loose” hand gesture — launches as a campaign
to attract former residents and those from
elsewhere to set up remote offices with a view.
They’re touting Hawaii’s paradisiacal and safety
attributes: among the lowest rates per capita of
COVID-19 infections in the country.
The first 50 applicants approved starting
this week receive a free, roundtrip ticket to
Honolulu. Applicants pledge to respect Hawaii’s
culture and natural resources and participants
must commit several hours a week to helping a
local nonprofit.
It didn’t take much to convince Abbey Tizzano to
leave behind her Austin, Texas, apartment to join
four Silicon Valley friends in a rented house in
Kahala, Honolulu’s version of Beverly Hills.
She had never been to Hawaii before. She
booked a one-way ticket, arrived in September
and quarantined for 14 days, complying with
the state’s rules at the time for arriving travelers.
She’s keeping Central time zone hours while
working in account management for a software
company, allowing her to end the work day early
enough to enjoy long hikes along mountain
ridges or walk five minutes to the beach.
“It’s like I live two lives right now. There’s the
corporate side for ... the early mornings,” Tizzano
said. “And then there’s just like the Hawaii lifestyle
after I get off work around noon or 1 p.m.”
Neighbors tell the remote workers they’re
a welcome change from the bachelor and
bachelorette parties the luxury home normally
hosts, she said.
Tizzano wonders what other locals think of
them: “Are they appreciative of people coming
that want to help stimulate the economy or
Image: Ashley McCue
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