Thursday 5/7 COVID-19 Daily Update
New Resources
New resource added: expanded child care subsidy http://humanservices.hawaii.gov/bessd/ccch-subsidies/how-to-apply/
More childcare resources for essential workers: http://www.patchhawaii.org/
Video
Over the weekend, thousands of people around the world joined Call to Unite—a 24-hour livestream event to inspire people to connect, share, and show support. Union workers from Teamsters, UFCW, Machinists Union, and UNITE HERE shared amazing stories of sacrifice and solidarity.
Brandy Banaay, housekeeper from Hilton Doubletree in Waikiki and a UNITE HERE Local 5 member shared why it’s important for her to flatten the curve. Watch Brandy’s video here and share our donation page: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/unite-here-local-5.
News Highlights
World: Cases: 3.84M (+90k). Deaths: 269(+5k)
USA: Cases: 1.25M (+20k). Deaths: 75.6k (+2.2k). Total Tested: 8.1M (+400k)
Hawaii: Cases: 629 (+3). Deaths: 17 (+0). Hospitalized: 74 (+1). Recovered: 565(+14)
DLIR: Changes made to help overall unemployment system (KITV, May 7, 2020)
DLIR is asking that residents file weekly or biweekly unemployment claim certifications according to the first letter of your last name: A – G Monday; H – O Tuesday;
P – Z Wednesday. If you missed your assigned alphabetical days, then file in the following order: Thursday, Friday, Saturday then Sunday. Thursday, DLIR announced that it has processed nearly 63% unemployment claims in Hawaii. Now, there are just over 84,000 to go.
The program will work with nonprofits, including Aloha United Way, Helping Hands Hawaii, and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, to provide money to the hardest-hit individuals, specifically to help pay for rent, utilities and childcare. It will offer reimbursements of up to $1,000 per month for eligible household expenses, and up to $500 a month for childcare expenses for those who can show financial hardship, for up to six months. More specific details will be posted soon to oneoahu.org.
The University of Hawaii is making cash grants using federal funds from the CARES Act. UH received a total of total roughly $12.98 million for direct aid to students. UH students can quickly apply online for the grants. The government is targeting the money to students who already qualify for federal financial aid. The university sent emails this week to eligible students with the appropriate links for them to apply. Further, the UH Foundation had already launched a fundraising campaign for an Urgent Student Relief Fund that raised more than $1 million for students, applications and donations to that Urgent Student Relief Fund are still being accepted. UH Manoa students may also apply for CARES funding through that same portal.
‘Restore Honolulu’ Order allows O‘ahu retail establishments to re-open on May 15 (KITV, May 7 2020
Oahu will wait a week before following recent Gov. Ige’s state order allowing some reopening of retail businesses. Mayor Caldwell also released a new comprehensive executive order today summarizing the county’s emergency rules under the “Restore Honolulu” branding.
Retail stores on Maui set to reopen May 11th (KITV, May 7, 2020)
Maui’s limited reopening of retail businesses will be allowed three days after the effective date of Gov. Ige’s state order.
State legislature reconvenes Monday for short session (KITV, May 7, 2020)
The legislature will gather for a session that will last 6-10 days to address the expected $1B budget shortfall. the public can submit written testimony or watch hearings online.
Trump administration buries detailed CDC advice on reopening country (Star Advertiser, May 7, 2020)
The anticipated federal guidance from the CDC about reopening the country and state economies will not be released by the White House. The Trump administration will leave it to the 50 states to each do their own thing as they see fit.
A young black man was recently lynched in the South. Two men with guns in a pickup truck (one of them standing up in the truck bed) chased down a black man who was jogging and killed him, in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon. This happened in February but it wasn’t until a video of the incident was leaked this week before authorities did anything about the killers, one of whom was a former district attorney investigator and officer. They were only arrested and charged today. The two saw the victim jogging in their neighborhood, grabbed their guns and called another friend to join them, got in their truck and hunted the man down, when Ahmaud tried to jog around their truck repeatedly, one of the two men engaged him with a shotgun, they struggled, shots were fired and Ahmaud died. You can watch the video here but it shows the man’s death. The two men were never arrested or charged by authorities because they claimed they were making a citizen’s arrest under Georgia law and they felt threatened for their lives after they left their homes, jumped in a car with their guns and chased after the victim they killed. They thought he was a burglar that had stolen a gun out of their unlocked truck, based on their home security video.
