森妮·菲茨杰拉德

While many U.S. national parks have temporarily closed to help mitigate1 the spread of COVID-19， one remote national park in Hawaii must remain operational—for its residents， not for visitors.

Kalaupapa National Historical Park sits on a secluded peninsula， separated from the rest of the island of Molokai by a two-thousand-foot-tall wall of cliffs. Unlike other historical parks that curate2 stories from the past， interpretive park ranger Miki`ala Pescaia says that Kalaupapa is still writing its own history.

Kalaupapa is home to a population of fewer than a dozen former Hansens disease3 patients， the only remaining residents among the thousands of afflicted who were exiled here under the quarantine law， “Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy”4.

There are no roads connecting the peninsula to “top side” Molokai; access is by aircraft， boat， or mule （the last option is currently unavailable due to trail damage caused by a landslide）. Theres no fire department， no police， no hospitals， and no ventilators in Kalaupapa. Anyone in need of medical care is sent by air to a neighboring island. If theres an emergency at night， Pescaia says， “youre in the hands of your neighbors until morning. The air ambulance only flies when the sun is up.”

With limited medical resources and an elderly community thats considered high risk for COVID-19， this refuge that was created to keep ill people in is now doing what they can to keep ill people out.

Tourist numbers to the state of Hawaii have dropped significantly—from more than 30，000 per day on average （pre-pandemic） to around 100 in recent days; a 14-day quarantine is now required upon arrival. But some flights are still landing in the state and some wayward5 visitors are disregarding the quarantine rules， putting locals health at risk. Kalaupapa isnt taking any chances. The Department of Health has restricted tours to the park and will no longer issue visitor permits. Kalaupapa is effectively closed until further notice.

Disease takes root

Hansens disease （also known as leprosy） is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacterium， believed to be spread by prolonged close contact with an untreated infected person， through vapor droplets6 from the nose and mouth. It affects the nerves， skin， eyes， and upper respiratory tract. If left untreated， it can cause permanent damage and disfigurement7.

Although it can now be treated with multidrug therapy8， there was no cure for Hansens disease when it first arrived on Hawaiian shores， and the stigma9 associated with it can be traced all the way back to 2000 B.C. About 95 percent of the worlds population is immune to the bacteria that causes Hansens disease. But viruses， bacteria， and diseases brought in by outsiders have had devastating impacts on native Hawaiians who were immun-ologically isolated for several hundred years prior to European contact.

From 1865 to 1969， some 8，000 Hawaiian residents suspected of having Hansens disease were forcibly sent to the Kalaupapa peninsula to fend for themselves; nearly all were native Hawaiian. Many were torn from their families at a young age—the youngest patient at Kalaupapa was just four years old.

For many years there were no proper medical facilities or healthcare professionals on-site. The patients themselves were left to care for one another， and it was the kamaaina—the native Hawaiians who were living on the peninsula for hundreds of years before patients arrived—that stepped up to help.

“When the government continued to send more and more people and failed to keep up with provisions， thats when the hardships started，” says Valerie Monson， executive director of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa10， a nonprofit established at the request of Kalaupapa residents to advocate for the community， establish a memorial， and connect descendants with their Kalaupapa ancestors.

A new purpose

A cure for Hansens disease arrived in Hawaii in 1949， yet it wasnt until 1969 that the quarantine law was finally lifted—more than 100 years after it was enacted11—and former patients were legally permitted to leave. But not everyone did. “Most of them had lived there for so much of their life，” Monson says. “By this time， Kalaupapa was their home.” And for some former patients who had lost contact with family outside of Kalaupapa， there was nowhere for them to go.

As the former patient population living in Kalaupapa began to dwindle in the years that followed， residents began to wonder what would become of Kalaupapa when they were all gone. The former patients “evaluated a number of organizations，” Pescaia says， “and chose the Park Service to come in and curate the story.”

In 1980， the National Park Service （NPS） declared Kalaupapa a National Historical Park. The NPS leased lands from the Department of Hawaiian Homelands and established an agreement with the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Taking on the management of the park is not only about stewardship of the land; its also a commitment to protect the community and preserve its historical and cultural resources.

As a park ranger， Pescaia says her job involves interpreting the stories former patients entrust to her and facilitating a deeper understanding of the culture， history， lessons， and natural resources of Kalaupapa for visitors. Her work doesnt end there. “One of our [NPS] essential functions is to provide for the safety and comfort of the remaining patient community，” Pescaia says. “So even during this shutdown [when many other parks and businesses are closed due to COVID-19]， we know we have a duty to provide essential services for our patient community and those that live here， given our isolated location.”

为延缓新冠病毒蔓延，许多美国国家公园暂时关闭，但夏威夷一处偏远的国家公园却必须保持开放——面向其居民，而不是游客开放。

卡劳帕帕国家历史公园坐落在一座僻静的半岛上，一座2000英尺高的悬崖将其与莫洛凯岛的其他地区隔开。负责解说的公园管理员米基阿拉·佩斯卡亚说，与其他有着历史意义的公园不同，卡劳帕帕仍然在书写着自己的历史，而不是讲述过去的故事。

卡劳帕帕半岛上住着不到十来个人，他们以前是汉森氏病患者。根据当时的隔离法《防止麻风病传播法》，数千名患者被流放于此，现在仅剩这几人。

卡劳帕帕半岛与“顶上的”莫洛凯岛主岛没有公路联通;乘飞机、船只或骑骡子可以进入半岛（由于山体滑坡，道路损坏，目前最后一种方式已不可行）。卡劳帕帕半岛上没有消防队，没有警察，没有医院，也没有呼吸机。如果有人生病需要治疗，只能用飞机将其送到邻近岛屿。如果夜里有急症病人，“就得靠邻居照顾到第二天早上。救护飞机只在白天飞行。”佩斯卡亚说。

由于医疗资源有限，加上这里又是老年社区，感染新冠肺炎的风险很高，这个原本用来收容病人的庇护所，现在正想方设法将病人拒之门外。

如今，夏威夷州的游客数量已大幅下降——从平均每天3万多人（疫情暴发前）降至最近的约100人;游客抵达后需要先隔离14天。但仍有一些航班在该州降落，还有一些游客无视隔离规定，恣意妄为，将当地人的健康置于危险之中。……