204 thoughts on “Breaking: Kauai Proposes Complete Travel Shutdown”
Lynde C
I do have a follow up question for BOH cause this has confused me since opening, Can Kauai choose to pull out of the safe travels program at anytime if the mayor wants? Or does he have to have approval from the governor? When Hawaii was about to open it sounded like each county had the option to opt out? But then I was told since they opted-in, they can’t opt-out without governor sign off. But then when the kauai mayor gave his last 2 demands it sounded like he threatened to opt-out if they weren’t met.
I’m confused. Are they just trying to theeaten as much as possible to make people cancel they’re plans?
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Lynde.
Good question. We aren’t sure. But here’s what we think. If the mayor had proceeded through the ‘tiers’ that were to determine what is open and what isn’t, including travel, then he ‘might’ not have needed additional approval. And, if the mayor could have opted out we ‘think’ he would have. The governor has been outspoken as recently as last week about any new rulings needing to be approved by the state. We’ll be learning more soon, that’s one thing we can count on. Thanks for all your comments.
Aloha.
Donna C.
I give up !! Even though I had resigned my self to not going to Hawaii until 2022. I caved and was looking at coming in early Spring.
But this Constant back and forth and always changing the rules has become ridiculous!! It’s not worth the headache. I’ll just stick with maybe 2022.
Thanks guys at BOH for always delivering the crazy news of Hawaii to us. Better days are ahead ….
I hope.
Mahalo
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Donna.
We are sorry to be harbingers of bad news. Yes, we concur, better days are ahead.
Aloha.
Donna C
Don’t be sorry. You guys at BOH are great! You’re always on top of what’s going on with travel to Hawaii. I always appreciate the info even when it’s not good. Takes the guess work out of whether or not to book a trip.
Much appreciation to you all.
Stay safe we’ll all get through this.
ThomA
I so agree with you Donna! We are scheduled in February for 24 days. We will make our final decision mid January. I have not been since 2019 and I’m looking forward to being there again. But the anxiety of all these changes and that one could easily happen between our decision and travel day….has me second guessing my plans.
Glenna G
I’m brokenhearted to learn of the 58 covid cases on Kauai and especially the one loss of life. I am of the view that there is no way to guarantee or significantly minimize safety on the islands – especially during this horrific surge of covid on the mainland – with only a pre-flight covid test. We all know that results represent only a very narrow point in time. What happens to people during the 72 hours after they test? How many people are boarding flights who are actually positive? If there is no mandatory post-arrival testing and quarantining until that time, there is obviously significant risk of people bringing covid to Hawaii – especially now. I also question using valuable resources for covid testing for vacation purposes, when there are people with symptoms having a difficult time getting covid testing done on a timely basis. This is all a big mess. There needs to be support for the Hawaiian economy through state and federal assistance, vs. endangering people’s lives via tourism. I suggest going to invest.hawaii.gov for links to a number of online shopping opportunities for made-in-Hawaii products, which will help support the Hawaiian economy. It’s not the complete answer, but it’s something.
Cf
My thoughts and suggestions would be to replace wishy washy Hawaiian govt and have it be run by the federal government or an extension of another state ie Massachusetts or California.
These states are clear and concise with laws and for mostpart unwavering. Ideally South Dakota could govern hawaii with no restrictions on travel or residents and tourists. I dont see that happening with fear mongering though, but would be nice.
Lynde C
I agree most restrictions should have been federal across the board. But California is clear and concise? Thats a joke. I live in Alameda County, East Bay. We went from purple to red to orange in a matter of weeks. Opening up everything, but weeks later we’re told their is a “surge” which is largely southern CA, and the governor still put us in the bay area back to purple tier with a 1 day warning, even tho we still have close to the same average of cases daily, still at 2.8% postivity rate, oh and we have a lovely curfew. But its not truely a purple tier because they made a list of what can stay open that wasnt originally on the purple tier based on whatever they wanted to base it on. There is nothing clear and concise about CA. We are one of the strictest states with the most restrictions starting last March and yet still have the 2nd highest cases. No one should model CA or our governor. I’m a democrat and am embarrased by Newsome.
Lynde C
What is irritating is that Kauai had since March last year to bring in adequate hospital needs. Hawaii as a whole had since before August to October to get enough trustedpartners that should have been contracted to gaurantee test result within 48hrs to make the 72hrs a success. They should have required the negative test in hand to surpass the quarrantine from the start. But none of that happened. And no disrepect to Kauai locals but the mayor signed off with a tier proposal to be apart of the safe travels program & didn’t even get a month in or move tiers before requesting more demands. Then the 2nd test wasnnt approved but the negative test in hand was, so again the mayor moved forward. But now we are literally on day ONE of the negative inhand test and now he’s requesting to pull out all together. Sorry but WTF? He has never given the system a fair shake purposely blaming travel related cases, but they haven’t all been travel. Alot have, there’s no doubt that no system is 100%. But The death was not travel related. I’m not diminishing a life, any life is precious, but the elderly man had no travel relations but the mayors office still hints that it is correlated to travel.
“This latest death occurred during a period of significant rise in case levels on the island, most of which a were travel related.” “this means there is new community transmission of covid 19 on the island for the first time since July”
So what were the 20cases from July to October? Travel related? When everyone was quarrantined? Look, I believe covid is real. I believe it is horrible for our at risk people. But it is also a fact from the CDC that you can test postive after being infected for up to 90 DAYS after. Considering there was 58 were confirmed postive cases but there was no outbreak? 1-4 positives a day, all of those people’s close contacts were traced but little to no word of any of those traced people being positive and infected. The mayor has always looked for an out period.
Margaret P
I echo Lynde’s comment about inadequate hospital needs that have seemingly gone unaddressed. At the beginning of the pandemic, Kauai had only 9 ICU beds. Nine months later, there are still only 9 ICU beds on the island.
Kauai received $28,715,55 in CARES Act funds. I wonder why some of that money hasn’t been spent on even a modest increase in ICU capability on the island (physical hospital facilities, equipment and staffing). It would be an investment in meeting the short-term and longer-term health needs of residents and visitors – not only to deal with the COVID crisis but also to provide care for other health conditions needing intensive care (e.g., heart attacks, strokes, injuries due to accidents or natural disasters).
CARES Act funds have rightly been spent on improving the lives of Kauai residents who are out of work or hungry due to the collapse of the visitor industry. Wouldn’t upgrading the ICU capacity of the hospital system be a logical use of those funds? Perhaps it’s planned, but I haven’t seen any announcements to that effect.
Greg R.
“Opting out of the Safe Travels program would be independent of our tier system, which means we could stay in Tier 4 for a longer period of time. It makes no logical sense for us to move tiers while still allowing more travelers. We shouldn’t penalize our local people by restricting activities, such as youth sports, when that’s not the current source of infection.”
If the rest of the country had this mentality then nobody would be allowed anywhere. Every City, Every County, and Every State, or any other jurisdiction/community for that matter, will become a Private Membership-Only Golf Club. Is this the future of post-Covid America?
What if there is a spike in cases reported in Poipu, should Princeville prohibit “travelers” from Poipu? I see a slippery slope in the making.
Pa d
Close it down
Tom B.
Right on Lynde C. I totally agree with everything you said.
Richard C
Aloha Guys
My guess is that the “We the People of Kauai” declaration has legs.
Can I make a suggestion to any tourists currently staying on Kauai who’re following this thread on BOH.
I’d make plans to get yourselves off that island before someone else dies of covid and this thing turns ugly.
Cf
Richard c its already gotten ugly. And now your making a direct threat to tourists to get off of kaui. Plain ignorant and wrong
If Hawaiians attack tourists as your suggesting the national guard will come in and locals could be segregated somehow from tourists. Its never happened before in recent history but i think that most people will follow us laws or face jail time etc as usual.
It would be radically turning back the clock and erasing any progress made in the state since monarchy days.
Barbara M
There’s been so many posts that basically say – “well, why don’t you just stay home” – and many of the more assertive ones have been from folks who live on Kauai. I’ve swallowed them all but now I just need to say something.
This summer would have been our 44th stay on Kauai in 25 years. Each stay has been between 2-3 weeks so you can do the math on how much time we’ve spent on the island.
We’re not privileged to live there – we have to live where we do – but for us Kauai is our escape, our safe place, our refuge. And I know that many of the posters here have talked about staying for month(s) or staying every year so they understand how we feel.
This summer I’ve had 7 surgeries, 8 days of hospital stays, septic shock with hallucinations that would blow your mind and as soon as that was over, having to deal with my husband’s episode of possible heart attack which was never resolved. We’ve dealt with being unemployed, being in lockdown, being bored out of our minds, simply watching our lives as we knew them disappear. We’re lucky. We’re surviving much better than most – obviously we can afford a Kauai trip – but everyone has lost something and our Kauai “bliss” is one of the things we’ve lost.
When I get off the plane in Kauai I always say “I just got my soul back”! And I was – am – so looking forward to that feeling of relief. Dancing hula in a studio is not the same as dancing on “our” beach! Laying under the stars at night off Poipu is undefinable.
We don’t come to Kauai to check another item off “1000 Places to See Before You Die”. We don’t come to Kauai to check off another waterfall or beach. We come to Kauai because it is where we find respite, delight, joy, calm and aloha.
I know traveling during the pandemic is probably not wise but at some point, we do have to try to take your life back.
I’m not sure exactly why I’m writing this but it seemed appropriate. Please don’t tell us to stay home – we’ll do everything possible to not do that!
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Barbara.
Thanks for your many comments. We’re sorry to hear about your health issues, and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.
Aloha.
Leslie C
Well said, Barbara! Sorry you have faced so many health challenges this year and Hopefully things are turning around.
Barbara M
LESLIE C…
Perhaps I shouldn’t have focused on the health issues as all is well at this point. But I just wanted to express how much Kauai means to a lot of us. It’s not just a “vacation”! It’s “going home” to a place of joy.
Gary S
Like so many other states with a rise in cases government leaders need to take a firmer hand. pre-and post travel tests, with quarantines required between, have to be a necessary aspect of ALL travel. The expense can placed on to the traveler. Yes it will inhibit some travelers but better some safe island tourism than none at all. Tourism will increase as Island safety is more secure
Scott
Kiss you political asperations beyond Kauai good bye
Tom
Unlike the Mainland, you have the opportunity to stop this, as you did for most of the pandemic. Unfortunately, Kauai (and maybe Hawaii?) needs to lock down now. You can contract trace and quarantine the 58 cases and their contacts. In a month or so, you may be back down to a few cases. But if you continue to let tourists and even residents returning from the Mainland on the Island, you are facing a potential tsunami that you won’t be able to manage (hospitalizations). I agree with Letters to the Editor in the Garden News, Gov Ige needs to use some CARE funds to financially support Kauai until travelers and residents are vaccinated. Aloha
Jared X
My thoughts? He’s a moron.
Leslie C
Aloha,
Our family trip to France this spring was cancelled due to Covid. Instead of spending our money in Europe, we decided to keep it within the US and spend it on the lovely island of Kauai. Our trip is in less than 20 days, but the ever changing requirements for travel to Hawaii are overwhelming. Open for tourism or don’t, but make a decision.
Sarah R
Hi Leslie,
Kauai tried to open for people insisting on traveling during a pandemic both resident and visitor without the 14 day quarantine which was proven effective to stop the spread but the safe travels program has proven not to be so safe for Kauai and we could soon have an overwhelmed hospital (note the singular) with the capabilities to treat COVID-19 cases. The healthcare system on Kauai is already extremely limited and bringing the back the 14 day quarantine is the only the way to try and ensure that the island can ensure medical care for all with or without large numbers of COVID-19 cases.
This is less about tourism and more about traveling in general but yes it impacts the tourism industry must directly. While tourists are back that sector of the economy isn’t booming….. But after the Governor refused to provide an answer to Kauai’s mayor proposed
much safer two test program, the mayor ( who has support from his county council) was left no choose but to ask opt out! Maybe the governor will meet the mayor and country in the middle and approve us to try out the two test with 72 hour quarantine program rather granting his request to completely opt out?
Hope everything works out for you the way want it to but if you want a stress free pandemic travel experience trying to come to Kauai right now isn’t going to be it! If you really want to travel to the Hawaiian islands in 20 days maybe try a different island where the Mayor isn’t actively trying to opt out of the state’s current state travel program. Just a suggestion 😉
Donald
Sounds like a confused state of affairs. Maybe the guvner needs to take a pandemic management course!
Kevin
So sick of this back and forth. Really, all of these lockdowns really don’t seam to make a difference. Nobody really knows and those who profess to do dont know either.
Dan S
A challenging situation for all parties and difficult to find a win-win for residents, travelers, airlines and, of course the various island businesses – from lodging to restaurants and all who survive on just the right combination of culture and commerce. We just submitted our Covid tests today to Azova and are hoping for the results before our Friday flight from Seattle to Lihue. A designated “trusted partner,” Costco/Azova, at considerable time, trouble and expense, we are pressing on in the hope that arrival before Dec 1 (on Nov 27), we will be able to enjoy our stay on the island through our return on Dec 8.
Joshua A.
I applaud our Kauai mayor, he knows how this island can manage to get through the spiking covid cases before our hospitals are maxed out. And then open the doors up again so businesses can resume operation. Thank you Derek for common sense. I was on the mainland recently (it is crazy there), jumped through all the hoops to test twice, followed the cdc guidelines to a T. But as I go about on Kauai now I see many visitors congregated and not masked. One more thing, residents here help each other through times like this, no food? Come eat. The beauty of a small community.
Barbara M
Our thoughts… Oh well – there’s goes 01/07/21. I understand the conundrum but I also keep in daily touch with numerous FB friends on Kauai who are hurting financially like they never thought they would. You can’t have it both ways – tourist with $$$ but possible infections or no tourists and no $$$.
Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth… This is not just a tourist problem. Nearly half of our recent travel cases are Kauai residents who returned home.”
Jeanne F
Kauai is not unique,we need a Statewide approach. This is so drastic for visitors,and residents are held hostage.
Comments are closed.
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I do have a follow up question for BOH cause this has confused me since opening, Can Kauai choose to pull out of the safe travels program at anytime if the mayor wants? Or does he have to have approval from the governor? When Hawaii was about to open it sounded like each county had the option to opt out? But then I was told since they opted-in, they can’t opt-out without governor sign off. But then when the kauai mayor gave his last 2 demands it sounded like he threatened to opt-out if they weren’t met.
I’m confused. Are they just trying to theeaten as much as possible to make people cancel they’re plans?
Hi Lynde.
Good question. We aren’t sure. But here’s what we think. If the mayor had proceeded through the ‘tiers’ that were to determine what is open and what isn’t, including travel, then he ‘might’ not have needed additional approval. And, if the mayor could have opted out we ‘think’ he would have. The governor has been outspoken as recently as last week about any new rulings needing to be approved by the state. We’ll be learning more soon, that’s one thing we can count on. Thanks for all your comments.
Aloha.
I give up !! Even though I had resigned my self to not going to Hawaii until 2022. I caved and was looking at coming in early Spring.
But this Constant back and forth and always changing the rules has become ridiculous!! It’s not worth the headache. I’ll just stick with maybe 2022.
Thanks guys at BOH for always delivering the crazy news of Hawaii to us. Better days are ahead ….
I hope.
Mahalo
Hi Donna.
We are sorry to be harbingers of bad news. Yes, we concur, better days are ahead.
Aloha.
Don’t be sorry. You guys at BOH are great! You’re always on top of what’s going on with travel to Hawaii. I always appreciate the info even when it’s not good. Takes the guess work out of whether or not to book a trip.
Much appreciation to you all.
Stay safe we’ll all get through this.
I so agree with you Donna! We are scheduled in February for 24 days. We will make our final decision mid January. I have not been since 2019 and I’m looking forward to being there again. But the anxiety of all these changes and that one could easily happen between our decision and travel day….has me second guessing my plans.
I’m brokenhearted to learn of the 58 covid cases on Kauai and especially the one loss of life. I am of the view that there is no way to guarantee or significantly minimize safety on the islands – especially during this horrific surge of covid on the mainland – with only a pre-flight covid test. We all know that results represent only a very narrow point in time. What happens to people during the 72 hours after they test? How many people are boarding flights who are actually positive? If there is no mandatory post-arrival testing and quarantining until that time, there is obviously significant risk of people bringing covid to Hawaii – especially now. I also question using valuable resources for covid testing for vacation purposes, when there are people with symptoms having a difficult time getting covid testing done on a timely basis. This is all a big mess. There needs to be support for the Hawaiian economy through state and federal assistance, vs. endangering people’s lives via tourism. I suggest going to invest.hawaii.gov for links to a number of online shopping opportunities for made-in-Hawaii products, which will help support the Hawaiian economy. It’s not the complete answer, but it’s something.
My thoughts and suggestions would be to replace wishy washy Hawaiian govt and have it be run by the federal government or an extension of another state ie Massachusetts or California.
These states are clear and concise with laws and for mostpart unwavering. Ideally South Dakota could govern hawaii with no restrictions on travel or residents and tourists. I dont see that happening with fear mongering though, but would be nice.
I agree most restrictions should have been federal across the board. But California is clear and concise? Thats a joke. I live in Alameda County, East Bay. We went from purple to red to orange in a matter of weeks. Opening up everything, but weeks later we’re told their is a “surge” which is largely southern CA, and the governor still put us in the bay area back to purple tier with a 1 day warning, even tho we still have close to the same average of cases daily, still at 2.8% postivity rate, oh and we have a lovely curfew. But its not truely a purple tier because they made a list of what can stay open that wasnt originally on the purple tier based on whatever they wanted to base it on. There is nothing clear and concise about CA. We are one of the strictest states with the most restrictions starting last March and yet still have the 2nd highest cases. No one should model CA or our governor. I’m a democrat and am embarrased by Newsome.
What is irritating is that Kauai had since March last year to bring in adequate hospital needs. Hawaii as a whole had since before August to October to get enough trustedpartners that should have been contracted to gaurantee test result within 48hrs to make the 72hrs a success. They should have required the negative test in hand to surpass the quarrantine from the start. But none of that happened. And no disrepect to Kauai locals but the mayor signed off with a tier proposal to be apart of the safe travels program & didn’t even get a month in or move tiers before requesting more demands. Then the 2nd test wasnnt approved but the negative test in hand was, so again the mayor moved forward. But now we are literally on day ONE of the negative inhand test and now he’s requesting to pull out all together. Sorry but WTF? He has never given the system a fair shake purposely blaming travel related cases, but they haven’t all been travel. Alot have, there’s no doubt that no system is 100%. But The death was not travel related. I’m not diminishing a life, any life is precious, but the elderly man had no travel relations but the mayors office still hints that it is correlated to travel.
“This latest death occurred during a period of significant rise in case levels on the island, most of which a were travel related.” “this means there is new community transmission of covid 19 on the island for the first time since July”
So what were the 20cases from July to October? Travel related? When everyone was quarrantined? Look, I believe covid is real. I believe it is horrible for our at risk people. But it is also a fact from the CDC that you can test postive after being infected for up to 90 DAYS after. Considering there was 58 were confirmed postive cases but there was no outbreak? 1-4 positives a day, all of those people’s close contacts were traced but little to no word of any of those traced people being positive and infected. The mayor has always looked for an out period.
I echo Lynde’s comment about inadequate hospital needs that have seemingly gone unaddressed. At the beginning of the pandemic, Kauai had only 9 ICU beds. Nine months later, there are still only 9 ICU beds on the island.
Kauai received $28,715,55 in CARES Act funds. I wonder why some of that money hasn’t been spent on even a modest increase in ICU capability on the island (physical hospital facilities, equipment and staffing). It would be an investment in meeting the short-term and longer-term health needs of residents and visitors – not only to deal with the COVID crisis but also to provide care for other health conditions needing intensive care (e.g., heart attacks, strokes, injuries due to accidents or natural disasters).
CARES Act funds have rightly been spent on improving the lives of Kauai residents who are out of work or hungry due to the collapse of the visitor industry. Wouldn’t upgrading the ICU capacity of the hospital system be a logical use of those funds? Perhaps it’s planned, but I haven’t seen any announcements to that effect.
“Opting out of the Safe Travels program would be independent of our tier system, which means we could stay in Tier 4 for a longer period of time. It makes no logical sense for us to move tiers while still allowing more travelers. We shouldn’t penalize our local people by restricting activities, such as youth sports, when that’s not the current source of infection.”
If the rest of the country had this mentality then nobody would be allowed anywhere. Every City, Every County, and Every State, or any other jurisdiction/community for that matter, will become a Private Membership-Only Golf Club. Is this the future of post-Covid America?
What if there is a spike in cases reported in Poipu, should Princeville prohibit “travelers” from Poipu? I see a slippery slope in the making.
Close it down
Right on Lynde C. I totally agree with everything you said.
Aloha Guys
My guess is that the “We the People of Kauai” declaration has legs.
Can I make a suggestion to any tourists currently staying on Kauai who’re following this thread on BOH.
I’d make plans to get yourselves off that island before someone else dies of covid and this thing turns ugly.
Richard c its already gotten ugly. And now your making a direct threat to tourists to get off of kaui. Plain ignorant and wrong
If Hawaiians attack tourists as your suggesting the national guard will come in and locals could be segregated somehow from tourists. Its never happened before in recent history but i think that most people will follow us laws or face jail time etc as usual.
It would be radically turning back the clock and erasing any progress made in the state since monarchy days.
There’s been so many posts that basically say – “well, why don’t you just stay home” – and many of the more assertive ones have been from folks who live on Kauai. I’ve swallowed them all but now I just need to say something.
This summer would have been our 44th stay on Kauai in 25 years. Each stay has been between 2-3 weeks so you can do the math on how much time we’ve spent on the island.
We’re not privileged to live there – we have to live where we do – but for us Kauai is our escape, our safe place, our refuge. And I know that many of the posters here have talked about staying for month(s) or staying every year so they understand how we feel.
This summer I’ve had 7 surgeries, 8 days of hospital stays, septic shock with hallucinations that would blow your mind and as soon as that was over, having to deal with my husband’s episode of possible heart attack which was never resolved. We’ve dealt with being unemployed, being in lockdown, being bored out of our minds, simply watching our lives as we knew them disappear. We’re lucky. We’re surviving much better than most – obviously we can afford a Kauai trip – but everyone has lost something and our Kauai “bliss” is one of the things we’ve lost.
When I get off the plane in Kauai I always say “I just got my soul back”! And I was – am – so looking forward to that feeling of relief. Dancing hula in a studio is not the same as dancing on “our” beach! Laying under the stars at night off Poipu is undefinable.
We don’t come to Kauai to check another item off “1000 Places to See Before You Die”. We don’t come to Kauai to check off another waterfall or beach. We come to Kauai because it is where we find respite, delight, joy, calm and aloha.
I know traveling during the pandemic is probably not wise but at some point, we do have to try to take your life back.
I’m not sure exactly why I’m writing this but it seemed appropriate. Please don’t tell us to stay home – we’ll do everything possible to not do that!
Hi Barbara.
Thanks for your many comments. We’re sorry to hear about your health issues, and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.
Aloha.
Well said, Barbara! Sorry you have faced so many health challenges this year and Hopefully things are turning around.
LESLIE C…
Perhaps I shouldn’t have focused on the health issues as all is well at this point. But I just wanted to express how much Kauai means to a lot of us. It’s not just a “vacation”! It’s “going home” to a place of joy.
Like so many other states with a rise in cases government leaders need to take a firmer hand. pre-and post travel tests, with quarantines required between, have to be a necessary aspect of ALL travel. The expense can placed on to the traveler. Yes it will inhibit some travelers but better some safe island tourism than none at all. Tourism will increase as Island safety is more secure
Kiss you political asperations beyond Kauai good bye
Unlike the Mainland, you have the opportunity to stop this, as you did for most of the pandemic. Unfortunately, Kauai (and maybe Hawaii?) needs to lock down now. You can contract trace and quarantine the 58 cases and their contacts. In a month or so, you may be back down to a few cases. But if you continue to let tourists and even residents returning from the Mainland on the Island, you are facing a potential tsunami that you won’t be able to manage (hospitalizations). I agree with Letters to the Editor in the Garden News, Gov Ige needs to use some CARE funds to financially support Kauai until travelers and residents are vaccinated. Aloha
My thoughts? He’s a moron.
Aloha,
Our family trip to France this spring was cancelled due to Covid. Instead of spending our money in Europe, we decided to keep it within the US and spend it on the lovely island of Kauai. Our trip is in less than 20 days, but the ever changing requirements for travel to Hawaii are overwhelming. Open for tourism or don’t, but make a decision.
Hi Leslie,
Kauai tried to open for people insisting on traveling during a pandemic both resident and visitor without the 14 day quarantine which was proven effective to stop the spread but the safe travels program has proven not to be so safe for Kauai and we could soon have an overwhelmed hospital (note the singular) with the capabilities to treat COVID-19 cases. The healthcare system on Kauai is already extremely limited and bringing the back the 14 day quarantine is the only the way to try and ensure that the island can ensure medical care for all with or without large numbers of COVID-19 cases.
This is less about tourism and more about traveling in general but yes it impacts the tourism industry must directly. While tourists are back that sector of the economy isn’t booming….. But after the Governor refused to provide an answer to Kauai’s mayor proposed
much safer two test program, the mayor ( who has support from his county council) was left no choose but to ask opt out! Maybe the governor will meet the mayor and country in the middle and approve us to try out the two test with 72 hour quarantine program rather granting his request to completely opt out?
Hope everything works out for you the way want it to but if you want a stress free pandemic travel experience trying to come to Kauai right now isn’t going to be it! If you really want to travel to the Hawaiian islands in 20 days maybe try a different island where the Mayor isn’t actively trying to opt out of the state’s current state travel program. Just a suggestion 😉
Sounds like a confused state of affairs. Maybe the guvner needs to take a pandemic management course!
So sick of this back and forth. Really, all of these lockdowns really don’t seam to make a difference. Nobody really knows and those who profess to do dont know either.
A challenging situation for all parties and difficult to find a win-win for residents, travelers, airlines and, of course the various island businesses – from lodging to restaurants and all who survive on just the right combination of culture and commerce. We just submitted our Covid tests today to Azova and are hoping for the results before our Friday flight from Seattle to Lihue. A designated “trusted partner,” Costco/Azova, at considerable time, trouble and expense, we are pressing on in the hope that arrival before Dec 1 (on Nov 27), we will be able to enjoy our stay on the island through our return on Dec 8.
I applaud our Kauai mayor, he knows how this island can manage to get through the spiking covid cases before our hospitals are maxed out. And then open the doors up again so businesses can resume operation. Thank you Derek for common sense. I was on the mainland recently (it is crazy there), jumped through all the hoops to test twice, followed the cdc guidelines to a T. But as I go about on Kauai now I see many visitors congregated and not masked. One more thing, residents here help each other through times like this, no food? Come eat. The beauty of a small community.
Our thoughts… Oh well – there’s goes 01/07/21. I understand the conundrum but I also keep in daily touch with numerous FB friends on Kauai who are hurting financially like they never thought they would. You can’t have it both ways – tourist with $$$ but possible infections or no tourists and no $$$.
Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth… This is not just a tourist problem. Nearly half of our recent travel cases are Kauai residents who returned home.”
Kauai is not unique,we need a Statewide approach. This is so drastic for visitors,and residents are held hostage.