Things just got better, much better, but with a strange twist. First, the good news is that effective today, all restrictions on inter-island travel have stopped. Neither test nor vaccination is required for any interisland flights for anyone. Hawaii Governor Ige said last week, “On June 15, all inter-island travel restrictions will be dropped.”
Before today, interisland travelers other than those heading to Honolulu had to be tested before traveling to avoid quarantine.
Also, starting today, those vaccinated in Hawaii are no longer required to either test upon return to Hawaii from the mainland. Once Hawaii achieves 60% vaccinated, then those who were vaccinated outside of Hawaii can travel here without testing as well. We do not have an anticipated date for that, but we believe it will be quite soon, perhaps even in July.
Later, at 70% vaccinated, all COVID travel rules will cease. See all those details here.
First Vitals in the news again? Here is the odd part.
The press release below and dated today just came across our desks. It is from First Vitals and Human API. Remember them? First Vitals was the company that Lt. Gov. Josh Green once mentioned as being a Hawaii partner in launching verification of those vaccinated. Since March, however, we’ve only heard Hawaii officials mention CommonPass and the Clear Health Pass in that regard. And just to note, the state was not a partner in this press release.
First Vitals states that their customers can “Access and share digital health data that enables effective COVID screening and a trusted verification experience for safe inter-island traveling…”
But wait a minute, didn’t the state say that as of today, all interisland covid travel restrictions have been eliminated, and COVID screening and verification are no longer required? So it appears that either 1) there is some time warp here, or perhaps First Vitals thinks that something will change to restrict interisland travel once again?
First Vitals website home page still says: “Not Secure,” months after we first mentioned it. We were caught off guard when Chrome browser said the following:
“Not Secure: Your connection to this site is not secure. You should not enter any sensitive information on this site (for example passwords or credit cards), because it could be stolen by attackers.”
Press Release.
FirstVitals Health and Wellness Goes Live with Human API to Power Safe Inter-Island Hawaii Travel Using Secure COVID Test and Vaccine Data
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Aloha, what are the chances, in your opinion, that in August they will open entry to vaccinated Italians? I have a delayed flight booked from last year!
Can anyone tell/explain to me how a human being from Hawaii is any different from a human being in any of the 49 other states? Are the politicians in Hawaii discriminating against people from other states? That sounds illegal as well as illogical. But we are dealing with government officials so….
Are people that stupid to think that if I get a Moderna vaccination and I reside in Hawaii then I am some how better off and safer than a person who receives a Moderna vaccination in say Colorado.
That is just total lunacy. 🤯🤯🤯
Richard- I couldn’t agree more. I do not understand why they continue to confuse people & continue having mainlanders jump through hoops. Hawaii has certainly given us all a real example of “how not to do things”. Mainlanders will have a direct impact on Hawaii’s economy. Frustrating to say the least.
I’ve been in Florida for 2 months..adhere is one unequivocal fact.. Hawaiian has gone full retard since last year. There is no denying it….
Covid is over in not only Florida but basically 45 out of 50 States. Probably more…
Sean, you obviously are not too insightful or care about others with the language you use. I have a son with a disability and while there are things he struggles with academically, he is quite insightful about other people.
His EQ is probably higher then his many of his peers. It’s interesting how many people considered normal can be so clueless, angry and narcissistic while he has been pragmatic and amazingly wise about the news we have all been bombarded with this last year.
You obviously haven’t unless you think it’s just fine that thousands more people per capita died because your Governor prioritized last year’s business earnings as more important then life. While our Governor prioritized human life and as a result Hawaii suffered far less
then Florida. It’s not hard recovering from an off year in the business world unless you were gonna fail anyway, but you cannot recover from death.
I would suggest talking to somebody you trust and respect as to why you live in Florida and yet feel the need to get on a Hawaii site
and throw stones. We have a saying over here that is commonly used about rude Caucasian’s that most know but not it’s not repeatable ….fits you to a tee.
Stay in Florida, , you’ll be happier
Oh, Please Sean.
* A “please” or “thanks” is required for a reply.
* No profanity, rudeness, personal attacks, or bullying.
Aloha.
Aloha!!! I am a little confused. Been reading some of these posts. I thought the 2nd testing upon arrival to Kauai, Kona, and Maui have been eliminated. However, I’m seeing that travelers are being tested and time upon arrival. Please clarify. Mahalo!!!
Hi Michael.
Thanks for asking. The 2nd tests, on arrival, have all been eliminated.
Aloha.
Aloha Rob & Jeff,
Thank you for continuing to keep us informed on the happenings of Hawaii.
I have plans to be back on Kauai in May after many years away.
And I’ll do whatever I can to ensure the islands are safe & protected.
If that means being slightly inconvenienced by wearing a mask, thats ok.
And yup, I’m fully vaccinated.
It would be so easy to decimate the islands with an out of control contagious microorganism
like the nCovid19 virus. Clearly the anti-vaxxers & anti-maskers have never witnessed someone
dying by drowning in their own body fluids or gasping desperately to breath (called air hunger,
& it looks exactly the way it sounds) as their airway spasms.
The only common denominator between the flu & nCovid19 is that they’re viruses. The common flu doesn’t cause cardiac damage
that will necessitate a heart transplant, or kidney failure that will require life long dialysis, or brain lesions that cause neurologic damage.
The polio virus was an equally devastating virus, which thanks to a vaccine has been eradicated in the U.S.
Another nasty virus, smallpox, also eradicated in the U.S. thanks to vaccination.
And those mandatory vaccines required for kids to attend school: MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus)? They aren’t mandated because the schools care so much about your child getting sick—they’re mandatory so that the other kids don’t get sick.
The vaccine works. The ERs aren’t bursting at the seams like they were last year.
The ICUs aren’t filled to capacity. The death rate has significantly diminished.
We need to all do our part to protect the islands and those that live there.
Mahalo Rob and Jeff for the updates!
I’m so thankful for you guys and your attention to details and deals that will, undoubtedly, save people time, money, and problems with travel and all things Hawai’i!
Stay blessed 🌺
Hi Pam.
Thank you! You are so kind and we really appreciate you.
Aloha.
Just confirming that a Safe Travels Application is no longer required for inter-island trips. I just went in and attempted to enter a trip from LIH to OGG, and got the following message: “Inter-island travel restrictions end on June 14, 2021. You do not need to complete a Safe Travels application for this trip”.
Hi Laura.
Thanks for that. You are the first person to report that change. We note that change has not yet been reflected on the Safe Travels website.
Aloha.
Thank you, Angela for standing up for Health Freedom! I am with you!
Thank you so much as always for keeping us updated. I own ( I should I say I am paying on) a condo in Kona and was able to actually visit it last week! I was in heaven. I have extreme sensitivities to vaccines as well as a diagnosed immune disease and do not plan on getting the Covid vaccine (originally, the vaccine was not recommended for people with my issues). I am sincerely hoping and praying that a “vaccine restriction” does not prevent me from spending time in my own home in the future. I have been planning on retiring there part-time for years, and am dues to retire in 2 years. I would like to know if there is anything I can do to help prevent a “vaccine mandate”…and I FOR SURE will not give any of my private information on the website you mention! Our personal information is being harvested (many times without our known consent) by way too many organizations – both private and governmental. No thank you…
Linda, with the requirements you state, it looks like you’ll have to wait until 70% of Hawaii’s population has been vaccinated. That’s when the Safe Travels program will end.
We had one vaccine in California and the second in Hawaii. Will that work for avoiding the expensive covid test?
Chrome seems to do that on every site I visit!
I made the decision to get my shots. Just not to travel to the islands, but for the safety of my family, coworkers, and anybody else I come in contact with. Just like the flu shot, I get one every year just to reduce the severity if I get the flu. Like Nike’s Moto Just Do It.
I personally KNOW 4 Dead people post VAX within 48 hours! One 22-year old heart attack/heart surgery within hours of vax, 1- blind in one eye 19 year-old due to blood clots, 1 blood clots/3x’s times to ER friend, 1- bleeding/migraine menstruation nightmare post Vax and 1 dead 7-month old baby miscarried within 2 hours of Vax …Just “DON”T DO IT” I know ZERO DEAD from Covid and tons of people who had Covid – one with COPD- who had mild to no symptoms and FULLY recovered- NO THANKS…I will ‘test’ to travel
Nita C, very sorry to hear about the 4 people you know who died “post Vax” but do the math, 4 deaths supposedly from vaccines versus millions of deaths from getting Covid, and it’s not just the deaths from Covid (which the vaccines protect you from ) that we need to be concerned about it all the other lingering health issues that it causes as well
Nita is spreading misinformation, there is no correlation between people dying and getting vaccinated.
People do die for many things but not from getting vaccinated for Covid like the fear mongers like to spread.
She is also guilty of thinking just because she hasn’t seen anyone suffer from Covid it can’t be that bad.
Very sad the lack of emphathy for the millions of people that have suffered immensely due to Covid, Not just the many deaths, but also the loved ones left behind.
Worst of all though is actively campaigning against something that has saved many many lives and is also key to putting this Pandemic behind us.
The vaccine saves lives and prevents suffering for millions anyway you look at it.
I am planning my trip to Kauai, which was my home for a while and I have visited again and again. I am more angry about is what mainlanders have done to this beautiful island and making it so expensive that my school mates can’t afford to live in their own homes.
What I am reading in all of the comments, is one commonality. It is a TRUST issue based on a lot of unbelievable change, misleading information, disbelief and WAY too many voices which is causing confusion.
We all have our own perspectives about this Pandemic, along with our own personal experiences.
How many of the people got a flu vaccine this year? No one ever asks if you got one or need one. It’s our choice. So why are we making it okay to give rights of asking for documentation of whether we got COVID-19 vaccination?
Think about it! The flu was at a low and why? Because people started being more aware of keeping your hands clean, stores began being cleaner, parents stopped sending sick children to school, adults not going to work ill 🤒 🤧 😷 and we gave people space but most of all we became CAREFUL just like when AIDS hit the streets.
I personally don’t want to be told or have to provide my choice, reasoning or be made to feel guilty to anyone except if what my doctor feels is best for me.
The only shot I received is a pneumonia vaccine because in any situation of becoming respiratorally compromised from age, allergies, post-op surgery, and being hospitalized because your oxygen level is low and the big killer is pneumonia.
The world is way too loud right now and I want to go to my little grass shack and get my peace and quiet. I want to smell plumeria in the air, pick mangoes from the tree and eat it right then and hear waves.
“Think about it! The flu was at a low and why? Because people started being more aware of keeping your hands clean, stores began being cleaner, parents stopped sending sick children to school, adults not going to work ill 🤒 🤧 😷 and we gave people space but most of all we became CAREFUL just like when AIDS hit the streets.”
And wearing masks. You (conveniently) forgot that part. And the flu doesn’t kill 600,000 American citizens in the space of 18 months. I think Governors like Ige and Newsom did the best they could managing something that no one fully understood. Better they did nothing? Easy to criticize when others’ lives are not in your hands.
I believe my emoji of the mask was not a inconvenience.
The flu does. The numbers are not clear because it’s considered the norm.
My point is that no government has the right to our personal medical records. Nor should there be debates about whether or not you got the shot or not. Nor should it allow people to ask you or demand it. My daughter gave birth at home in a bathtub because of this Pandemic. Do you know or have experienced the worry and change of a birth plan and what out of pocket costs because of what insurance would cover and finding a midwife to assist?
She’s nursing this baby and her work is putting pressure on her for why she is not vaccinated yet? There is a lot more to consider than meats the eye. Again her choice not yours or to be debated about. This issue should not be anyone’s business. Furthermore do you have numbers for how many children are not getting vaccinated from birth? People lie. DISTRUST was my other point. #1 cause of death worldwide who knows whose counting statistics?
Other lives are in my hands from catching it or spreading it. Why are you arguing with me by throwing assumptions and not the words I write. This is the issue. I’m not a know it all but I do know about my personal information being exposed and what the men behind the computers can do. Mahalo.
Thank you for your comment – I fully agree with you! Thank you for speaking your mind. And, further, I disagree with JWV’s comment – – masks are not conclusive in how they protect either the person wearing it or the person 10 feet away. MALiAD’s comment is about forcing people to get vaccinated and provide proof of it, not about leaders’ action. I don’t carry around my vaccination card that shows I have the immunizations for MMR, Varicella, Tdap, Hep B, etc. It’s not the same thing!
Thank you
To what else do you attribute the nearly non-existent cases of flu this year? Magic? Coincidence? No, it was mask wearing and social distancing.
I spent a week on Oahu in February. I followed the rules, paid for the test, uploaded the results, and enjoyed a most wonderful week relaxing on a spectacular beach, with residents and business owners who were happy to see me. Was glad to comply with whatever requirements the people and leadership of the state deemed necessary to protect themselves.
No one is being forced to get vaccinated, as you falsely claim above. No one owes you an incovenience-free trip to Hawaii.
And that’s really what it’s all about in the end – your inconvenience and sense of entitlement. You all are making a big deal out of nothing, simply because it’s inconvenient for you to comply with what’s being asked of you. If that’s the case, don’t go; move on, find somewhere else to go. It’s really just that simple.
Thank you for standing up for personal health information privacy! HIPPA was sacred until now. I too own a condo in Hawaii and hope to be able to retire there part-time – a dream I have had for many years. I am extremely flu vaccine sensitive and have not received one in 40 years (have had a flu 2x in the past 40 years, but I have several friends who have gotten a shot and still get the flu regularly!)
Thank you for backing me up and understanding my point
I’d love to go to Hawaii again…..BUT until those running the state decide to drop their crazy requirements and all the hoops you have to go through to travel there……forget Hawaii!!! Life is way too short!
Aloha Guys
Mahalo for the updates. As always they are very useful.
Hi Roy.
Thanks. We feel the same way hearing from you!
Aloha.
We were just on the Big Island and came to Kauai first and then to the Big Island. We had been vaccinated on the mainland four months before our travels and still had to have a second COVID test for $300.00 for 2 people in Kauai, get our test results prior to our flight to Honolulu and then on to the Big Island. Besides having to pay this high fee, wait in an hour long line even though we have been vaccinated once we arrived at the Kona airport, then be two hours late to pick up our car, everyone was apologetic but firm about the rules. It is our hope that travelers read this great newsletter to be kept up to date – minute to minute – so you know what to expect when you are planning to go to Hawaii. We will be returning again in the Fall and will read Beat of Hawaii so we know what to expect. Mahalo!!!
Hi Candace.
Thanks. We appreciate your feedback and hope you had a great time on Kauai and the Big Island.
Aloha.
Aloha and thanks for the update. Do we have any clarification on whether we still need a QR code for inter-island travel? I’ve heard conflicting reports. What about returning from the mainland as a HI vaccinated resident? Still many questions to be answered.
Hi Mark.
Thanks. Yes, everything we hear is that Safe Travels and the QR codes are still required.
Aloha.
You might be surprised to learn that the vaccine makers themselves directly and clearly state that these injections do not stop you from getting or spreading Sars-co-v2 (covid is actually just a list of symptoms – so it is also important to note the actual verbiage being used as well). This is not my opinion, just the facts. The ‘news’ won’t tell you this – but the vaccine makers will if you take a look. Also the “tests” especially PCR tests are proven to be highly erroneous depending on the cycle threshold used – up to 80% false positives. Again not my opinions – easily verified with your own independent research. I share this because anyone who thinks any type of health ‘passport’ is viable or for your ‘best interest’ might need a second look. You might be surprised what you learn. I sure have been. I love humanity dearly. I love Hawaii. But I mostly love truth and freedom.
Please check your sources. Certainly no vaccine is 100% and none have claimed to be so, and all news outlets have been stating this regularly. But a world without the vaccine is a death sentence — just look at India. Also, I have searched but found no evidence of gross amounts of false positives or negatives. Let’s all get vaccinated and return to fulltime aloha!
I have never heard a single government health official or reputable news site state that a COVID vaccination will prevent you from getting COVID. What they HAVE said it that a vaccination greatly decreases your chances of getting COVID, or reduces the severity of illness, should you become infected anyway.
Apparently what you really love are half-truths and the freedom to sound authoritative while spreading false or misleading information.
WPC
The vaccine has already proven to have saved untold thousands of lives, period. It’s clearly extremely safe.
There are also some very crazy conspiracy theories surrounding if….no Bill Gates is NOT tracking you if you get it.
I get some people are wary, some people are scared to get on an airliner even though it is way safer then driving to the airport too. It’s human nature. That’s fine, it’s a personal choice and some people make better ones then others, but….what I don’t get is why do some people need to try and spread misinformation to prevent others from doing something that could save their life?
Unvaccinated people are still getting and sometimes dying from Covid , why do you want to perpetuate that?
If you don’t want to get vaccinated fine, but trying to undermine someone else’s well being is sad.
Food for thought BOH, maybe you could consider banning conspiracy theories on here for the protection of those vulnerable to them and the overall well being of Hawaii ?
The vaccine’s in fact do prevent you from getting or spreading Covid.
Dear WPC – THANK YOU – beautifully stated!!!!
Thanks LindaJ for perpetuating the conspiracy. Well-stated is the comment made by JohnW where he requested that BOH weed out these horrid Q-conspiracy, fear-mongering comments. They are certainly not aloha. Nor truthful.
Well I for one am very bitter about the 1/2 day wasted on Maui getting tested again … before going to Kauai at the outrageous fee of $300 for 2. Fully vaccinated with the same vaccine and same vaccination card as people vaccinated in Hawaii – yet we had to test again to go Kauai. Which can only lead me to believe that it is about $$ and not Covid.
That is how I feel about the “trusted “ partners for covid testing for the safe travel program . There are major hospitals and health care entities on the mainland that are not listed as an option because they are not a “trusted partner”. $$$ in someone’s pocket is my thinking ? But nothing you can do about it ,just had to drink the kool-aid
Hi Rob and Jeff Greetings and mahalo for the updates. It has been way enough time for all of the readers of your website to know the rules and restrictions to go to the islands. What bothers me is the posts from these people complaining about these very rules after they know that they are in place. If they don’t want to be in the situation of having to test and spend money doing so and waiting in lines, then for heaven’s sake, do not fly to the islands. It’s as simple as that!!!!! Quit complaining!!!! As always my very best to ally ohana over there and I will see you in October.
I would like to know if the requirement be be tested for COVID before traveling to Hawaii is still in effect. I will be traveling to the Big Island in May of 2022. Hopefully, testing should no longer be an issue, but I an curious to know the current situation.
Mahalo,
Kevin
Hi Kevin.
At this time testing is still required. Follow our updates and we’ll let you know as soon as that changes.
Aloha.