is looking at continued services after Dec. 31, the details of which have yet to be determined. The city looks forward to continued discussions with DOH as the lead state agency over transmissible diseases that threaten public health and safety. Oahu’s vaccination and third-shot percentages, youth eligibility for vaccinations, hospitalization and ICU rates, and the development of oral medications have all impacted the demand for and utility of Iso/Q and, working with the state, the city plans to right-size services in the best interest of public health,” city spokesman Tim Sakahara said last week in an email.

Updated information should be available before your trip.

Brooks Baehr, a DOH spokesman, said the Health Department is ceasing statewide operation of isolation/quarantine facilities in accordance with Gov. David Ige’s most recent COVID-19 emergency proclamation, leaving it to the counties to organize such lodging as each deems necessary.

Under DOH oversight, lodging was set aside in each county for infected residents (not tourists) whose congregate living arrangements made it impossible for them to keep a safe distance from other residents at high risk of severe COVID- 19 if they became infected. Congregate living arrangements include shelters, treatment facilities and crowded households, among other situations.

The DOH says anyone who tests positive or is a close contact of someone who does should follow “Home Isolation and Quarantine Guidance” posted at 808ne.ws/isoguide.

Q: When will the recently installed traffic light at the corner of Waa Street and Kalanianaole Highway be activated? The project started July 1 and looks like it was done in September. Impatient drivers are beginning to make illegal left turns heading east from Waa Street to Kalanianaole Highway. This is creating a safety issue. The sooner the lights are activated, the better.

A: We checked with the state Department of Transportation but didn’t get a firm date.

“Once all the internal work to get the traffic signal operational is in place, we will put out a public notice and flash the signal as indication that it will be activated as a traffic control device. Until then, motorists wanting to travel eastbound from Waa Street are advised to make a left at Analii Street onto Kalanianaole Highway,” spokeswoman Shelly Kuni­shige said last week.

Mahalo

I had to go to the post office at Ala Moana last week and did not expect the long wait line there (about an hour estimate). Still, I needed to go that day and stood in line, but since I am handicapped and cannot stand or walk for long periods of time, this became difficult for me. Then a couple of people (one about halfway up and another who was fourth in line) let me ‘jump’ the line by giving me their place! I could get what I needed in five to 10 minutes instead of the hour that I was expected to stand in line. Mahalo to these great people (I’m sorry that I didn’t get their names), and I hope that they and theirs are well and happy during this holiday season! — Janice in Kakaako

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.