Scientology Volunteers Say Prevention Can Help Speed Reopening the Big Island to the Outside World 

A spike in coronavirus cases has dashed the hopes of the Aloha State’s hospitality industry that had looked forward to a September 1st end to the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine order for visitors to the island. Scientology Volunteer Ministers offer a simple solution: understanding and applying the basic principles of prevention.

A month ago, with the number of cases of COVID-19 holding steady in a low range, it looked like Hawaii would be open for business before Labor Day. But a surge in cases beginning in late July makes that out of the question, according to Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell who announced new restrictions August 18.

Volunteer Ministers from the Church of Scientology of Hawaii believe understanding the principles of prevention is vital for overcoming this setback.

They took part in a campaign to distribute educational booklets to Honolulu businesses and households on the basis that “an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.”

The Church of Scientology has published three booklets containing the basic principles of prevention: How to Keep Yourself & Others Well, How to Protect Yourself & Others with a Mask & Gloves and How to Prevent the Spread of Illness with Isolation. These can be read online or downloaded free of charge at the How to Stay Well Prevention Resource Center on the Scientology website in 21 languages (including Japanese and Chinese). There are also more than a dozen videos illustrating the information from the booklets.

“ You never know who you are going to meet when you knock on a door,” said one of the Volunteer Ministers. “A Korean YouTuber lived at one house. She took a video of us giving her the booklet. She recently moved to Hawaii and said many Koreans are afraid to travel here because of the quarantine, so she wanted to help people back home feel less worried about coming to Hawaii.”

“One man wanted to share the information with his mother and granddaughter who were coming over. He took a copy for each of them. There was the mother of a young baby who had decorated her door with handmade flowers. She was incredibly thankful and sweet,” said the Volunteer Minister.    

The manager of a seafood restaurant placed displays of the booklets on the counter. So did the staff at an animal hospital they visited. “You could tell they really care about their customers,” said the volunteer. “They really appreciated having these booklets to give them. It was such a fulfilling and worthwhile experience to do this.”

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Distribution of the educational booklets began in May in communities around Scientology Churches and Missions across the globe. The Church of Scientology International Dissemination and Distribution Center made this possible by printing and shipping 5 million copies of Stay Well booklets.

The Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers program is a religious social service created in the mid-1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. It constitutes one of the largest and most visible international independent relief forces. A Volunteer Minister’s mandate is to be “a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.” Their creed: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.”