A new social media campaign with the hashtag #ourkuleana (responsibility) launched on Hawaiʻi Island on September 3 to encourage the community to wear their face masks. Leadership and others from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo ʻohana took part to help spread the message.
The #ourkuleana campaign’s signature black and white selfies of people wearing their face masks are seen throughout the hashtag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the intention of normalizing the wearing of face coverings. The nonprofit Community First helped kick start the campaign and the Our Kuleana community initiative to foster a social norm of wearing face masks.
UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin and the three UH Hilo vice chancellors Farrah-Marie Gomes, Kris Roney and Kalei Rapoza participated, posting their selfies to UH Hilo’s Facebook page with the message: “It’s #ourkuleana to keep each other safe! Wear a mask to protect yourself and our #UHHilo ʻOhana!”
For the full story, visit UH Hilo Stories.
Mask guidelines on UH campuses
Everyone who has to come to a UH campus is required to wear a face covering indoors and outdoors, especially where six feet of physical distancing is not possible.
Acceptable face coverings include:
- Two-ply cloth face masks
- Two-ply bandanas
- Surgical face masks
- Face shields, in combination with an acceptable face mask
The UH System recognizes that there are certain instances when wearing a face covering may not be feasible or poses a health or safety risk for those with medical conditions or disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be made in those instances. Children under the age of five are not required to wear face masks.
N95, N99 and N100 masks are not allowed as they should be reserved for healthcare professionals. Face coverings, masks or respirators with exhalation valves are not allowed as they do not protect others from expelled respiratory droplets.
For more safety and prevention tips, visit the University of Hawaiʻi COVID-19 website.
—By Susan Enright
