Aloha, Friend.

This is to further report to you on the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and to welcome your questions and input.

Since my e-newsletter last week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has reached 130,000 in 123 countries with close to 5,000 deaths. In our country there are now close to 2,000 cases with 42 deaths, and we are classified as a “sustained community spread” country in international risk assessments. Although we thus far know of only two cases in our Hawai‘i, there is every expectation that number will rise especially as testing, which has been very limited to date, is expanded.

We are clearly well into an international public health emergency which has also become an international economic crisis. The risks of contracting COVID-19 remain low for most of us, especially following simple guidelines, and the health risks if contracted remain high for our kūpuna and those with severe underlying medical conditions and low for others. But we are all negatively affected by this pandemic, in our communities, jobs, financial affairs and everyday lives.

Some of these effects have hit our Hawai‘i especially hard. The slow national start on adequate test kits led to shortages in Hawai‘i which are now being addressed. We are also addressing the question of adequate quarantine facilities if we do see a surge in cases. And of special concern is our tourism economy, the hundreds of thousands of families who depend directly or indirectly on it (meaning virtually all of us), and the assured decline in state and county resources with which to address not only this crisis but everyday needs.

It is more important than ever that, in combatting the public health emergency, we follow the best scientific and medical advice. It is more important than ever that, in combatting the resulting economic crisis, we focus collectively on what is needed to sustain our economy and to help those groups, communities and businesses in particular need. It is more important than ever that each and all of us take the best actions and make the best decisions we can based on evidence and logic rather than fear.

Towards these ends, last week we passed in Congress and the President signed into law an $8.3 billion emergency supplemental funding measure to rapidly accelerate development of a vaccine against COVID-19, get dramatically more test kits our into communities, and provide aid to state and local governments which are shouldering most of the front-line efforts. It also included some $1 billion in loan subsidies to help small business, small farms and nonprofit organizations. 

Late Friday evening, my U.S. House followed up by passing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to address the severe impacts of  COVID-19 on the personal health, safety and financial security of Americans. This measure, which we expect the Senate will pass and the President will sign as soon as possible, would assure paid sick leave, confirm free coronavirus testing, support stronger unemployment benefits, expand food assistance for vulnerable children and families, protect front-line health workers, and deliver additional funding to states for the ongoing economic consequences of the pandemic.

These two measures are aimed at addressing immediate needs and implementing the best scientific and medical advice on preventing, containing and mitigating COVID-19. However, they will not be enough to support and assure recovery of our economy, especially for particularly hard-hit industries like tourism, and we are already at work on developing further economic recovery measures.

In my actions in Congress I have focused on staying very close to and connected with actual impacts and needs back home and how our federal government can best assist. I need and ask for your continued assistance in letting me know of your own questions, concerns and input. You can do so here: http://case.house.gov/contact/. 

We can also best help each other and our ‘ohana by following best practices in our everyday lives. Here again are some tips and common sense measures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that you can use to protect yourself and your loved ones: 

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. 

If you are sick, to keep from spreading respiratory illness to others, you should: 

• Stay home except to get medical care.  
• Call ahead before visiting your doctor.
• Wear a facemask.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Avoid sharing personal household items.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. 

You can also visit my COVID-19 webpage at https://case.house.gov/coronavirus/, which is automatically updated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to obtain more information and keep up to date on the national and international situation.

To get the very latest on what is happening in Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i State Department of Health continually updates the situation on this web page: https://health.hawaii.gov/docd/advisories/novel-coronavirus-2019/. 

If you have any questions at all that are not getting answered elsewhere, please don’t hesitate to contact me here: http://case.house.gov/contact/. 

I remain at your service and wish you and yours the very best as we all get through this together.

Be well.