Hawaii’s Largest Parking Lot?

About a week ago, Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, announced that everyone arriving here by plane—whether local or visitor—would have to be quarantined for 14 days.

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That effectively shut down the tourist industry, of course. Hawaiian Airlines cancelled most of its flights, and several of the hotels just closed down altogether. 

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The rental car companies had an entirely new problem: what to do with the 19,000 cars that would normally be rented to visitors and dispersed among hotel and condominium parking garages?

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Some vacant land adjacent to the Maui airport—formerly used for growing pineapple—has become a huge parking lot. This photo was run yesterday in The Maui News and the accompanying article says there are some 19,000 cars in this one photo.

And we wonder why there is congestion on our roads in “normal” times!

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By the way, as of this morning, there are a total of twelve states with either no or very limited restrictions with respect to gatherings in restaurants or bars and other public locations. Every one of those states is run by a Republican governor. Words fail me.