Message from our Director Aloha HDOT ‘Ohana: August is a busy month for HDOT with the summer travel season and return of students. Unfortunately, it’s also been especially busy on the COVID-19 front as we continue to see triple digit positive cases and a higher positivity rate. On that note, I’d like to remind everyone of simple precautions that can be taken to reduce the risk of catching or passing on COVID-19. Amid a very fluid situation, let’s take a S.M.A.S.H. approach:
Stay home if you’re sick or symptomatic. Mask – Wear a fitted, multilayer covering over your nose and mouth. Air flow – If you’re in an enclosed area with people outside your bubble, open windows, if possible, to encourage air flow.
Social distance as much as possible. Maintaining 6-feet distance is recommended. Hand cleaning – Clean your hands often, especially before and after activities such as eating where you touch your face.
Of course, the best tool we have against COVID-19 is vaccination. Vaccinations are free and available to those 12 years of age and older. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated, please consider visiting hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine-info to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines. To end this month’s message, I’d like to thank our First Deputy, Lynn Araki-Regan, for leading HDOT in our pandemic response and for her excellent work in managing and directing the Administration Division. Thanks to her, we’ve made significant momentum in updating our Departmental Staff Manual, recruiting new talent, and providing training for supervisors. I appreciate her hard work and caring for the Department as evidenced by this very newsletter. Sadly, Lynn will be moving on from HDOT and joining the Department of Taxation. Rather than goodbye, A Hui Hou, Lynn
Jade T. Butay Director
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