The National Park Was Once a Quarantine Zone曾是隔離區(qū)的國家公園

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.”

為延緩新冠病毒蔓延，許多美國國家公園暫時關(guān)閉，但夏威夷一處偏遠的國家公園卻必須保持開放——面向其居民，而不是游客開放。

卡勞帕帕國家歷史公園坐落在一座僻靜的半島上，一座2000英尺高的懸崖將其與莫洛凱島的其他地區(qū)隔開。負責解說的公園管理員米基阿拉·佩斯卡亞說，與其他有著歷史意義的公園不同，卡勞帕帕仍然在書寫著自己的歷史，而不是講述過去的故事。

卡勞帕帕半島上住著不到十來個人，他們以前是漢森氏病患者。根據(jù)當時的隔離法《防止麻風病傳播法》，數(shù)千名患者被流放于此，現(xiàn)在僅剩這幾人。

卡勞帕帕半島與“頂上的”莫洛凱島主島沒有公路聯(lián)通;乘飛機、船只或騎騾子可以進入半島（由于山體滑坡，道路損壞，目前最后一種方式已不可行）?？▌谂僚涟雿u上沒有消防隊，沒有警察，沒有醫(yī)院，也沒有呼吸機。如果有人生病需要治療，只能用飛機將其送到鄰近島嶼。如果夜里有急癥病人，“就得靠鄰居照顧到第二天早上。救護飛機只在白天飛行?！迸逅箍▉喺f。

由于醫(yī)療資源有限，加上這里又是老年社區(qū)，感染新冠肺炎的風險很高，這個原本用來收容病人的庇護所，現(xiàn)在正想方設法將病人拒之門外。

如今，夏威夷州的游客數(shù)量已大幅下降——從平均每天3萬多人（疫情暴發(fā)前）降至最近的約100人;游客抵達后需要先隔離14天。但仍有一些航班在該州降落，還有一些游客無視隔離規(guī)定，恣意妄為，將當?shù)厝说慕】抵糜谖ｋU之中?？▌谂僚敛辉该叭魏物L險。衛(wèi)生部已經(jīng)限制入園觀光活動，將不再發(fā)放游客通行證?？▌谂僚翆嶋H上已經(jīng)關(guān)閉，具體開放時間待另行通知。

病魔的扎根

漢森氏病（又稱麻風?。┦且环N由細菌引起的慢性傳染病，據(jù)信是通過與未經(jīng)治療的感染者長期密接、經(jīng)由口鼻飛沫傳播，從而感染患者的神經(jīng)、皮膚、眼睛和上呼吸道。如不治療，會導致永久性損傷和毀容。

現(xiàn)在，漢森氏病可以通過聯(lián)合化療方案來治愈，但在漢森氏病首次出現(xiàn)在夏威夷群島時，人們對其束手無策。這種疾病的污名化現(xiàn)象可追溯到公元前2000年。世界上約95%的人口對麻風桿菌具有免疫力。但是外來者帶來的病毒、細菌和疾病對夏威夷原住民造成了毀滅性的影響，因為在與歐洲人接觸之前的數(shù)百年間，他們與那些病毒和致病菌隔絕，沒有免疫力。

從1865年到1969年，約8000名疑似感染漢森氏病的夏威夷居民被強行送到卡勞帕帕半島，任其自生自滅;這些人幾乎都是夏威夷原住民。許多人在很小的時候就被迫與家人分開——卡勞帕帕半島上當時最小的病人只有4歲。

多年來，這里沒有像樣的醫(yī)療設施或?qū)I(yè)醫(yī)護人員。這里的病人只能互相照顧。最先挺身而出、為病人提供幫助的是卡勞帕帕半島當?shù)赝林Ｋ麄兪窍耐脑∶?，在漢森氏病人到來之前，他們已經(jīng)在這個半島上生活了數(shù)百年。

卡勞帕帕居民之家的負責人瓦萊麗·蒙森說：“政府不斷地把越來越多的病人流放到這里，卻沒有充足的供給，艱難的日子就此開始?！?卡勞帕帕居民之家是個公益組織，應卡勞帕帕居民的要求而成立，旨在為社區(qū)發(fā)聲，設立紀念館，讓卡勞帕帕人的后代了解祖先的歷史。

新目標

1949年，夏威夷獲得一種治療漢森氏病的療法，但直到1969年，頒布實施了100多年的隔離法才最終被廢除，曾經(jīng)的患者也才獲得法律許可離開該地。但并非所有人都離開了這里?！八麄冎械拇蠖鄶?shù)人在那里生活了很長時間?！泵缮f，“此時，卡勞帕帕已經(jīng)成為他們的家。”還有一些人與外面家人失去了聯(lián)系，無處可去。

卡勞帕帕那些患過漢森氏病的人在隨后數(shù)年里人數(shù)逐漸減少，于是居民們開始好奇，他們都去世后卡勞帕帕會變成什么樣子。佩斯卡亞說，那些曾患漢森氏病的人“評估了許多家組織，最終選擇由美國國家公園管理局來展出他們的故事。”

1980年，美國國家公園管理局宣布卡勞帕帕為國家歷史公園。該局從夏威夷原住民事務局租賃土地，并與夏威夷土地和自然資源部達成協(xié)議。管理公園不僅要管理公園的土地，還要致力于保護該社區(qū)、保全其歷史和文化資源。

佩斯卡亞說，作為公園管理員，她的工作包括講述以前的患者委托她講述的故事，幫助游客更深入地了解卡勞帕帕的文化、歷史、經(jīng)驗教訓和自然資源。但她的工作不止于此?！皣夜珗@管理局的一個基本職能是為余下的患者群體提供安全、舒適的環(huán)境?！迸逅箍▉喺f，“所以，雖然正值疫情封鎖期間（其他公園和企業(yè)紛紛關(guān)閉），鑒于卡勞帕帕與外界隔絕的地理位置，我們清楚我們有責任為患者群體和生活在這里的人們提供必要的服務?！?/p>

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）