COVID19 numbers on the mainland are higher than they have ever been so we need access to much more accurate and reliable testing to safely welcome tourists back to Hawaii without a quarantine requirement. Also school starts August 4th and welcoming tourism at the same time is dangerous to teachers and students. We don't yet know what the effect of opening schools will be.

All black lives matter. No person shall be discriminated against based upon the color of their gender, sexual orientation, skin tone, economic status, social status, religious beliefs, or location. Everyone deserves adequate resources in order to live and thrive. Speaking out and standing against injustice is an essential human duty. There is a mutual duty to serve and protect between the community and its members. Acknowledge, respect, accept, and celebrate differences as well as commonalities. Believe in the power of words and their impact.

As of 2016, Norfolk police have killed twice as many people as any other agency in Virginia since 2010, according to a Virginian Pilot investigation. According to The Guardian newspaper, out of the 19 people shot and killed by police in the state of Virginia in 2016, seven of those were killed in the Hampton Roads area, with 5 of those deaths being in Norfolk alone. These issues are not "another place's problem." Members of Norfolk City Council have the ability to make concrete change and address the systematic abuse Black and Brown people experience everyday here in Norfolk.

I am a young adult, who is at a relatively low risk of COVID-19 to be fatal for myself, but this does not mean that I cannot contract this virus. My 73 year old Papa is a Type 2 Diabetic, which mean he IS at high risk to die from COVID-19. He, along with the millions of elderly and individuals with auto-immune disorders in the US are fatally at risk. According to Rachael Rettner of Live Science, "Without a mask, droplets produced during coughing can travel up to 12 feet. With a mask, this distance is reduced to just a few inches," (Rettner, 2020). A COVID-19 carrier without a mask has a 70% chance to transmit the virus to an individual wearing a mask. However, if a COVID-19 carrier wears a mask, there is only a 5% probability of transmitting the virus to someone not wearing a mask, and a 1.5% probability to someone wearing a mask, (Roseland, NJ; 2020). Mrs. Pelosi, ALL Americans are at risk of contracting this virus, and MILLIONS are at risk of dying from COVID-19. We needed Congress to act on this yesterday! If you will not do this for everybody, at the very least, do this for the ones that you love. Everybody loves someone, and everybody can lose someone. Please, sign this and tell Congress that they need to act now! Cited Works: Rettner, R. (2020, June 30). Visualization shows exactly how face masks stop COVID-19 transmission. Retrieved July 01, 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/face-mask-visualization-droplets-covid-19.html Roseland, New Jersey. (2020, May 7). COVID-19 - Why Mask? Retrieved July 01, 2020, from https://www.roselandnj.org/home/news/covid-19-why-mask Kim, A., Andrew, S., & Froio, J. (2020, June 25). These are the states requiring people to wear masks when out in public. Retrieved July 01, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/us/states-face-mask-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

Phase 2 is not working. Masks are not being worn. In order to stay safe we must go back to phase 1 and reevaluate how to proceed.

We do not believe that the mitigation plans we have read about are sufficient to ensure not only the protection of the students but of the community at large. We also do not believe it should become the responsiblity of the host communities to assume the burden of supporting students as they become ill or need to quarantine. Or to have to enforce adherance to COVID mitigation measures when out in the community. Until the colleges and University can demonstrate that they have not only appropriate mitigation plans in place but the capacity and ability to enforce those plans on campus and off - as well as deliver any urgent and ongoing medical and health related services in a manner that does not burden the local resources - students should not return to campus. All future COVID mitigation plans should be reviewed and approved only by the town representatives who have been elected to represent the aforementioned communities.

Masks, when combined with other measures, have proven to be the best way to significantly stop the spread of the virus. Masks have been proven effective across the globe and in our state. Orleans Parish successfully reduced the devastating effects of the COVID-19 virus by continuing to make masks mandatory throughout the reopening process. By doing so, Orleans Parish went from an epicenter of the virus to a safe place to work and live. As of June 29th, 2020, Jefferson Parish is instituting the same restrictions in order to reduce their numbers that have been increased since Phase Two of reopening. Not only are St. Tammany Parish’s COVID-19 numbers increasing, but close proximity to parishes with increasing numbers such as Washington and Jefferson create even more of a risk to those who live and work in St. Tammany. It is not uncommon to live on the Northshore and work on the Southshore. This commute increases the likelihood of infection and bringing the virus further into our community. According to recent numbers, St. Tammany is the parish with the fifth-highest recorded COVID-19 cases. Parish President Cooper even said it himself “We can shape the size of the scar this pandemic leaves on our community.” If he is truly committed to the safety of our parish then making masks mandatory in public is the only option for success. __________________ Here is the link for the contact information of your Parish Council Representative as well as the Parish President. Email them the statement above and let them know you support a safer St. Tammany! Below I have included a phone script if you would like to call their offices directly. http://www.stpgov.org/government/parish-council http://www.stpgov.org/government/parish-president Script for telephone: Be prepared to have your zip code in hand. “Hello, my name is (your name) and I am a constituent of (your council members name). I am calling today to urge (Council Member X) to introduce a policy to make facial masks mandatory in St. Tammany Parish. Thank you.”

I am a physician scientist actively engaged in COVID-19 education, organizing, and advocacy within and beyond Harris County. The local response to containing the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to struggle against the irresponsible decisions being made by other parties. We live and die by those decisions. The Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas is world renowned. But my colleagues admit readily that the hospitals there are full, and they are fearful of what lies ahead. We are universally appalled that the most visible physicians' organization is supporting a very large gathering of people at a mask-optional event amid this crisis. We cannot in good conscience continue to support the TMA if it moves forward with participating in the Texas GOP convention on July 16-18. This is a pledge for Texas physicians to boycott the organization if it fails to withdraw.

Explanations for each request: 1. Designated Government Run Quarantine Facilities: On several social media travel groups, people planning to travel to Hawaii have openly stated they will not test as, if they test positive, they may have financial loss (deposits for vacation). Instead, they plan to “quarantine”. There are some realizing that, if enough people opt to “quarantine” at their accommodation, the state of Hawaii will be unable to enforce the 14 day mandate. The state will have to spend money enforcing and chasing down quarantine breakers OR running a designated quarantine location. Our tax money is better spent on a designated quarantine location. This will be more efficient in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and will better keep our residents and kupuna safe. Also this will further encourage people to get tested before they travel. In addition, if a traveler is opposed to testing for fear of positive results and possible financial impact, or because they are hard-headed and don’t like to follow rules then these same people will have little regard for the safety of our residents. Therefore it is unrealistic to assume they will respect quarantine rules and orders. Finally, this would give locals who live here and are returning an easy way to get tested here instead of in another state. We would also prefer that returning residents who are concerned they may be bringing the virus back to their family be given the option to stay in quarantine if they request. This infrastructure would give the residents of Hawaii more control and will decrease the chance of COVID19 spread from travelers. 2. Require 2nd test: While there is no full proof way to allow travel and prevent COVID19, this would at slow and mitigate the spread of infection by catching some of those that were infected during travel. 3. Mandatory Quarantine for travelers from hotspots: There is a much greater likelihood that people from areas that are currently having significant outbreaks will be carriers of COVID-19. If their own states and cities are not allowing them to dine out, and do recreational activities. Why would we allow them to put our community at risk by coming to Hawaii to do those things? We should not have to pay the price of another community’s outbreak.

Florida needs a statewide masking mandate now to combat the rapidly spreading influence of the UK (B.1.1.7) variant. A statewide masking mandate will not only protect Floridians, but the rest of the nation. Florida has the most confirmed COVID cases of the UK variant in the country by far. The variant is 35% to 45 % more transmissible than the original COVID virus. Even with the alarming rise in variant cases, the true number is undoubtedly far greater as genome sequencing (which determines the strain of COVID of an individual case) is expensive and rare. Despite the still raging pandemic, Florida has reopened for tourism, hosting the Super Bowl and now has become the epicenter of the B.1.1.7 strain. As tourists leave Florida to return home, they will likely take the UK variant of COVID with them. “This isn’t just a Florida problem right now — it’s potentially an everywhere problem,” Robert Bednarczyk, a public health expert and assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health said. There is a SMART way to keep the COVID cases in check until a greater portion of the population can be vaccinated, but it requires more genomic sequencing, increasing availability of testing, clear vaccination policies and adequate and accurate data that informs our every step. This only begins when face masks are mandated indoors statewide for all who are able. Even in light of the rapid spread of the UK variant in Florida , Governor Ron DeSantis has refused to take any meaningful action. We call on Governor DeSantis to mandate masks statewide -- and take the other steps outlined above -- to slow the spread of this virus and keep Floridians safe. Sources: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/02/10/will-a-more-contagious-virus-reverse-floridas-progress-in-covid-cases/ Photo credit: Tens of thousands of people gathered on 7th Ave. in Ybor City after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021 in Ybor City. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

They are using Black people as test subjects at disproportionate rates. They claim it is because these countries have high numbers of Covid-19, despite having European nations, and the U.S take the lead in Covid cases. This has been seen before in history. Look to the Tuskegee experiment. Look to the experiments performed on enslaved people in the U.S. History is repeating itself. Black people are not guinea pigs.

Tom Tiffany is not a team player! He is concerned about Tom and what Tom wants ONLY. It is time to get rid of Toxic Tom and protect Wisconsinites. It is time to show FULL Support for the Governor Wisconsinites elected. It is time other politicians respect and work with the man WE the Citizens of Wisconsin elected. Mr. Tiffany is only one example of those who refuse to work with officials that Wisconsinites elected. This is unsafe for Wisconsin. We need a government that works together for it's citizens.