LIHU‘E — The shifting dynamics of the pandemic continue on, and last week Mayor Derek Kawakami discussed the challenges the island has faced thus far.
“I feel honored to be placed in a leadership role during one of the biggest challenges. I think leaders always ask themselves, ‘what is it that I can handle?’ I’m getting a taste of it right now,” Kawakami said.
“This island has given my family all the way back from my grandfather who came here from Japan, so much opportunity that I would do it a million times over, with a challenge a million times bigger than this. That’s what most people on this island feel for this island.”
Aside from policy and geography, what about the Kaua‘i community has helped keeping COVID transmission relatively low?
Kaua‘i is known as being very independent. The majority of the people on this island know how to come together and collectively make sacrifices for the greater good of their neighbor.
Although we have a relatively limited health-care capacity on this island, we weren’t seeing the tremendous capacity issues that the other islands were faced with. And I don’t know what that is attested to. But I do know that, early on, this island made it a priority to get our most-vulnerable and our aging population vaccines. And once we’re able to get our people that layer of protection, we emerged and opened the visitor industry. And although we saw a spike in cases, I really feel that most people are still doing the right thing.
Kaua‘i came out very strong with high vaccination rates initially, but we’re seeing a drop off with other islands surpassing us with initiated vaccinations. What do you think is the cause of that drop-off?
Upfront, our economy took a hit. We focused our efforts on vaccines. We didn’t have the ability to have contact tracing, our health-care workers tending to sick people and have a robust vaccine program.
Those people that are contact tracing and tending to patients are also the same people that are running vaccine clinics. So, we said, ‘Look, we’re a small island, we don’t have the ability to juggle. We’re going to figure out one thing that we’re going to do really well and focus our energy and efforts (and) all move in one direction. And we’re going to blitz on vaccines. We’re going to give people this armor, to be able to reemerge with that layer of protection.’
Unfortunately, early on this virus was so politicized. There is so much misinformation out there and so much noise that people that were on the fence really got confused as to what voice was resonating. We try to tell people to focus on the science and the health of it. But by then, the misinformation and the toxicity of having politics intertwined in a disaster was already muddying the waters.
I think the other islands are seeing an uptick in vaccines because they’re dealing with a lot more pain than this island has had to deal with. It doesn’t become reality until it’s impacting their mother or somebody they know themselves and it becomes a real situation. One of the double-edged-sword issues that we’re going to have to deal with is (that) we might keep this island so darn safe that people drop their guard and (think) that maybe it’s not as serious as it really is.
Looking at specifically the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, why do you think their vaccination rates are trailing behind other demographics on the island?
It is tremendously sad. I do think a lot of it is misinformation. Initially, a lot of our decisions were made to protect those vulnerable populations.
Demographically, who gets impacted the hardest? It’s those with low-to-moderate incomes, those with underlying health conditions and our elderly population; those that have a language barrier, minority groups; and those that don’t have access to good health insurance and health care.
Those are the people that government should be protecting. To see hesitancy because of the misinformation saddens me. Teaching history in our schools is very important because we don’t want to repeat our past mistakes.
We as a state have been trying to reach deep into Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities to make vaccine accessibility as convenient as can. Our mobile-vaccine van goes directly into the neighborhoods. (We are) having deep conversations with community leaders (from) groups of people that we’re trying to reach out to. It has been challenging, but we’re still not going to give up. If we send a vaccine van out there and we get a few people vaccinated, then that is a few more people that we’re protecting. That’s our job.
As the mayor, how are you tackling the pandemic fatigue in our community?
Fatigue hits everybody, and I’m tired of this pandemic as well. But some of the ways that you combat fatigue is to create as much normalcy in our environment as possible: get into a routine. That is one of the reasons why things like allowing our kids to play sports, opening skate parks in the middle of the pandemic, getting kids back into the classroom, getting people back to work, having the ability to go to a restaurant and eat dinner inside, and going to the beach (are so important).
What helped you and your family personally manage pandemic fatigue?
It’s my family: my wife and daughter and my son. We are just the weirdest, quirkiest, nerdiest family.
We get through these big challenges by just doing things a lot of other families are doing. We all got into like plants during the pandemic, like, across the nation, people all of a sudden started gardening.
But really, what gets us through is surfing. I remember early in the pandemic, when they were defining what’s an essential activity and what’s not. I had to basically say, ‘if you guys don’t allow surfing, I’m going to blow my lid on this thing.’ I think the ocean is very comforting. What it does is it makes me realize how small I really am. You’re at your most vulnerable (when) you’re out in that ocean. It’s very humbling, and it’s very centering. It’s balancing for me.
For a lot of people, when we’re out there surfing, there is no pandemic.
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Laurel Smith, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0424 or lsmith@thegardenisland.com.
Well if you can’t surf then you wouldn’t go along with these mandates? Many of us lost much more than a surf session. Shows how out of touch you are with the people who truly lost everything under your rules. I know you did not lose your job or income or house. I guess it is hard to see from behind the gate and security guad at the county building.
No mention of antibody protection through natural Infection. Which a great many have. Failure to even address that fact is misinformation. What exactly did he delegate or do to create more capacity for hospitalizations due to
Covid? None. He made a coin flip. Close kauai and depend on the fed. And the resilience of us. Or do the hard work and mitigate risk and do what’s best for the 99.97% of the island.
Derek let’s be honest and state the facts. The “vaccination” doesn’t keep you from getting COVID. Several vaccinated people have died in the state. It very well may be that the Native Hawaiian population are harder to brainwash than other people groups. In the end it will be said that they were the wise ones. I am not nor have I ever been against vaccines but these are not vaccines. They are experimental at best. Let’s talk for a minute about the amount of people that have died from the vaccine. I personally know of someone that has died from it and that’s not ok. More people have died from this vaccine than all others in the last 15 years. Call me anti vax if you wish but I only trust REAL SCIENCE.
0 comments. Rules are don’t have bad opinions.
Media censorship and bias at it’s finest!
Your assumptions are correct. You cannot criticize our supreme mayor on a forum. Typical puff piece.
Is there any pay for this position? Everyone has bills and something to pay. Does the job of mayor pay any bills for you? I think this questions has been asked by many people already.
Dear Mayor,
I have admired your leadership throughout the pandemic and feel fortunate to have you at the helm on Kaua’i. I find it very reassuring to hear your voice on the recorded messages and know someone in government is paying attention and navigating the many decisions at many levels. Please know your dedication and hard work are appreciated. Thank you for your service to the community!
Derek Kawakami does not know what it means to be in public service. He has not earned his $70K+ uninterrupted salary; he’s been surfing, enjoying his family and avoiding the public for 20 months now. No public meetings of the mayor and council since the Governor’s first emergency declaration of 3/16/20; citizens cannot be seen, heard or testify (unless in writing). Try getting an appointment with him — three weeks and you can only come with one or two other people (and wear your mask!). Recorded messages are no substitute for actually doing one’s job.
I don’t even know where to start. Haha. It’s laughable. But definitely not funny. I’ll just focus on a few things. It’s very evident this a born with the silver spoon spoiled local boy showing his true colors. Compares “would blow his lid, if the mandate said he couldn’t surf”. Let’s take a look at the reality of your mandates….do you think kids whose life revolved around their passion..team sports, clubs, singing, drama, attending school, having a graduation, prom etc. do you think their lid was blown when you shut that all down. How about their parents, you said who and what was essential. Do you think their lid was blown when you wouldn’t allow a hotel, restaurant, anything else you deemed non essential. Forced into begging for unemployment. Do you think their lid was blown because they had to shut down a business that was built over years of hard work and sacrifice? Just shows how out of touch this guy is. He’s lucky the fed bailed him out. He’s done absolutely nothing worth the self adulation he thinks he deserves
Spoke to two different people yesterday who said they are leaving Kauai. Both professionals who work here, pay taxes and offer important services.
We are on the verge of leaving as well, taking with us four working adults and a working teenager.
Who will replace us? If you think it’s “local families”, you are very wrong. Our house would be bought up in an instant by a coastal tech worker to use as a part time residence.
They’ll pay taxes in another state, and not offer anything to the local economy.
Kauai is committing suicide over a disease with a 99.9% survival rate.
Hope that Pfizer money was worth it. Now we survive at the mercy of the democrats and federal government.
That Lady: Very well said! I so agree!
What are you doing about the influx of out of state home buyers?????? Us locals born and raised here dont have the money it takes to buy homes where we grew up!!!! THE RENT PRICES ARE INSANE!!!! All these transplants from the mainland raising our home prices, the rent prices, every single one of the people in our neighborhood who has moved here recently is from the mainland. They work from home, make 10 times more money then us here who have lost almost everything during this lockdown!!! We have been locked up here unable to work, now our hometown is flooded with outside buyers leaving nothing for us locals. The culture and island is shifting. its soooooo sad. we are about to leave this island too, Hawaiians unable to raise Hawaiian children on Hawaiian lands. Hey mayor, glad you could go surfing!!!!!
That Lady’s statement is being heard more every day from more places than one..
SIU merchant marine Job’s board is completely full of only jobs out of HI; because the majority of the workers used to love to stay here..Not any more..I hear it directly from these people.
Someone needs to start allowing posting’s of REAL comments and stop BANNING those they don’t like. Truth being hidden does the opposite of FIXING PROBLEMS…Simple 6th grade psychology..
That poorly written puff piece backfired. Derek was surfing while the rest of us were being ticketed for sitting on the sand. Knowing we have a very high obesity rate on Kauai and that 79% of hospitalizations and deaths were in overweight people, they made no mention of the importance of keeping a healthy diet. That would cut into sales at Derek’s Menehune Mart which basically only sells death. Cigarettes, vapes, alcohol, caffeine, candy and sugary drinks. The irony our mayor profits off of keeping our island unhealthy, primarily the local population. Great job Mayor! You will surely keep everyone poor and oppressed. While you and your rich buds live the good life.