Putting the information together was shocking, even for us here.
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235 thoughts on “Closures, Furloughs and Terminations Explode in Hawaii”
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Putting the information together was shocking, even for us here.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Comments are closed.
From what resort is the poolside picture taken for this issue?
So sorry for what Covid has done to the island economy. When we can travel to you again, we will boost our participation and tipping to make up for this year. We miss you all.
Sending our warm ALOHA!
Hi Vicky.
That is the Mauna Kea Resort.
Aloha.
There is an incredible difference between South Dakota (granted very different state) and Hawaii. South Dakota has not been shut down during the pandemic.
Wonder if she’s trying to ‘poach’ some tourists who would normally head to Hawaii?
Hope the Hawaii state government can figure out a solution.
We are considering visiting. It’s not Hawai’i but what a beautiful state to explore.
Ironic you would say thus…We were scheduled two different times, May and September, of this year to vacation in Kauai, but had to cancel both times, understandably. Just returned from Mt. Rushmore and Colorado during the time that we were supposed to be in Kauai the second time. We have rescheduled for Kauai for May 2021 and hope it is open then and safe for the Hawaiians for us to visit and support local businesses.
LOL. I’m one Hawaii tourist that South Dakota got. I cancelled Hawaii for a driving trip to the Plains states including South Dakota.
Don’t depend on the government to solve the problems. It is they who caused them in the first place. There has got to be an abundance of collective wisdom in the Islands that can come up with a plan, rather than folding up the tents and whining that someone needs to come up with a plan.
My understanding is that 1,200 jobs have been lost on the island of Lanai, and more will come as the island shuts down. The residents’ panic in Lanai City (population around 3,000) must be horrendous. I’m trying to see the bright side and two things that come to mind:
a) The coral reefs will have an opportunity to regenerate.
b) The current government will go through a complete metamorphosis, assuming there are citizens still around to govern.
I know this news must be difficult for you to share with us, but I thank you again for your accurate information.
Hi Betsy.
Thank you.
Aloha.
United Airlines has announced 16,000 furloughs company wide, starting Oct 1. I don’t know how many of those are in Hawaii, but it seems it would be a substantial number. Ruth’s Chris Kauai has announced it is closing permanently.
Lahaina Ruth’s Crist also.
I hope all is well before I come last weekend of January.
Really???
This is staggering, but doesn’t take into consideration the large number of musicians and entertainers that live and work in Hawaii nei…they are mostly self-employed, independent contractors. I pray that whatever the “new normal” will be for Hawaii, it won’t be so dependent upon tourism and importing goods and foods.
They could end this by opening up the state and getting rid of the 14 day quarantine. The CDC has removed the requirement for the 14 day quarantine so why is Hawaii still doing it? Time to get on with life. People need jobs to survive and the government can’t keep bailing you out.
Amen!
Hawaii brought this on themselves with the unnecessary lock downs. It is yet another state that thinks they can influence the 2020 elections by making their own citizens suffer.
Exactly! And most likely the State Leaders are waiting fo a government bailout as thousands are pushed onto the welfare rolls, which is what most Liberal state leaders droll over as now they have a permanent underclass they “own”, as big government is now the “daddy’. Time for the citizens of the Great State of Hawaii to rise up and peacefully protest this devastation that will affect so many hard-working families for many years. Most people want to work, support their families, and live in peace and safety. Kind of hard to do that if your state is in perpetual lockdown. Thank you Beat of Hawaii for honestly reporting what is going on, it must be completely heart-breaking to witness. I appreciate your candor.
Hi Nita.
Thank you.
Aloha.
Why aren’t you beating down the Governors door for reasonable solutions
This is so heartbreaking! I love coming to the islands and can’t wait to get back when the 14 day quarantine is lifted!
I am puzzled by the immediate multiple responses politicizing this unfortunate circumstance that my beloved Hawaii is in. If a scientific approach was taken to COVID and advice by public health officials follwoed– early and frequent testing, shutting down as needed and opening as the data dictated was safe as we did in our state (New Mexico, predominately D, led by a D governor, Hawaii might be in a better position. There have been many states who have handled COVID successfully, both D and R. And many that are struggling like Hawaii–led by republicans, or deemed a “Red” state. As most of the world has realized, if you follow the science and recommendations of health professionals (mandatory masks, closures, social distancing etc…)you get ahead of COVID.
Thank you for an objective look at the situation. I might add that states usually look to the federal government for guidance in health crises.
You’re puzzled by people bringing up politics, then you post endless political nonsense. More like your disappointed that a dem gov has shown his total incompetence and is being called out for it.
“Follow the science” is a great trope, but the “science” has been so pathetic and self-contradictory as to drive those who follow it mad. When’s the last time you heard someone sneeze in public? That’s all that masks are good for, and maybe not even that if you just cover your mouth like any any four year old knows to. You don’t know half of what you think you do about this disease, and my guess is that most public health officials don’t either. That’s why they’re freaking out about the true rate of death from just covid, per the CDC. A rate that I predicted in March, and posted about here two months ago. Get with the program.
The virus may be new, but the way you deal with it is not: isolate the sick and vulnerable, not the healthy and strong. You’re weak, scared, or vulnerable? Great, stay indoors while the rest of us keep the world moving forward. We’ve got this, just self isolate and check for your shadow in February to see if we will have 6 more months of lockdown.
Totally agree @ Harvey H.!!! Well said. The panic has been ridiculous for a virus that has a 99.8% survival rate. The numbers are so skewed all over – Boston just shut down a lab for high number of false positives not to mention people who were never tested getting letter or call that they test positive. Here in MA Over 70% (probably more) of deaths have been those over 70 with multiple comorbidities in nursing homes/long term care facilities, our governor failed to protect this population even though they knew they were the most vulnerable, same thing happened in NYC. The ‘science’ has been wrong from the start – even the guy that predicted over 2 million deaths has been discredited. Protect the vulnerable populations, isolate the most at risk and let the healthy go about living and keeping the economy going.
Aloha Hawaii. Re-think how you’re going to vote this November. One party has shown economic growth and has implemented pro-active COVID-19 strategies and partnerships to re-gain economical growth and medical advances to combat these medical issues-COVID. Look to examples of states that are opening up and those who never closed and are succeeding. What party do they represent? There lies your answer to Hawaii’s reopening… and renewed prosperity…
This is absolutely heartbreaking for the islands and the residents! There is no reason that a plan could not have been in place for a safe return to tourism (and its $). Your governor and elected officials should all be removed for gross incompetence but until the population of Hawaii realizes that they have the power I fear nothing will be done. Here on the mainland so much is open! We have had to cancel 3 planned trips to the Big Island and we have reluctantly decided to pick a new location to visit. It will sadly most likely be a few years til our return. Thank you BOH for the continued excellent coverage and articles.
Hi Jan.
Thanks for your comments.
Aloha.
This is such a sad situation! Rita makes a great point. While the 17,000+ people on this list continue to be unemployed, I hope that some of the 65,000 government employees in Hawaii are also working for the people free of charge. While 85 Covid-19 deaths is obviously tragic, with widespread unemployment comes significant adverse health effects as well.
Hopefully, Hawaii will reopen soon. Sending Aloha to all who are affected.
They said they needed to do this to flatten the curve. They need to hold the line and extend the travel ban until April 2021. The important thing is the health of the locals. No one wants this killer disease. So they lose a little money. Small price to pay for their health. I have the $10,000 I was going to spend on the island and they have their health. It’s really a win, win scenario. Aloha and good thoughts to the people of Hawaii. Enjoy you Haole free year. It’s not often you get to be away from the people you dont want around you.
This is so sad and disheartening. Will the islands ever be the same again? I sincerely hope we tourists will be allowed back to freely support your economy and businesses.
Thanks for your information, quite stunning but with extended closure it was going to happen . Do u know if this intended termination of employees is meant to tell state officials to think carefully what they decide on extending the closure as it’s the point of no return . Once these employees are gone they may not be there to rehire , and Actually lots of skill involved in some of these jobs .
Hi Tim.
Thanks.
Aloha.
You bring up a great point, Tim, which is not only the short term costs of layoffs and job losses–but the long term costs as well. Certainly, some of these employees will either move off island in search of better opportunities in better run states–and the ones that do stay in Hawaii will be dumped into perhaps the worst job market since the great depression (or the end of sugar production)–and into lower wage jobs with fewer benefits–since a huge pool of recently unemployed job seekers in the market means that employers can pay less and offer fewer perks and benefits to fill their jobs.
And not only will many of those who lose their jobs due to the pandemic have to re-train for their new jobs–but if and when the resorts and other tourism-related businesses DO rehire at some future point–they will likely have to spend millions (collectively) training their new hires.
And then, of course, there’s the question of what happens when the states unemployment coffers are empty–and the huge burden to the state of paying out even MORE in food stamps and health care to all of these newly unemployed (many of which were probably already on EBT since the threshold for qualifying is so low in Hawaii). But, with roughly $10,000,000,000 in public debt already, Hawaii is, in effect, already a failed / bankrupt state.
This is so unfortunate but also unnecessary. I said it months ago in my comments….Great Depression era unemployment, crime, limited business start-ups, and sadly deeper mental health issues. I work in commercial real estate and this wasn’t hard to see. The leadership just couldn’t come up with a solution to save their life and now this will be their legacy – a wholesale failure to their constituents. Forever.
The other reader is right – impeach, recall, do whatever you guys can do to re-launch as safely as possible. Cases won’t ever go down when you open. They were never going to. Testing (looks promising), capacity and early treatments are the way forward.
On the bright side, demand for Hawaiian travel will almost certainly snap back faster than “experts” think. (It’s hard to see it now, when you’re at 2% of normal, but it will.). And someone needs to get a deal cut with the airlines regarding availability, process and cost measures with this Abbott rapid test. Hilton, Marriott, Southwest and Hawaiian Air have the most to lose (and gain) here, so tell them to start lobbying.
Nothing is permanent, Hawaii. (Especially your government leaders!!!). So now’s the time to gird those loins and buckle down. You got this!!!
Incredibly heartbroken is what most of us are feeling for all of Hawaii
We are praying for you all hoping to return soon that we can return all of the Aloha spirit shown to us over the years
Joe and I send a lot of love and hopeful thoughts for a better tomorrow and we cannot wait to return to support all business
Mahalo,
Julie
Hi Julie.
Thanks.
Aloha.
The Democrat response to this crisis in Hawaii has been and continues to be appalling.
We deserve the government we elected….next time don’t be fooled. Vote different!
You are clearly delusional if you think the “Republican” response in Hawaii would have been any better than the “Democratic” response here has been. Simply look at America as a whole–which is currently led by a Republican president and has a Republican majority in the Senate–to see exactly what kind of results we would have gotten with a Republican led state government as well.
We are currently the worst country on the planet in terms of net results from the pandemic–thanks almost entirely to our equally dysfunctional federal government.
You can certainly try to make this into some sort of partisan issue if that makes you feel better about yourself, but it certainly is not supported by the facts–and it certainly does nothing to improve the current situation.
Both parties are rotten and corrupt. And anyone who thinks either party offers a better solution to this problem–or any other–is delusional. But, hey, if you have some facts that the rest of the country isn’t privy to–that support your opinion–feel free to share them here.
So we shut down the global economy which puts a complete halt to all commerce, namely the tourist industry in this situation, and then we are surprised and heartbroken when the inevitable consequences arrive. in late March everyone was screaming at the governor for not closing down soon enough And now they are screaming at him for closing down. I do not have the answers but have said from day one that global economic disassembly is not it under any circumstances. Am I oversimplifying in suggesting that everyone goes back to work and the high risk just stay home? Or shall we wait to see what another six months of this brings? Remember that in America we the people have the power, more power then we apparently realize.
Our son, who teaches at UH keeps saying that the state needs to diversify its economy, but that takes decades. I worry for our cousin who works at one of the resorts on your list. I don’t know how she, or others like her will be able to put food on the table. Sooner or later the government benefits will run out. Hopefully after the current two week stay at home order, an actual plan for reopening will be put in place. Hawaii is dying before our eyes, and it’s sad for all of us who love the place.
Thanks for keeping us up to date.
Hi Lee.
Thanks for your many comments.
Aloha.
Where is that gorgeous, enticing resort pool?
And mahalo for your updates.Much appreciated!
Hi John.
Thanks. That is the Mauna Kea Beach Resort on the Big Island.
Aloha.
What a shame. When you think about the chance of dying from Covid being .00012 it’s crazy.
Thank You for your forum and the courage to print this story.
I have been waiting to hear facts about closed businesses. I had no idea that things were so bad already. The government has destroyed our economy. Government employees are still being paid while the vast majority of citizens are losing everything. The connected to the government still have freedom the rest of us are told to stay in our homes. Most all things people enjoy have been taken away. Holidays, parks, beaches, travel, all banned. Please continue to allow an open forum and ignore those demanding censorship. You will be attacked for reporting on the job losses, but stay brave. Everyone should ask why the TV and newspapers have done almost nothing to tell the story of the economic devastation caused by the government lockdowns? Thank You again Beat of Hawaii.
Hi Rob.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Simply devastating. I can’t think of any other word to describe what is happening to the workers in Hawaii. So sad.
The above number of people who are going to loose their jobs is over 20,000; this does include any of the support companies that service these organization. So the total I am sure will be over 30,000. Where is the state going to get the money to provide income to these people? A good estimate would be that the state needs to come up with over $6M per week or over $300M per year.
What is the action plan on re-opening the islands? When will the islands re-open (Dec 2020 or sometime in 2021)? What is the states action plan to help all of the small business with less than 10 employees that are closed?
Time for airline pilots to pay more taxes. Fair shares. Stop complaining.
This news continues to be more devastating by the day!! The Governor must get Hawaii open for tourism! Many other places are doing it, they must come up with a plan and implement it! It can be a “living” plan that continues to develop & change over time but they must open up. Hotels can book at 40-50% capacity, tours can cut back as well. There are so many restaurants with patios or that have the space to set seating up outside and placed like the Polynesian Cultural Center can book at 50% and follow the example of some Vegas buffets & just serve the food instead of having the guests serve themselves. It can be done. Get the people back to work!!
They could open wide open tomorrow and it wouldn’t be too much help. People who won’t eat inside restaurants, who only pick up or have their groceries delivered, people with any form of health issue (much of the older population) and those who don’t feel safe going anywhere there is people…are NOT going to be jumping on planes to go to Hawaii (or anywhere else). There is no resort destination in the world that isn’t feeling the same pain (and all will be for a great many years). The losses of all the absentee landlords who own bunches of rental properties don’t concern me, as they gambled that nothing could interfere with their making a fortune and too many overextended themselves without having deep enough pockets to cover a long run of bad luck.
is the federal govt going to step in and do something??? get the military to bring in hospital ship from san diego to facilitate some testing. what about the us senators from hawaii? are they doing anything???? clearly the state of hawaii needs intervention at the federal level.
thanks
Hi Mark.
Thanks. The answers to your questions are unclear.
Aloha.
The Governor would have to make a request for the things to cited to happen. Because of our Federalist system, the Feds can’t just decide to go in, states have to request help. Apparently Gov. Ige is not willing to do that.
This is terrible. I feel for those who have lost their jobs. Now is a time for radical re-thinking of how business could be done (aggresively court the dot.coms of Silicon Valley?) Hang in there people
Wow…and with reports out from UCLA AND Stanford University virologist and professors analysis of data. 1 in 19.1 million people will die from true covid. GO on online read true data!!!
Complete fear was released on false models and Guesses!
This is such bizarre reaction by the Hawaiian government to Let Hawaii decimate into a third world island, Nobody lending a brain cell to stop it!
Heartbreaking news. I know that God loves the Islands .. I will pray for you all🙏 Stay safe stay strong keep looking up! Bless 🌸
Sad, really sad seeing those numbers and that doesn’t even remotely take into account ALL of the individuals that are independent workers that perform across the Islands. Somebody better get their act together real soon and it has NOTHING to do with masks, social distancing, or vaccines!
I just can’t believe that the governor would want the vacation properties to let all of their employee’s go. There will be mass “one way” tickets to the Mainland for folks looking for work!
Thanks for posting the list of properties and this sheds the light on how ugly this will get for the Aloha State.
Hi Scott.
Yes shocking indeed. Thanks.
Aloha.
In reply to Scott W. If there are mass one way tickets from Hawaii to the mainland, those people need to be quarantined for 14 days. They are to provide their own toilet paper and food. If they violate the quarantine they should be arrested and jailed. Why not? After all, it’s their policy. It’s exactly what they are doing.
This is beyond heartbreaking! Besides government employees, media personnel and food market employees is anyone in Hawaii able to earn a living? I believe your governor needs to work for free until he can mitigate this situation. There has to be some kind of compromise. Homelessness, depression and starvation are killing far more individuals than COVID-19.
You forget the military which provide quite a bit to the Hawaii economy. I guess they are Govt employees but they form a very different forces group.
Hawaii has chosen to lose their homes, income, cars, and anything else financed in order to keep Haoles away. This is their decision. We need to respect their decision.
Another Democrat run state collapsing. Think hard when you vote.
I could never understand why Hawaii always vote Democrat – thought maybe it was their gentle distance from reality. Very sad, but maybe from this point on, it’s time for a radical change. Be safe, stay well.
If there was an adequate federal government response to this, all states would be in better shape, Red or Blue. The buck stops at the top, and the top is not doing his job at all.
This is a good time for Hawaii to take stock in what other industries we could have here so we are not so dependent on tourism. I’m a small business owner, we provide tech support. We all work from home.
Now’s the time to really rethink the work paradigm, more people should be working from home, reducing our traffic problems too. All these companies who are functioning fine with staff at home today, should seriously consider this new success for future business models.
Heartbreaking. There is no other word. To see a place we love so much suffer so much is just heartbreaking. And we’re helpless to do anything. Can’t even visit now to support the merchants, hotels, restaurants and attractions. Who can spend 14 days in quarantine before they start a vacation? Please know that those of us who love you will be there to support you when we can, but for now we just have to watch and wait, helplessly and sadly. Thanks.
Hi Andy.
Thanks.
Aloha.
I hate to say it, but those who live by voting in an isolationist Democrat die by that same isolationist Democrat. The residents of HI need to recall or impeach him ASAP for utter and complete dereliction of duty.
No you don’t hate to say it Bob or you wouldn’t. Everyone on here trying to blame Democratic leadership is failing
to acknowledge how badly Republican leadership has failed the entire country. U.S India and Brazil have the worst numbers
of anyone. Brazil and India have no were near the infrastructure or resources we do, so what’s our excuse?.
There is plenty of blame to go around and it’s safe to say Trump has not exactly been an inspiration nor united the country to
combat this. If you want to generalize it’s the anti mask/ my rights are all that counts trumpies that have done the most damage.
That said petty politics is petty politics no matter who plays it.
It was infightIng and narcissism that hurt our response, just like in Washington DC, we are all paying for it together, Republican or Democrat.
I agree with you 100%. We needed a leader a uniter and it was nowhere to be found. Stay home, wear a mask, social disctancing for 3 weeks in the beginning would have made a huge difference. Then continue to wear a mask and social distance until we all have this under control. The man is no way a leader.