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Letter to the Hon. David Ige, Governor of Hawaii - Schatz Calls On Ige To Lift Restrictions On Youth Sports, Allow Parents To Watch Their Kids' Games, Permit Youth Surfing Competitions, Regattas To Resume

Letter

Date: May 13, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care Arts, Entertainment, and History

Dear Governor Ige:
I am encouraged and optimistic about Hawaii's great progress on vaccinations and our low and
dropping case counts. As we continue to work to end the COVID-19 pandemic, our main
objective should be to get as many people in our state vaccinated. To accomplish this, it is time
that we begin to reward the people of Hawaii for being one of the most responsible states in the
country in responding to COVID-19. We should not take undue risks and we should continue to
follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) guidelines, but we can take
additional steps to safely lift restrictions and return to more normal life.
To that end, I urgently ask you to reevaluate your prohibition on parents and guardians watching
youth sports. We already allow people on beaches, we allow gatherings in bars, and we permit
other outdoor activities, but we inexplicably do not allow parents and guardians to watch their
own kids play sports outside in the sunshine and open air.
Additionally, I urge you to reevaluate your prohibition on all surfing competitions and outrigger
canoe paddling regattas and races and recognize the distinction between the types of large surf
contests that encourage fans to gather and smaller youth competitions run by the Hawaii Surf
Association (HSA). Surfing and outrigger canoe paddling are an important part of our culture,
and youth should be able to safely participate in competitions, regattas, and races.
Lifting your prohibition on parents and guardians watching their kids play youth sports and
youth surf and outrigger canoe paddling contests can be done while remaining consistent with
public health guidelines. Furthermore, it would reward hard-working families for their
exemplary behavior and advance the efforts to get everyone vaccinated. I appreciate your
attention to this matter and your collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I look
forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Brian Schatz


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