Realities of testing conflict with the desires of Kauai’s mayor and others. Not practical to have 2nd tests.
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Realities of testing conflict with the desires of Kauai’s mayor and others. Not practical to have 2nd tests.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Has there been any coordination set up with pre testing for Canadian travellers to Maui? Everything I have been reading is based on main land USA travellers.
Thanks.
Hi Scott.
Nothing specific about Canada yet, other than that it is coming.
Aloha.
I do not see any information on Canadian approved testing sights or partners. How do we find out what sites meet Hawaii testing standards to avoid quarantine?
Hi Angela…would be interested in same information. I hear Westjet is offering Covid tests for domestic travel but didn’t say anything about international travel. Don
Why can’t they figure out inter island for kamaainas first so we can enjoy our islands before the tourist take it over again. I understand hotels need to reopen but locals need hotels and cars when we travel.
You’ve had 6+ months to enjoy the islands. In the interim, businesses have closed, places like the Maui Tropical Plantation, Lavender Farm and other locally owned places have shut down. Hurting your local families.
Get a grip! Your desire to alienate mainlanders is actually hurting your local people more. Mainlanders aren’t clamoring to come to Hawaii under these draconian restrictions. Many other places offer just as much for cheaper and with less restrictions.
In reality, mainlanders are laughing at the Hawaii govt’s inability to do anything productive.
I’ve had to call the CVS customer 800# to find out about testing in Cali for travel to Hi. I can’t find any good info on our travel site and my friends traveling on the 15th. You have to make an appt. and so far, CVS was saying they won’t do the test if you don’t meet the qualifications. They didn’t know anything about our new travel testing.
Trish, I had the same challenge in Arizona. The local places for tests were few and were designed for rapid testing for those heading into hospitals. There was so allowance for travel. I figure as this sorts out, we will show an itinerary or the like to get one. Even my doctor had no idea how to get one for travel. I gave up calling them and will start again in a few weeks. It seems they have the cart before the horse on their plans. Good luck…
I wish there was a way for visitors arriving prior the October 15, who also arrive with a negative COVID test result, be allowed to quarantine until the 15th and then be released from quarantine early. It would make sense.
Maui Mayor Victorino just indicated post arrival test is likely. Three day quarantine. This is in addition to 72 hour negative pre test. The wheels on the bus go round and round. Someone needs to get the story straight. Please.
With all due respect, the back and forth nonsense from the powers that be in Hawaii that has gone on about these issues over the past few months reeks of incompetence. The can’t put together a practical plan and stick with it. Too much half baked indecisiveness. My trip for October was cancelled more than a month ago. Glad I chose that. I cannot imagine traveling in this madness – let alone paying thousands of dollars for the privilege of doing so.
Our best to all in Hawaii – we know it is difficult on the people. Perhaps more competent leadership would ease the burden.
Agreed. Need competent, organized and authorized leadership.
My family comes out in December hopefully. Waiting for the kinks to be worked out amongst the “big wigs”!! First huge family trip since forever. Husband’s side and my side.
God’s Speed🙏🏽
I have a connecting flight from LAX to Oakland then on to Kona on November 10th. How will this be accommodated? There is no time (or place??) to get a test at the Oakland airport. Any suggestions??
Hello,
Do you have the list of authorized partner tests for international travelers? Can a Canadian resident be tested in canada before flying, or does one need to account for a long enough layover to get tested on the mainland and wait for results before flying to Hawaii?
Thank you,
Hi Kia.
We are expecting to have that list by early next week and will publish it as soon as we do. Also no word yet on international, other than that it is in the works.
Aloha,
Mahalo for the frequent and helpful updates. For those of us planning travel that does not originate from the west coast and dont have access to one of the trusted partners, think small town Alaska, but can get an Abbott Rapid ID test from a local clinic, any idea if it will be accepted?
Thanks again
Hi Allison.
Yes, that test, we are advised, will be accepted.
Aloha.
What is the process for international travel? I have heard that they must quarantine for 14 days. Makes no sense to me.
If I fly to Oahu then kona do I quanteen 14 days in oahu?
Why not just do rapid testing on all visitors of all ages pre or post flight at the airport???
I will cancel my trip, when I go on vacation I want to relax, I definitely don’t need the stress. I started planning this trip in May, for the last 5 months I have been postponing every time, I don’t trust them anymore. Incompetent politicians
Aloha Guys
Test 72 hours before travel, second test at arrival, a third test 72 hours….Oh what one of the most tested humans on earth just caught the covid.
You can test and test for all you want, but as soon as travel opens to Hawaii cases of covid will surge.
It almost seems that Green and Ige are in a political chess match to see if one can outdo the other when it comes to this whole re-opening issue.
Don’t think for one minute that this confusion is isolated to Hawaii alone, though. Here in Utah our governor got up yesterday and lambasted the public for not caring for one another because he didn’t feel as though the public was taking the masking guidelines serious enough. Then, hours later, it came out that he had a large gathering of his own just the night before with thousands in attendance with not a single mask in sight.
While Hawaii has their problems, and they are many, there are other states that have their own when it comes to the political BS that the public gets played with on the daily.
Thanks BOH for the daily CLEAR updates that help us on the mainland to understand what’s going on as we try to get over there to spend money and help your economy rebound.
Hi Nate.
Thanks for your comment and perspective.
Aloha.
I suppose that my wife and I are your average east coast tourists who try to visit Hawaii at least every other year. 2020 was our year but I do not think we will even consider coming within the next 6 months. There are just too many unknowns. I feel sorry for the working people of Hawaii who need our money but it is just too uncertain. For all the people who are so critical of the government, I would like to know where they buy their crystal balls? This Covid is just unpredictable. Remember 6 months ago when we all assumed it would be gone in 6 or 7 weeks. Thanks for keeping us updated and dreaming.
Hi Bob.
We look forward to your returning to the islands.
Aloha.
I read all along test must be from a clia approved lab…..
So is it that, or the trusted partners named only,
My test is scheduled Naat test from a clia lab. ? Not a dug chain or kaiser.
Please clarify residents of Hawaii traveling Interisland and the quarantine/testing process. Example Big Island resident travels to Oahu And wants to return home to Big Island. Can they get tested to avoid quarantine? Thanks.pa
Hi Patricia.
We simply do not know yet. Sorry.
Aloha.
As there been any discussion on International Travellers getting tested if they don’t have Walmart, CVS or Kaiser in their home country?
Thank you.
John W.
Hi John.
Josh Green just made a general statement about working on international with all stakeholders. Nothing specific that we are aware of.
Aloha.
How about this as an option? Every passenger with reservations on a Hawaii bound flight, who wants to avoid a 14 day quarantine, could be screened at the airport before their departure using “Helsinki, Finland – style” Covid19 sniffing dogs. It apparently only takes a week to train the dogs. Plus the dogs are said to be highly accurate and can even detect Covid19 in pre-symptomatic people… Then if the dog identifies a possible Covid19 infection, an Abbott IDNow rapid test could be administered right there on the spot to confirm the case. If the Rapid Abbot test also comes out positive, then the passenger would not be permitted to fly to Hawaii. That would give a double layer of safety while minimizing having to use large numbers of the limitedly available Rapid tests.
There could also be a Covid Sniffing Dog/Rapid test combo set up at each Hawaii airport to offer this option to any passengers, who may have arrived without a confirmed negative test result. This would give them one more chance to avoid having to do a 14 day quarantine plus give Hawaii residents a little more peace of mind. I’ve read that other countries besides Finland are also looking into and adopting this protocol already, because it is showing such positive results, i.e. Germany, Bahrain, UAE, UK, and the USA was even mentioned in one article.
If drug sniffing dogs and bomb sniffing dogs are used at airports, why not employ Covid19 sniffing dogs as well? Seems like it would be a quicker, cheaper, and simpler solution to this. (Just a thought anyway.)… Maybe this suggestion could be passed along to Lt. Governor Josh Greene, if it might be helpful? There is an informative article on this which was recently posted by the NY times on 9/23/2020, titled: “The Nose Needed for This Coronavirus Test Isn’t Yours, It’s a Dog’s” by Elian Peltier. I hope it is alright to include the title for reference, since your rules mentioned “no links” —PS. Thanks for all you do to keep people informed.
Hi Kaiao.
Thanks. es, dogs are interesting and Hawaii already has the airport dogs. We wrote about that here: https://beatofhawaii.com/dogs-could-be-part-of-hawaiis-reopening-plans/.
Aloha.
Thank you for this update. You guys are the best. We are 14 days from liftoff. We still have too many question. I like the alt Governors ideas but I think the mayors will not be on board and find ways to prevent us from visiting. We are in such a sad world right now.
Hi Joan.
Yes we concur, there are too many unanswered issues so close to reopening. We remain hopeful of a more comprehensive update by Tuesday if not sooner. And thank you.
Aloha.
My husband and I live near a small mountain town in Colorado. Our original trip to Maui to meet up with our son and his family from Alaska, including a new grandson we’ve never seen, was scheduled for this past April. Now it’s rescheduled for mid-December. Being from a small town, we do not have rapid COVID-19 tests. As a matter of fact, tests are very hard to get here. Results are slow. It doesn’t seem as if we will be traveling to Maui if these testing/quarantine requirements are still in effect. Who wants to travel to Hawaii if you have to spend half your vacation sitting in a condo? It’s most unfortunate because Hawaii is one of only a handful of states we’ve never visited.
The following comes directly from the FAQ page of the Hawai’i State Department of Health:
“Travelers who, upon entry into the state, provide written confirmation from a state approved COVID-19 testing facility of a negative test result from a test administered to the traveler within 72 hours from the final leg of departure, will be exempt from the mandatory quarantine.
Currently, the mandatory 14-day interisland self-quarantine applies to anyone arriving on Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i Island, Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i, and also traveling between these islands. It does not include interisland travelers arriving on O‘ahu.”
This would leave me to believe that, should you meet the qualifications for exemption from quarantine upon arrival in Honolulu, the exemption would apply to your onward travels to Kauai and/or Maui. Thoughts? Could this be why Dr. Green did not address this issue specifically?
5-8000 tourists a day initially? That’# actually a very robust and healthy rebound.
Pre Covid the infrastructure and the patience of many people was being stretched to the limit with about 10,000 people
a day arriving…..there will be a period of people VERY happy with the return of tourists, almost unanimously other then a handful of extremists.
But at some point the golden goose is going to start gasping for air……
The problem now is the return of tourism and how soon….the problem in the future is going to be the return of tourism if not managed properly.
Something to think about anyway…..sadly our government is not very good at working together to come up with solutions.
Actually, pre-covid, the daily number of arriving visitors was about 33,000, not 10,000.
In my opinion, this has not been very well thought out. I live on the East Coast, Maryland. As a travel consultant who has been to Hawaii 12+ times, my clients are booking 10-14 day trips and visiting Oahu, Kauai and Maui. It is unreasonable to ask us to have a COVID test and then have to take another test when transitioning from one island to another. With regard to the approved list of testing locations that Hawaii will accept comes another set of issues. Namely, we cannot get a test at those locations here in Maryland unless you are having symptoms. How is that going to work. I have 3 Hawaii bookings ready to deposit tomorrow and now I am not at all comfortable in having my clients pay $10,000+ for a trip that may not happen due to the testing. I agree with providing a negative test on arrival into Hawaii but testing multiple times and possibly having to quarantine when traveling to another island is not productive. Respectfully,
Complain and sue hawaii govt for damages or general negligence in following us law? I am not sure but do know that so many things have every reason to be worked out quickly and with perfect execution and organization.
Hold hawaii to the same high standards as other states or tell people to visit a more civilized state for vacation. Hawaii is very similar to a bannana republic and has been going in that direction for atleast the past decade.
Even in the states the democratic party has really screwed things up for the airlines getting bsck to work etc. no one wants masks trsts etc and they WILL stay home. And hopefully those masks will pick up the tab for the millions of laid off airline employees and pay the rent and out food on the damn table!
They are crazy if they expect 5 – 8k people to arrive each day. I had a family trip planned for this month, canceled in July. I was hoping to come for Christmas, but I will wait until mid Nov to buy my tickets to see how things are going. Personally, I fully expect the governor to recluse the island by the end of October.
Told you. These guys couldn’t coordinate a children’s birthday party with kids–there aint no way they can handle something as mildly complex as COVID-19 testing.
Complete incompetence.
And who runs this state? The governor and the legislature… or the mayors?
Haha this is great. Couldn’t agree more. COVID has exposed the incompetence of almost all our government leaders. These people would get fired from almost any job on earth.
Where’s our Governor?
How about Miss Mazie?
Apparently the only thing that’s agreed upon is disagreement.
Mahalo again guys! You’re the only ones letting people know what’s going on.
🌺
Hi Pam.
Thanks again. Here’s hoping for better news ahead.
Aloha.
Hi is there a phone number I can call to find out what I need to enter Hawaii. I am a resident of Hawaii. I had the carona virus in March after leaving Hawaii in Costa Rica. I have not been able to return to Hawaii until now. I plan on arriving in Hawaii on the 9th of October.
The hawaiicovid19.com website is the best place for latest answers. In regard towards interisland transitioning:
From SAFETRAVELS FAQ;
My flight transits in Honolulu and my final destination is another island. Will I show my QR code and information in Honolulu or when I arrive on the neighbor island?
Upon arrival into the Honolulu airport, you will show your QR code to the screener. Once your screening is complete at the Honolulu airport, you must now fill out another Safe Travels Program application. This will apply for your trip from the Honolulu airport to the neighbor island, which is your final destination. This also will be the process if you arrive at the Maui airport and transit to another island.
When will the 12 trusted partners be announced?
Omg! This is more Confusing than ever! Hoping your Customer service is better than the Unemployment sites and Phone lines?
Hmm I wonder what people like me will need to do for testing. Living in southern Oregon we don’t have any of those places listed to test at. Only our hospital and an immediate care. The immediate care does testing for travel to Alaska.
Is the CVS testing offered only at locations with a “Minute Clinic?”
I guess it’s too much to ask for Green and Ige and the mayors to actually work together to solve this. Here’s the next act in this clown show: county mayors will publicly say they don’t want visitors if there’s no second test and/or will ask for a delay until enough tests can be acquired to make a second test feasible. The outer island mayors are terrified of outbreaks, have extremely limited healthcare resources, and are going to resist until there’s a second test.
Our Kauai trip is being taken in July 2021. I feel it’s best to check in a month ahead for testing procedures. This day to day watching is making me lolo. Many thanks for providing us with the ever changing details.
Hi John.
Same here. Thanks.
Aloha.
Hawaii continues down the darkest path in Its entire history. Theres no issue whatsoever….in having to register or brand yourself with the states app, so they can track and scrutinize your every move. As the population In hawaii does nothing to stand up for civil rights. Anyone with a preschool education or higher knows there is something wrong with this picture!
Sounds like the 666 issue is becoming much closer to reality. In hawaii first and foremost ! Anti aloha, anti American and anti tourist are now the main goals, and embracing the police state more than ever.
Good luck making all that work for you hawaii! The state is nothing like its former glory with peace and happiness being the main goals.
“the population In hawaii does nothing to stand up for civil rights”
Many in Hawaii aren’t waiting for tourism to come back yet. This push comes from those at the top with big money. Those at risk rather have things safer first.
Has to open up. Hopefully there will be a number of Covid test acceptable. And hopefully they will publish them. In Louisiana the PCR test is the one they do. So crazy our state really has to bite the bullet and open. No way to avoid it.
I cancelled my trip yesterday. Just not worth the hassle. Plus rapids are know to have a 30% false positive rate. Cancelling now I get my money back. Taking the test being asymtpomatic 72 hours before travel, get a positive, and lose thousands no thanks. Plus I don’t want to wear a mask to whale watch and do other ocean activities.
you are right on the money!
I wish i wasnt…broke my heart to cancel but that is what is best for us at this time. I would be devestated if i had to cancel two days before leaving.
You bring up a great point. Masks while whale watching? While zip lining? On dinner cruises? Or whatever other excursion you take, if there will even be excursions, which no one seems to be addressing. Getting there is only part of the story. If there is little you can do once you’re there, what’s the point?
I listened to the Lt Gov’s update. Seems very viable unless something changes. His explanation was very clear.
Kim, im sure the governor’s explanation was insufficient.
Maybe he should be forced to work overtime rather than sipping cocktails at taxpayers expense (and who knows what else) at the beach and on his private boat/yaght?
Its Also way past time for hawaii to have returned back to normal btw. (Big nod to FL governor for not giving into fear and doing the responsible, logical, and right thing for both residents and tourists in his state)