On Maui we have the great advantage to be able to look into the future. China, Taiwan, S. Korea and Italy were hit with the coronavirus earlier than Hawaii. Italy is perhaps two weeks ahead of us. By observing what they did, we can make wiser choices.

Because Italy waited too long to lock down the country, the virus had time to spread. Their emergency rooms are now overcrowded, and doctors have to decide who lives and who dies. There are not enough ventilators to serve all the elderly patients. The older and sicker patients are left to die.

Is this what we want for our kupuna? Do we want them to die because the government was afraid to act? Every day that we don’t go on lockdown we condemn dozens to death. Face it, we will have school closures and a much-reduced public life in two weeks for sure — but if Mayor Victorino institutes those measures tomorrow, there will be hundreds of lives saved.

This is Italy’s prescription: People stay home. Schools are closed. The hospital is expanded. All nonessential businesses are closed. Only transportation, pharmacies, groceries will remain open. Nobody gets closer than six feet to another person. People get tested and quarantined as early as possible.

Medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca.

Chris Mentzel

Kihei