All Signs Point To Ending Restrictions + Hawaii Travel Recovery

All Signs Point To Ending Restrictions + Hawaii Travel Recovery

It’s November 1, and that means Hawaii is officially open and welcoming back its visitors. And on Monday, November 8, the state will join the entire country in welcoming back international visitors. We are expecting an update from Governor Ige, perhaps as soon as today. The next word from the governor will be about how Hawaii will integrate the new US international arrivals plan with its Safe Travels. See: New Hawaii Safe Travels Rules Starting This Week.

Yesterday, Lt. Gov. Josh Green said, “I am happy to see trends continuing downwards, suggesting we are on our way out of the acute phase of the pandemic.” Then today, the state saw the fewest number of new COVID cases in a long time, with 69 new cases reported and no deaths. Ige said last week that the relaxing of restrictions would occur as the average daily number of recent cases statewide of less than 100.

Ige said last week that Hawaii is preparing to reduce Safe Travels restrictions before the New Year. In the meantime, however, Hawaii must have a plan for international arrivals in just one week.

For the time being, the Hawaii Safe Travels protocol will remain in place, including vaccination and testing options, uploading of documents, and completing a health questionnaire before travel.

Changes at Hawaii restaurants are coming first.

We expect relaxing or elimination of the 50% restaurant capacity limitation to occur at any point. Hawaii’s restaurants and customers are hurting. The Hawaii Restaurant Association said, “we have been under the hardest mandates of any state in the United States. And our restaurants are suffering multiple ways.” Maui’s mayor has already asked the governor to return the island’s restaurants to between 75% and 100% capacity. Lt. Gov. Josh Green said, “As long as people can confirm that they’re vaccinated at a restaurant, the risk is very low.”

That could mean that Maui and Oahu rules for proof of vaccination or testing might be implemented statewide, in concert with this change.

Sweeping changes could need to wait out Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

If things continue to improve, we believe the state will relax more rules, including some or all of the Safe Travels protocol and indoor mask mandates. That next set of more widespread changes will not be implemented until after the holidays.

34 thoughts on “All Signs Point To Ending Restrictions + Hawaii Travel Recovery”

  1. Can you please address the status of tours, public transportation, and rental cars on Waikiki (Oahu). How does activities look for 2022.
    Thank you.

    1. Hi Ann.

      You will need to check on tours and activities as we don’t keep do that. Rental cars on Oahu are as per the post we just updated on car rentals.

      Aloha.

  2. Took me nearly two hours to fill out forms on your Not Customer Friendly travel site. I totally applaud safety but this is an interesting way to discourage tourists from coming.

  3. Returning to Kauai,from Manila on November 26 and vaccinated.What else do I need to do to avoid a 10 days quarantine?

  4. Hello, Jared X

    As Hawaiian tourism operators climb up out of the rubble of their industry into the harsh daylight of an economy beset by high inflation, increasing transportation cost, higher taxes, decreasing real wages, and a shortage of workers, let us hope they are not trampled back down by the politicians rushing to the cameras to announce how they saved Hawaii from COVID.

    “We need to create a Department of Common Sense.”
    – Unknown

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  5. So I’m planning on going the 19th thru the 24th. My wife is vaccinated and I e updated her info on the state website. And I already purchased my test thru Costco since it’s one of the accepted forms of testing by the state. After the changes do I still need to test?

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    1. I don’t get the reasoning behind the vax/no vax restrictions in restaurants. If the staff are vaccinated, that should be enough. The only people you come into contact without your mask in a restaurant aside from your server, are the people you came with. How does this restriction make sense?? It doesn’t matter because there is no answer that supports this policy.

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