A former leprosy settlement in a remote part of Hawaii will reopen this month for the first time since the pandemic, when it closed to shield the few remaining patients, all of whom are over 80, from exposure to COVID-19, officials said Monday.
Tours and religious pilgrimages draw visitors to Kalaupapa, an isolated peninsula cut off by 2,000-foot (600-meter) cliffs. It traditionally has only been reachable by boat, small plane, mule ride or hours-long hike. Right now, travel to the area is only allowed by plane, Kalaupapa National Historical Park said in a news release.
