Thu. 7/9 COVID-19 Update
New Resource:
If your child was getting free or reduced-price school lunch during the school year, you are eligible for food purchasing assistance. It’s a one-time payment of up to $360 per child. The Hawai’i Department of Human Services will automatically send benefits to eligible households—you do not need to apply! Read this flyer for more info: {{https://www.unitehere5.org/wp-content/uploads/P-EBT-outreach-flyer-6-30-20.pdf}}
News Updates:
Hawaii health inspectors will begin shutting down restaurants and bars that do not adhere to rules meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The Department of Health Food Safety Branch will issue red placards, temporarily suspending the operations of restaurants, bars and other eateries that do not comply with rules that include physical distancing and the wearing of masks. Under state law, health inspectors can temporarily close food establishments that pose a danger to public health.
Hawaii officials are still grappling over whether to proceed with reopening tourism on Aug. 1, as coronavirus infections continue to climb.
After a marathon meeting Wednesday, Gov. David Ige, the county mayors and health officials will reconvene today to make a final determination on lifting the 14-day self-quarantine restriction that has largely kept tourists from visiting the islands.
Hiring outlook remains dim, with ‘scarring in the economy’ – The New York Times.
– Excerpt: “A wide range of indicators recently have suggested that the economic rebound is losing momentum in states where virus cases are rising quickly.”
– Lourdes Rivera, senior vice president of U.S. programs at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said: “Today’s ruling has given bosses the power to dictate how their employees can and cannot use their health insurance — allowing them to intrude into their employees’ private decisions based on whatever personal beliefs their employers happen to hold.”
– Excerpt: “Access to birth control reduces the number of unintended pregnancies and encourages birth spacing, which leads to better outcomes for mothers and babies. Birth control promotes gender and racial equality and is linked to greater educational attainment and increased earnings for women.”
