Question: Regarding the free COVID- 19 tests, do we order from the same place as last time they mailed out free tests?
Answer: No. The website to order free test kits from the federal government is COVIDTests.gov Opens in a new tab. Each U.S. residential household will be able to request four tests, which should ship within seven to 12 days of ordering, according to a White House fact sheet. Shipments to Hawaii will arrive via U.S. Priority Mail, it said. Shipping also is covered, so there’s no direct fee paid by the recipient. To order, you’ll need to enter your name and mailing address, plus an email address if you want to be able to follow up on your order.
A half-billion of the at-home, rapid tests will be available for order, it said. Read more at 808ne.ws/whfact Opens in a new tab.
To avoid confusion, we won’t repeat the website you mentioned, but it is associated with a joint federal, state and local program that distributed free COVID-19 test kits to Oahu households in 2021. All the test kits from that program were distributed months ago.
Q: If I already have a Class 3 license, does that automatically qualify me for Class 2?
A: No. Class 3 is a license to drive a passenger vehicle. Class 2 is a motorcycle license.
You’ll have to meet specific licensing requirements for motorcycle operators to add the Class 2 designation to your Hawaii driver’s license, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services.
You’ll need a motorcycle instructional permit to practice riding a motorcycle on Oahu, which requires passing a specific written test. If you didn’t already have your Class 3 license, you’d have to pass the general driver’s written test, too. Read more about Honolulu County’s rules for getting a Class 2 license at 808ne.ws/class2 Opens in a new tab.
Q: What is the status of the COVID-19 outbreak at the Women’s Community Correctional Center?
A: Among inmates, 44 active cases were in medical isolation as of Friday, according to COVID-19 statistics posted on the state Department of Public Safety’s website. No active cases were reported among WCCC staff as of that date, the website said.
The number of inmates in quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure was not available, it said. Isolation is for people infected with the virus, while quarantine is for those who may have been exposed to it, according to the state Department of Health.
There were 205 women held at the Kailua prison Jan. 3, according to the DPS website’s most recent population report.
For more information, see dps.hawaii.gov Opens in a new tab.
Q: Does the state even do contact tracing anymore? I tested positive on a PCR test (processed at a lab, not at home). No one ever called me to follow up. Fortunately, I had called people myself, to let them know I tested positive after being around them.
A: The state Department of Health has said there’s no way its 378 contact tracers can follow up on all of the thousands upon thousands of COVID-19 cases reported in Hawaii recently. DOH says it’s focused on tracking high-risk clusters among vulnerable populations. You were wise to alert your close contacts yourself.
Mahalo
On Jan. 9 I parked my car in a shopping center parking lot in Mililani. I came back to my car a couple of hours later and noticed a note on a napkin left on my windshield. The note read, “In case you didn’t get a note from the driver here is the license plate … of the truck that banged your car.” Unfortunately, the person who hit my car did not leave a note. I want to thank the person who witnessed the hit-and-run and provided the information, which included the license plate number and a description of the vehicle (make/model and color). — Mahalo, T.S.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
