Safe Access Oahu, we thank you for your service. For months now you’ve helped us feel better about eating in a restaurant, exercising in a gym, visiting a theater. In such close quarters, you offered assurances that the people around us were vaccinated, or at least recently tested.
But you can stand down now, our need for you is not as pressing. Just don’t go far. We might need you again — though hopefully, not.
The city’s emergency order that established Safe Access expires next week, after March 5, and Mayor Rick Blangiardi has signaled that he will let it run its course. Maui County has already lifted its version, Safer Outside.
Sitting down to dine in a restaurant will no longer mean having to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test, as required since September. The numbers support this. Infection rates are down — 289 new cases reported in Thursday’s accounting, after peaking at 6,252 daily. Fears of hospitals becoming overrun have eased. Beyond that, we are ready, so ready, to move about as regular human beings once again.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s main man when it comes to best practices, said last week that local governments, facing pandemic fatigue, are finding they must move in the direction of a new normal. “You don’t want to be reckless and throw everything aside, but you’ve got to start inching towards that.”
So yes, it is reasonable to seek normalcy, but let’s not get crazy.
We’ve been here before. Remember last fall, when the delta variant was on the decline, the bad numbers were down, our outlook was good? Then came omicron, more contagious but less deadly, at least among the vaccinated.
That surge has passed, but only the most naive believe COVID is done with us. A new variant, another surge, are all possible, which is why tools like Safe Access should not be locked away. Should it be necessary to implement it in some form again, at least we know the drill.
Some businesses will voluntarily retain vaccination checks, as is their right, believing it brings peace of mind to customers or employees. The state Department of Education’s guidelines for 2022 graduation ceremonies require proof of vaccination or a negative test for all attendees. So don’t delete that photo of your vax card from your phone just yet.
Coming soon will probably be the end of the state’s mask mandate, especially given new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines due today. Hawaii has been the only state not to announce its unmasking, which is fine. Being a bit behind the nation in this matter is of little consequence. Also due soon, likely, is the end of Safe Travels, which requires vaccination to avoid quarantine when entering Hawaii; it expires March 25.
Critical now is making sure that easing restrictions doesn’t come back to bite us.
California offers a model for moving forward with its recently instituted SMARTER plan that aims to bolster vaccination and testing capacity, stockpile 75 million high-quality masks and support a system of “surge staffing,” to quickly identify and rush medical workers to areas where the virus is on the rise. Medications for treating the coronavirus would be ordered within 48 hours of approval. Also key is improved surveillance through the monitoring of virus remnants in wastewater to detect increasing levels. This would help identify a potential new variant or a coming surge in its earliest stages.
All of this points toward achieving that oft-mentioned status of living with the virus, rather than in a constant state of emergency. But that doesn’t mean it’s over. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in introducing the SMARTER plan: “There’s no finish line.”
In our corner of the world, personal responsibility remains of highest priority. Don’t put yourself or others at unnecessary risk, even if the government is no longer holding your hand.
