Oh my goodness. This sucks.
Hawaii is facing its highest unemployment rate ever as strict stay-at-home orders and a virtual shutdown of the state's once mighty tourism industry have left residents reeling, leaning on their savings or unable to pay rent and feed their families. Since March, the state's unemployment rate has soared from 3% to 34%, one of the highest in the nation.
Roughly 216,000 of the state's 660,000 workers were employed in jobs supported by tourism in 2019. Airline arrivals to Hawaii have nosedived from more than 30,000 passengers per day to 756. Food service workers, who make up roughly 13% of all employees in the state and earn a median annual income of about $30,000, lost wages as restaurants closed and hotels shuttered.
(https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/10/hawaii-coronavirus-travel-restrictions-trigger-record-unemployment/3093887001/)
Our family spent a wonderful week out in Hawaii just about 1 year ago. We encountered so many wonderful people. So many smiles. So much kindness.
To think that 1 out of every 3 of those is out-of-work. Who could/would have ever guessed that severity?
And, that statistic about airline passengers: 30,000+ to just 800. Ugggggh.
#StupidCorona
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt