# Hawaii is open and we're headed to Kauai



## stslc (Oct 15, 2020)

After multiple cancellations and rebooks, we are headed to Kauai on Saturday the 17th.  Trying to figure out the multiple mixed messages and requirements has been a challenge and now, part of me just wants to go to prove it can be done!
We originally scheduled a Covid test thru our provider to later learn it must be a "Trusted Partner". So our world class University Hospital couldn't get me tested but Walgreens could.  Then Walgreens offers two tests.  I couldn't figure out which one would qualify so we are taking both.  

We have a 2br booked at both Marriott Ko Olina and Waiohai.  We prefer Kauai but the mayor keeps trying to add restrictions so we added KoOlina as a backup.  Our test results should be back this afternoon and I will load them up to the Safe Travel site for Hawaii arrivals. 

Speaking with the associate at Waiohai, I didn't get a real Aloha feel.  I asked if she could let me know any restrictions on property.  She said "what kind of restrictions", then half heartedly told me about the mask policy, pool lounger and pool use policies.  I had to pry everything out.  

I called the dive shop we usually dive with and they were very excited to have customers arriving!  He told me this has to work because they won't make it to the end of the year if things get shut down again before the holidays.  I am excited to get a couple dives in. 

Hoping everything goes smoothly at entry but expecting a rough entry.  We'll see.  If others are interested in hearing how it goes, I'll post some updates.


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## Lv2Trvl (Oct 15, 2020)

Sounds great! We too canceled several reservations earlier in the year. Been hanging in with baited breath for the opening. We are supposed to go to Hawaii Island, Waikaloa, 11/18 for ten days. Thanksgiving with our son and family, meeting us there from SoCal. Then over to Kauai for three weeks! Not sure yet about interisland requirements. I think it is get another test within 72 hrs of arrival. 
Please post how Waiohai is when you get there. Good travels! 
We so miss the islands. 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## TSPam (Oct 15, 2020)

We are at Waiohai now...in quarantine. Our quarantine finishes tomorrow evening.
At the moment only building 1 and 2 are open and 8 was open when Hawaii had school holidays last week. The tranquil pool is closed but the main pool is open 8-8. We will see if they open their marketplace or bar with new arrivals. The staff have been very nice. Since we can’t leave our room they print out things we need and deliver meals we order from local restaurants and come and take away our garbage. We look forward to going in the ocean we have been looking at since the 2nd tomorrow evening!


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## stslc (Oct 16, 2020)

stslc said:


> After multiple cancellations and rebooks, we are headed to Kauai on Saturday the 17th.  Trying to figure out the multiple mixed messages and requirements has been a challenge and now, part of me just wants to go to prove it can be done!
> We originally scheduled a Covid test thru our provider to later learn it must be a "Trusted Partner". So our world class University Hospital couldn't get me tested but Walgreens could.  Then Walgreens offers two tests.  I couldn't figure out which one would qualify so we are taking both.
> 
> We have a 2br booked at both Marriott Ko Olina and Waiohai.  We prefer Kauai but the mayor keeps trying to add restrictions so we added KoOlina as a backup.  Our test results should be back this afternoon and I will load them up to the Safe Travel site for Hawaii arrivals.
> ...


All tests came back negative.  Due to the no fee changes with the airlines, we were able get better flights directly to LIH without a stopover in HNL.  I think that will save some headaches.  Posted results to the Safe Travels site but they all indicate they must be manually approved.  I'm sure that's going to be a bummer.


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## TSPam (Oct 17, 2020)

I hope that Lihue airport is now using safe travels and checking QR codes. Happy travels.
Waiohai is much more active tonight. Lights on in many buildings and we can hear people in our building and outside. We have completed our quarantine. The market place is now open limited hours.


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## stslc (Oct 18, 2020)

We arrived in Kauai this afternoon at 2pm.  another flight deplaned at the same time so the line was pretty long.  It took about 30 minutes to go through the entry process.  25 minutes in line and 5 minutes pulling up the info on the Safe Travels site to verify our negative results.  
I was glad we re-booked our flight for a non stop to LIH rather than the stop in HNL.  Our friends had the stop in HNL and barely made their flight over to LIH.  If you have an intermediate stop in HNL, you have to go through screening in both places.  In Kauai, they saw the scan from HNL and then didn't update the final stop showing they had qualified for the exemption.  This created a problem at the car rental where they would not rent him a car.  They had to go back to the terminal and have their status updated.  Still a bit of confusion around the rules.


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## TSPam (Oct 18, 2020)

Glad you arrived safely. Not going through HNL was a great idea. 
We went to get our rental car in Lihue Today and had to go back to the arrivals at the airport to get a national guard to look up our arrival (more than two weeks ago) so we could be given a placard allowing us to rent a car. It took some extra time but it was in the morning and the airport was quiet.


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## b2bailey (Oct 18, 2020)

TSPam said:


> Glad you arrived safely. Not going through HNL was a great idea.
> We went to get our rental car in Lihue Today and had to go back to the arrivals at the airport to get a national guard to look up our arrival (more than two weeks ago) so we could be given a placard allowing us to rent a car. It took some extra time but it was in the morning and the airport was quiet.


I'm glad I saw this post. Ending quarantine tomorrow and plan to pick up rental car at OGG. Guess I will call and ask what I will need.


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## LannyPC (Oct 18, 2020)

stslc said:


> Hoping everything goes smoothly at entry but expecting a rough entry.  We'll see.  If others are interested in hearing how it goes, I'll post some updates.



I wouldn't mind hearing of updates, especially since I am a diver.  You can PM me with updates about diving if you wish.


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## wavesflow82 (Oct 18, 2020)

stslc said:


> After multiple cancellations and rebooks, we are headed to Kauai on Saturday the 17th. Trying to figure out the multiple mixed messages and requirements has been a challenge and now, part of me just wants to go to prove it can be done!
> We originally scheduled a Covid test thru our provider to later learn it must be a "Trusted Partner". So our world class University Hospital couldn't get me tested but Walgreens could. Then Walgreens offers two tests. I couldn't figure out which one would qualify so we are taking both.
> 
> We have a 2br booked at both Marriott Ko Olina and Waiohai. We prefer Kauai but the mayor keeps trying to add restrictions so we added KoOlina as a backup. Our test results should be back this afternoon and I will load them up to the Safe Travel site for Hawaii arrivals.
> ...


here in montreal we have to test ourselves too

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## klpca (Oct 18, 2020)

We are trying to get to Kauai later this month. OMG the testing! First it was any CLIA now it's the Trusted Partner. OK. I tried to schedule tests - CVS only sets up appointments for the next three days, same with Walgreens, and Quest allows scheduled appointments more than three days out but the closest location near San Diego is in Corona, 100 miles away. It looks like this will come down to the wire.

One more thing to clarify. The 72 hour test hinges on your final departure time so if you have connecting flights, it is the flight that lands in Hawaii that is the time that matters. In our case because of flight cancellations by Hawaiian, we are now flying on Alaska and have a layover in Seattle so it is no longer our San Diego departure time, but our Seattle departure time that matters. 




stslc said:


> After multiple cancellations and rebooks, we are headed to Kauai on Saturday the 17th.  Trying to figure out the multiple mixed messages and requirements has been a challenge and now, part of me just wants to go to prove it can be done!



Yep, this is the attitude that we have to take. Look at it as a challenge accepted!

I still don't care much if we go or not. I love a deal and is why I booked the weeks in the first place, but if we don't get to Hawaii we will just go somewhere else, perhaps visit our kids in Truckee. 

I just wish that the powers-that-be in Hawaii could decide on a set of rules/guidelines and stick with it.


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## stslc (Oct 19, 2020)

LannyPC said:


> I wouldn't mind hearing of updates, especially since I am a diver.  You can PM me with updates about diving if you wish.


The seas are a little rough today so we are going to try to dive Tuesday or Wednesday. We usually just rent tanks and dive from the old Koloa boat ramp.  
Everything is pretty “normal” now we are here. Costco was moderately crowded. Beach here next to Waiohai was more crowded than I expected. 
Some restaurants are still phasing in so not as efficient as previous visits.


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## chellej (Oct 20, 2020)

Saw an article the the lighthouse bistro was not allowing non quarantined visitors to dine in....take out only..  there was another North shore resturant  but i dont recall the name..

Are you finding the population receptive?


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## controller1 (Oct 20, 2020)

The way restaurants are acting I'm glad we no longer own at The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas. Seems to be a lack of the aloha spirit in Kauai.


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## stslc (Oct 21, 2020)

chellej said:


> Saw an article the the lighthouse bistro was not allowing non quarantined visitors to dine in....take out only..  there was another North shore resturant  but i dont recall the name..
> 
> Are you finding the population receptive?


It's a mixed bag.  Cool reception at Paco's Tacos in Lihue last night.  Friendly warm reception at The Right Slice pie shop.  She was so appreciative of our business.  She is hoping to fully re-open in a couple of weeks. 
We have discovered you cannot rely on google, apple maps or even a business' website to know the hours of operation.  Call first.  We went to three different shops that had posted hours that were not accurate.


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## b2bailey (Oct 21, 2020)

I'm on Kaanapali Beach and was surprised to learn no eating establishments are open at Whalers Village. The pool bar at Marriott is open 11-5 with limited food offerings. There is absolutely nothing/nowhere for breakfast food nearby. Fortunately I still have a few groceries from my quarantine period.

Without exception, ALL staff have shown sincere Aloha spirit.


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## controller1 (Oct 21, 2020)

b2bailey said:


> I'm on Kaanapali Beach and was surprised to learn no eating establishments are open at Whalers Village. The pool bar at Marriott is open 11-5 with limited food offerings. There is absolutely nothing/nowhere for breakfast food nearby. Fortunately I still have a few groceries from my quarantine period.
> 
> Without exception, ALL staff have shown sincere Aloha spirit.



I received an email yesterday indicating Hula Grill in Whaler's Village is opening Friday October 23. They will be open for dine-in and take-out from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Maybe that opening will be the start of other restaurants opening in Whaler's Village.


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## b2bailey (Oct 21, 2020)

controller1 said:


> I received an email yesterday indicating Hula Grill in Whaler's Village is opening Friday October 23. They will be open for dine-in and take-out from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Maybe that opening will be the start of other restaurants opening in Whaler's Village.


Great news -- thanks for sharing.


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## stslc (Oct 26, 2020)

LannyPC said:


> I wouldn't mind hearing of updates, especially since I am a diver.  You can PM me with updates about diving if you wish.


We had a great week in Kauai.  There was more rain than I expected so we didn't dive until Friday.  We did a shore dive from the old Koloa Landing boat ramp.  It was raining hard and the seas were a little rough but once we were under, the dive was great.  Saw 4 turtles, an eel and tons of fish.  By the time we left Saturday, Waiohai was hopping busy.  Pools and beach CROWDED with visitors and locals.  It felt like the 4th of July.  
We had a hiccup with Alamo who closes at 7pm.  We arrived at 7:10 because our flight was 9:49pm.  Alamo was dark and vans parked in the return lane.  I drove my wife back to the terminal, dropping her off with the bags.  I then returned to Alamo to drop the car and keys.  An employee was leaving so I gave him the keys, shared my frustration with their shortened hours and walked back to the terminal.  Be sure to check hours of operation for car rental, restaurants, etc.  They are still not operating at "regular' hours.


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## TSPam (Oct 26, 2020)

stslc said:


> We had a great week in Kauai.  There was more rain than I expected so we didn't dive until Friday.  We did a shore dive from the old Koloa Landing boat ramp.  It was raining hard and the seas were a little rough but once we were under, the dive was great.  Saw 4 turtles, an eel and tons of fish.  By the time we left Saturday, Waiohai was hopping busy.  Pools and beach CROWDED with visitors and locals.  It felt like the 4th of July.
> We had a hiccup with Alamo who closes at 7pm.  We arrived at 7:10 because our flight was 9:49pm.  Alamo was dark and vans parked in the return lane.  I drove my wife back to the terminal, dropping her off with the bags.  I then returned to Alamo to drop the car and keys.  An employee was leaving so I gave him the keys, shared my frustration with their shortened hours and walked back to the terminal.  Be sure to check hours of operation for car rental, restaurants, etc.  They are still not operating at "regular' hours.



Aloha,
It was very rainy this week at Marriott’s Waiohai. So much more rainy then the two weeks before. We kept saying how sad we felt for people who just came for a week. I am glad that you at least got one dive.
These past 10 days we really noticed how busy Waiohai got and how unruly many guests were. Crossing yellow tape to go into the closed quiet pool.....which is now just open. Not wearing masks. Being very loud outdoors at night. We are so glad that we got to be here for two weeks when it was quiet even though we were in quarantine. I am not sure we would like to be here during regular busy times.
We drove to Waimea canyon on Saturday. It was clear and quiet and stunning.
We drove to the Weston Princeville resort on Sunday and hung out for a bit. At one point we had this week booked there but when it wasn’t sure when they would open we stayed with 4 weeks at Marriott Waiohai. They opened October 12th. They only have three building open and their restaurant and sundries/gift shop is also closed. What a lovely resort. It was very quiet and peaceful. We sat at a small pool that overlooked the ocean. It was beautiful . The adult/quite pool is closed as are all activities.


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## csodjd (Oct 27, 2020)

TSPam said:


> Aloha,
> It was very rainy this week at Marriott’s Waiohai. So much more rainy then the two weeks before. We kept saying how sad we felt for people who just came for a week. I am glad that you at least got one dive.
> These past 10 days we really noticed how busy Waiohai got and how unruly many guests were. Crossing yellow tape to go into the closed quiet pool.....which is now just open. Not wearing masks. Being very loud outdoors at night. We are so glad that we got to be here for two weeks when it was quiet even though we were in quarantine. I am not sure we would like to be here during regular busy times.
> We drove to Waimea canyon on Saturday. It was clear and quiet and stunning.
> We drove to the Weston Princeville resort on Sunday and hung out for a bit. At one point we had this week booked there but when it wasn’t sure when they would open we stayed with 4 weeks at Marriott Waiohai. They opened October 12th. They only have three building open and their restaurant and sundries/gift shop is also closed. What a lovely resort. It was very quiet and peaceful. We sat at a small pool that overlooked the ocean. It was beautiful . The adult/quite pool is closed as are all activities.


We honeymooned there a few years back. Was wonderful. Helped that we had several consecutive days of perfect weather. My wife says it's the only place on the island she'll go to. I said it rains a lot there... she doesn't believe me.


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## Tamaradarann (Oct 28, 2020)

csodjd said:


> We honeymooned there a few years back. Was wonderful. Helped that we had several consecutive days of perfect weather. My wife says it's the only place on the island she'll go to. I said it rains a lot there... she doesn't believe me.



Well actually you are both right depending on your perspective.  The Koloa area is in the South Shore of Kauai and averages around 37 inches of rain a year compared to Honolulu which averages around 23 inches of rain so it rains significantly more than Honolulu.  However, the North Shore of Kauai, which is probably the most popular area of Kauai for tourists, it rains a great deal more.  Some areas of the North Shore are the rainist areas in the world and it rains almost every day with as much as 400 inches of rain a year!


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## csodjd (Oct 28, 2020)

Tamaradarann said:


> Well actually you are both right depending on your perspective.  The Koloa area is in the South Shore of Kauai and averages around 37 inches of rain a year compared to Honolulu which averages around 23 inches of rain so it rains significantly more than Honolulu.  However, the North Shore of Kauai, which is probably the most popular area of Kauai for tourists, it rains a great deal more.  Some areas of the North Shore are the rainist areas in the world and it rains almost every day with as much as 400 inches of rain a year!


Naw... she's always right. I found that to be a way better approach to marriage.


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## Tamaradarann (Oct 28, 2020)

csodjd said:


> Naw... she's always right. I found that to be a way better approach to marriage.



Well in view of the fact that the North Shore of Kauai is so much rainier than the South Shore Kauai and while the South Shore of Kauai is significantly more rainly than Honolulu it is no where near as rainy as the North Shore, I would have to agree that she is REALLY RIGHT.


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## csodjd (Oct 28, 2020)

Tamaradarann said:


> Well in view of the fact that the North Shore of Kauai is so much rainier than the South Shore Kauai and while the South Shore of Kauai is significantly more rainly than Honolulu it is no where near as rainy as the North Shore, I would have to agree that she is REALLY RIGHT.


That's never been relevant.


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## wilma (Oct 28, 2020)

Tamaradarann said:


> Well actually you are both right depending on your perspective.  The Koloa area is in the South Shore of Kauai and averages around 37 inches of rain a year compared to Honolulu which averages around 23 inches of rain so it rains significantly more than Honolulu.  However, the North Shore of Kauai, which is probably the most popular area of Kauai for tourists, it rains a great deal more.  Some areas of the North Shore are the rainist areas in the world and it rains almost every day with as much as 400 inches of rain a year!



Don’t believe there are any areas on the north Shore Of Kauai with 400 inches of rain/yr (Hanalei averages less than 75 inches/yr). you’re probably thinking of the relatively inaccessible Mt Waialeale In the center of Kauai at ~5000 ft elevation.


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## artringwald (Nov 2, 2020)

For now, I'll have to settle for reading about others going to Hawaii and watching videos. Just found a 50 minute video with gentle music and gorgeous scenery, mostly from Kauai:


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## BJRSanDiego (Nov 2, 2020)

artringwald said:


> For now, I'll have to settle for reading about others going to Hawaii and watching videos. Just found a 50 minute video with gentle music and gorgeous scenery, mostly from Kauai:


Art,  Perhaps I am a bit of an optimist, but I made a 2 week res at my home resort on Maui plus made an exchange at Westin Princeville for Sept of NEXT year.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will have a vaccine by that point in time.

But, when I'm out in public I wear an N95 and goggles plus carry hand sanitizer that I use appropriately.  I also try to keep a safe "social" distance.  If/when we travel to Hawaii next year, I'm going to be really careful going from home to resort.  I'm going to break out another 3M N95 respirator.  I have read that the airplanes are fairly safe. But it is all of the other areas that are of more concern.

If you don't mind me asking, when is your next P@P trip?  

Regards....


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## geist1223 (Nov 2, 2020)

Some places are banning N95 Respirators. The one way valve allows an infected person to breath out the virus.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Nov 2, 2020)

BJRSanDiego said:


> But, when I'm out in public I wear an N95 and goggles plus carry hand sanitizer that I use appropriately.  I also try to keep a safe "social" distance.  If/when we travel to Hawaii next year, I'm going to be really careful going from home to resort.  I'm going to break out another 3M N95 respirator.  I have read that the airplanes are fairly safe. But it is all of the other areas that are of more concern.


Capture and control or mists and aerosols happens to be in my area of technical expertise.  This is a well-studied issue, and there are specific design standards for the effective capture of mists and aerosols by ventilation systems.  Capturing mists and aerosols by someone breathing is pretty much identical with the capture of mists and aerosols from tanks doing plating, conversion coating, passivation, etc.

I posted about this in another thread - see the link below.  Bottom line is that the study that was done with the dummies in airplanes is worthless in my opinion.  It pretty much contradicts a wealth of other studies.

IMO if you are seated near someone in a plane who is infected, the ventilation system in the airplane isn't going to do a thing to protect you. The downward flow of air in a plane is orders of magnitude below the flow that would be necessary to capture particles expelled simply through breathing.

Masks are quite important.  That's kind of like putting a layer of ping pong balls on the top of a plating tank - surprisingly effective in suppressing the release of mists and enhancing the effectiveness of collection in the ventilation.

But then, if someone next to you is infected and they have their mask for a half hour or more during the flight while they are eating or drinking .......

Re wearing your N95. If your N95 is doing its job, every breath you take should require about the same effort as sucking soda from a nearly empty 7-11 Big Gulp cup.  If you are not having to work that hard to breath, your N95 isn't working.  What is happening is that you don't have a tight seal and most of the air you are breathing is bypassing the mask.  And as mentioned if your mask has an exhale port, it does nothing to protect other people.









						Airplane air more ventilated than an operating room?
					

I heard this gem as I came in mid-way to a news story on the late local NBC news last night. They also claimed there was such excellent ventilation/air circulation that people sitting side by side on a plane weren't breathing each other's breath. The story ended with only 30% of people polled...




					tugbbs.com


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## artringwald (Nov 2, 2020)

BJRSanDiego said:


> If you don't mind me asking, when is your next P@P trip?


We're even more optimistic than you. We rebooked our 2 floating weeks from end of January to end of April. We canceled our DRI points in time to get them all back. We could use them to book more time in Kauai or another island, but we're not going anywhere unless we get vaccinated and feel safe about flying. We're prepared to wait until next winter if we have to. We wear cloth masks whenever we're indoors in a public place, but we don't get out much. DW just filled her gas tank for the first time since January. I am outdoors riding my bike quite often, but the cold weather will end that soon. I don't feel safe going to the gym yet, and may half to invest in a stationary bike.


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## Tamaradarann (Nov 2, 2020)

wilma said:


> Don’t believe there are any areas on the north Shore Of Kauai with 400 inches of rain/yr (Hanalei averages less than 75 inches/yr). you’re probably thinking of the relatively inaccessible Mt Waialeale In the center of Kauai at ~5000 ft elevation.



I am not an expert on Kauai so you are probably right.  I heard that the area was a tropical rainforest with rain everyday.  I do know that at times it has rained heavily on the North Shore of Kauai for many days in a row that the flooding causes the road to wash out and Hanailei becomes inaccessible for periods of time.  I would say that is alot of rain!


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## csodjd (Nov 2, 2020)

Tamaradarann said:


> I am not an expert on Kauai so you are probably right.  I heard that the area was a tropical rainforest with rain everyday.  I do know that at times it has rained heavily on the North Shore of Kauai for many days in a row that the flooding causes the road to wash out and Hanailei becomes inaccessible for periods of time.  I would say that is alot of rain!


But when it’s not raining, it’s beautiful. Lush green.


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## BJRSanDiego (Nov 2, 2020)

geist1223 said:


> Some places are banning N95 Respirators. The one way valve allows an infected person to breath out the virus.


N95 masks/repirators come in a couple of different varieties.  Some have purge valves and some don't.  I use the ones with purge valves in my shop when sanding and use the non-purge type in public.


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## Tucsonadventurer (Nov 2, 2020)

BJRSanDiego said:


> N95 masks/repirators come in a couple of different varieties.  Some have purge valves and some don't.  I use the ones with purge valves in my shop when sanding and use the non-purge type in public.


You can wear a surgical mask over it and it will be safe.


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## Tamaradarann (Nov 2, 2020)

csodjd said:


> But when it’s not raining, it’s beautiful. Lush green.



So is my backyard, but I would rather sit out there and enjoy it when it is sunny.


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## BJRSanDiego (Nov 2, 2020)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> You can wear a surgical mask over it and it will be safe.


Good point.  

I periodically see people with the mask below their nose.
I periodically see people wearing a cowboy's scarf or something pretty porous - - basically a kerchief.  
I also see people w/o a mask but with a clear/see-through shield

I think that all of these do a little good if someone coughs or sneezes - - you probably won't get hit with a direct aerosol spray.  But I also think that in quantitative terms that they don't do much good.


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## klpca (Nov 2, 2020)

Tucsonadventurer said:


> You can wear a surgical mask over it and it will be safe.


We double masked for our entire travel day - airports, planes, car rental place. It was over 12 hours total and pretty uncomfortable. But we wanted to give ourselves the best chance to stay safe.


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