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Community

General news which affects the Molokai community in one way or another.

Cancelled Molokai Earth Day

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

By Edwin T. Misaki, TNC Director of Molokai Programs

Aloha and I hope you are all doing well during this pandemic. Like most events that will bring together lots of people, the 2020 Molokai Earth Day has been cancelled. The theme for this year is, “‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia, No task is too big when done together by all.” The theme honors the watershed partnerships in Hawaii and is the 20th anniversary of the formation of the East Molokai Watershed Partnership (EMoWP). It also emphasizes how anything is possible when we all work together as we are doing now during these times of the COVID-19 epidemic.…

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Island-Wide Sanitation Effort

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

Island-Wide Sanitation Effort

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Dozens of Molokai businesses got sanitized last Sunday following the news of two COVID-19 positive cases on the island. In a joint effort coordinated between Mayor Michael Victorino, Rep. Lynn DeCoite, Sen. Kalani English and the Molokai Chamber of Commerce, Honolulu company H2O Process came to Molokai to sanitize about 30 businesses, including banks, hardware stores, groceries and convenience stores across the island, from Mana’e Goods and Grindz to Ho’olehua Credit Union.

Friendly Market Center, along with Misaki’s and Kualapu’u Market, were sanitized on Friday.

“We’re just doing the best we can to facilitate as safe a community as possible,” said Rob Stephenson, president of the Molokai Chamber of Commerce.…

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We’re In This Together: Dispatch makes some changes

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

The last month has been a roller coaster ride for our community. If there’s one thing we’ve all been reminded of, it’s that we’re in it together. We work together, we thrive together, we struggle together. The Molokai Dispatch feels those ups and downs too, and through it all, we’ll continue to bring you Molokai’s critical news each week.

As small businesses around us on island are closing, our staff is committed to continued service to keep our community informed. We’ve learned that other newspapers in Hawaii (and across the country) are having to do layoffs right now.…

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Changes to Local, State and National Policies

Monday, April 6th, 2020

Last week, Molokai experienced its first two coronavirus cases, while as of Sunday, there were 369 positive cases in Hawaii, out of 13,536 tests conducted in the state so far. The state also reported the fourth death linked to the virus.

Following the news of the first positive test result on Molokai last Thursday, grocery stores across the island immediately closed, remaining shuttered for sanitation on Friday. With continued closures for Friendly Market, Misaki’s and Kualapu’u Market opened on Saturday, under a new model: curbside pickup for preordered items only.

“We’ve had long discussions about the safety of our staff, our customers and the island in general and are going to implement curbside pickup only,” posted Kualapu’u Market on its Facebook page.…

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Molokai Has First Two COVID-19 Cases

Monday, April 6th, 2020

The Molokai community faced the news of its first two confirmed COVID-19 cases last week. Both are Friendly Market Center employees; the first of whom, confirmed as positive on Thursday, was transported to Oahu for treatment.

After the first case was confirmed, Mayor Michael Victorino, Sen. Kalani English, and Rep. Lynn DeCoite worked with the market’s owners to facilitate testing for all 51 FMC employees at Molokai General Hospital on Friday. The second positive test came out of that round of testing.

“As a precaution, we’ve decided to have all employees [regardless of their test results] remain in self-quarantine,” said Kit Okimoto, co-owner and chief financial officer for Friendly Market.…

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Federal Assistance for Small Businesses

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

Sen. Schatz News Release

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz released a resource guide to help Hawaii small businesses like many on Molokai better understand how to access federal loans and new programs established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The bipartisan $2 trillion CARES Act is the largest aid package in American history and was signed into law last Friday.

“This new law will help Hawaii small businesses meet their payroll and provide people with paychecks for up to eight weeks,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “As more federal help becomes available, we’ll continue to work to provide more information about how Hawaii families and businesses can access these new resources.”…

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MGH Updated COVID-19 Info

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

MGH News Release

Molokai General Hospital has begun using an external triage system (patients are greeted and screened outside the ED) to screen patients. Those who may meet criteria will be tested outside of the hospital to expedite care. The COVID-19 testing is an extension of the emergency department services.
We encourage anyone who suspects they may have been exposed to COVID-19 to speak with their medical provider to find out if they meet testing requirements.
As of Wednesday, March 25, Molokai General Hospital will be limiting its number of entrances to one. All people entering the main facility will need to use the front lobby sliding glass door.…

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This Humanity

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

If the barge stops coming
and we have all you need
will we share with our neighbors
or give in to greed?

If the barge stops coming
and the shelves are stripped bare
will we hoard a year’s surplus
or be kind and share?

If the barge stops coming
and the markets all close
will we let people starve
or help ease their woes?

If the barge stops coming
will we wake up and see
that we are all part
of this humanity?

Jayson Mizula…

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Veterans Center Closure

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

The Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans will close our center until further notice.
Burials in the Veterans Cemetery will only be from Monday to Friday, no holidays, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to the County of Maui.

Our veterans and community, Please take care and be safe.

Longie Dudoit, MVCV Commander…

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$2M for Residents Impacted by COVID-19

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino signed a relief bill to launch a $2 million program to assist residents of Molokai, Lanai and Maui who’ve been severely impacted with job losses from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis.

“Maui County is establishing the Hawaii Emergency Laulima Program (HELP) to make available $2 million to assist residents who’ve suffered economic hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mayor Victorino said. “In this unprecedented time of uncertainty, we want to reach out to our hard-hit hotel, restaurant, retail and other workers who’ve seen their source of livelihood shut down to slow down the spread of this disease.”…

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