I own a vacation rental on the North Shore of Kauai that is almost always booked due to great reviews and a great location. I also work on Saturdays at the local farmers’ market as a vendor.
Both of my sources of income came to a complete halt with the shutdown in March. I had to refund all my bookings for March, April and May. Even some of my June bookings are likely to cancel because people do not want to be in quarantine for 14 days when they arrive. Most guests come for less than 14 days and don’t want to spend their entire vacation inside some hotel room or condo. Meanwhile I still have to pay my mortgage, homeowners association fees, electric, cable, etc. with no income whatsoever.
The farmers’ markets were canceled, and even though that was only one day a week, it helped a lot.
Being stuck in our homes, stressed about money, unable to socialize or attend church … I hope more people stand up to these unfair and unreasonable “laws” that have nothing to do with our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Janet Eisenbach, Kilauea
#LetHawaiiWork
