![]() ![]() My partner was labeled an essential worker because he was in construction. ![]() My kid’s school was really proactive about making sure the kids had access to what or who they needed, including computers. I waited for the health department to do something and cranked out masks. Stay-at-home orders in March and May helped keep the numbers low. On March 26, Ige issued a stay-at-home order, closing nonessential businesses and implementing strict travel restrictions.ĭavid Ice This is officially when the problems with disappearing COVID funds began. ![]() On March 4, 2020, Hawaii’s Democratic Governor David Ige declared a state of emergency in response to COVID-19, granting the state greater flexibility in responding to the crisis. Airborne transmission has always been known. I bought a bunch of fabric and a serger and my family and I made hundreds of masks. In early March, I put my disabled clients on quarantine. This looked like something that could easily be squashed if they rounded up all the HIV experts and put them to work. My thinking was that we don’t have rabies in Hawaii, so obviously we know how to keep viruses out.īy February, I started contacting the DOH to hire me to help out any way possible. I really thought that since, historically, the Hawaiian Kingdom has had effective quarantine and mitigation practices, that the current leadership would follow suit. I waited for our government to mention it, especially on a more local level. There seemed to be more effort in hiding it than in handling it. Seeing how it was being handled there made me concerned. R: I noticed in December 2019, when there was talk of unusual illness in China’s news and social media. When I moved to Hawaii, I continued doing health education and working with those experiencing developmental disabilities, aging and chronic illnesses.ĮB: What were your initial experiences when the pandemic began in early 2020? How would you characterize the initial pandemic response of DOH and state officials more generally in Hawaii? These initiatives encompassed health education, addiction support, and promoting healthy relationships, as well as offering HIV/AIDS and HCV testing, counseling, contact tracing, case management and patient navigation services. Throughout my career, I collaborated with various organizations, including academic institutions and community health centers, to develop programs targeting most of the populations in the Bay Area. My focus soon broadened from just women’s health to everyone’s due to the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis. ![]() Robert (R): My training in public health began more than 25 years ago, initially centered on women’s reproductive health. Can you describe your background and training in public health before the pandemic? The worker chose to use the pseudonym Robert to protect their identity.Įvan Blake (EB): Thank you for participating in the Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic, it’s a pleasure to interview you. This interview was conducted with a public health employee of the Hawaii State Department of Health (HIDOH), as part of the WSWS Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. ![]()
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