Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Coronavirus Response
To our Members and the West Hawaiʻi community,
We realize this is a trying time for our community as we all do what we can to prepare and respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. Although we do not have any reported cases in our community, we feel it's important to make plans and take precautions.
We’ve gathered a list of reliable resources for our members that can be found below or at www.kona-kohala.com/covid-19-resources. This includes information to guide businesses, prepare workplaces, an economic impact forecast, public health updates and emergency proclamations.
Based on recommendations from health officials about event gatherings and social distancing, the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce is canceling all events between now and April 30th. The scheduled events that are canceled include:
- Focus Luncheon with Mayor Kim and the Hawaiʻi County Leadership on March 20th at the Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel.
- AfterHours hosted by Lex Brodie's Tire, Fast Lube and Car Wash on March 18th.
- AfterHours with Kuleana Green Business Fair hosted by Keahole Center for Sustainability on April 15th.
We plan to conduct the KKCC Annual Membership & Installation Luncheon on June 19th at the Fairmont Orchid. We will be asking March 20th luncheon guests if they would like to transfer their registration to the June 19th luncheon. If this is not an option, we will refund payments.
We plan to hold our KKCC 25th Annual Golf Tournament on May 15th at the Mauna Kea Golf Course. Registration is currently open. We also plan to launch our Annual KKCC Membership Drive starting April 1st (this can be done remotely). From now until April 30th, our Board of Directors, committee and task force meetings will convene remotely using an online format and/or our conference call line.
We realize this is a difficult time for our members and our community. We do believe the actions we take today will make for a better tomorrow and wish you all the best as we go through this together. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns at 808-329-1758.
Sincerely,
Wendy J. Laros
Executive Director, Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce
County of Hawaiʻi COVID-19 Resources
Hawaiʻi County Opens Call Center to Answer Questions about Coronavirus
https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/Home/Components/News/News/384/720
Emergency Proclamation issued by Mayor Kim to Prepare for Coronavirus on February 28, 2020. https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/Home/Components/News/News/376/720
Supplementary Emergency Proclamation Regarding Price Gouging Issued by Harry Kim on March 11, 2020. https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/Home/Components/News/News/402/720
State of Hawaiʻi COVID-19 Resources
State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health COVID-19 Joint Information Center Updates
Sign up for daily email updates here.
https://health.hawaii.gov/news/covid-19-updates/
State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health New Releases
https://health.hawaii.gov/news/
Governor Ige Issued State of Hawaii Emergency Proclamation for COVID-19 on March 4, 2020. https://governor.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2003020-GOV-Emergency-Proclamation_COVID-19.pdf
University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) Releases Interim Forecast Update: COVID-19 Will Impose Significant Economic Impacts in Hawaiʻi.
https://uhero.hawaii.edu/interim-forecast-update:-covid-19-will-impose-significant-economic-impacts-in-hawaii/
National COVID-19 Resources
Center for Disease Control (CDC) Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the leading national public health institute of the United States.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html
Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
CDC Guide for Large Community Events & Mass Gatherings https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/mass-gatherings-ready-for-covid-19.html
Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-declaring-national-emergency-concerning-novel-coronavirus-disease-covid-19-outbreak/
General CDC COVID-19 Resource Page
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
National Institute of Health COVID-19 Information
https://www.nih.gov/health-information/coronavirus
World COVID-19 Resources
General World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Resource Page
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with world public health.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019\
WHO COVID-19 Rolling Updates
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen