204 thoughts on “Breaking: Kauai Proposes Complete Travel Shutdown”
Linda C
We are looking forward to visiting Hawaii, again. It is our favorite place, as I lived in Honolulu as a child. We are praying for all of you! The safety of the people of Hawaii is upmost importance.
God Bless!
We are looking forward to visiting Hawaii, again. It is our favorite place, as I lived in Honolulu as a child. We are praying for all of you! The safety of the people of Hawaii is upmost importance.
God Bless!
Before everyone beats up on Mayor Kawakami let’s have a little history lesson; after stopping Covid in it’s tracks here with a quarantine and curfew, the Mayor took a lot of time to develop a plan to keep our island safe and make it a safe destination for travelers and returning residents. This involved testing 72 hours prior to arrival and a short 3 day quarantine upon arrival while a required second test was processed upon landing. The Mayor even bought 15,000 second test kits for use with his program. This well thought out plan was turned down by the “illustrious” governor of this state. Mayor Kawakami then had to scramble to come up with the current plan which of course is not keeping Covid at bay on the island. Had his original plan been approved I am certain that Covid would not be out of control here and we would be slowly continuing to re open. But thanks to the governor we will now be shut down. So if you are looking to place blame, blame our lovely governor and Lt governor, the Mayor is a very intelligent individual who has a committee of doctors and business leaders advising him and so far has done an excellent job unless the “higher ups” interfere with him.
Doug, there’s been precious few post-arrival traveler positive tests in which their pre-travel test was negative. Those arriving without their pre-travel test results were being sent straight to room-arrest, and stayed in room arrest when their positive results were received. Nothing would be any different under the Kawakami plan. What would be different – and you know this – is that way fewer non-residents would bother traveling to Kauai. As you also know, the “3 days” will turn into 4 or 5 even under best circumstances. Now, maybe that is what you and the mayor both want, but it would not restart any meaningful tourist travel to Kauai, which is what Ige was trying to do.
Maybe a compromise, such as at least allowing the first 4-5 days of quarantine to be served at a house or condo with multiple bedrooms, a kitchen, more space, some outdoor yard area.
Doug-
Well thought out plan??? Your talking of someone who didn’t think to put the money to more hospital upgrades, beds, work etc in the face of a pandemic on an island?!?!. Someone who thought the best plan was to lock out the world so half the island had no revenue. You may think 72hrs in quarrantine is no big deal but it is to most people traveling. The safe travel program isn’t perfect, they should have had negative in hand tests at start and labs that garraunteed quick turn around. You think 2 or 3 cases a day of people who obviously have not been sick enough to be in the hospital since only about 2/3 of the 58 have been in the hospital for no longer then a day or so and 0 are in the hospital now? To where anyone who has had the virus can test positive for up to 90 days after? For a county of over 70k people? Thats covid running rapid? There is no county in the US who has locked down with your numbers no matter if your an island or not. allowing people to not quarrantine and business’ finally create a revenue, how horrible your governent is being, shame on them. If our family Grove Farm wasn’t on Kauai I wouldn’t bother ever coming there with the mindset you have. Kauai is a beautiful place that no one is trying to intentionally bring harm on, everyone is doing their best to get back on our feet in a safe manner. Nothing is 100%.
Your comment in reply to Doug shows your fundamental lack of understanding of Kauai and how things work here. Yes hospital and medical capacity on Kauai needs to be addressed, COVID or no-Covid but nothing on Kauai get’s built in 7 months let alone a medical faculty especially during a global pandemic. But the reason for Kauai to be extra cautious comes from the fact that the one major hospital is already close to being filled with life’s normal illnesses’s and it don’t have capacity to tackle the even more than a handful of COVID-19 cases.
Because of the strict early lockdowns, Kauai was the first of Hawaiian islands lift the strong Covid restrictions and for 7 months the cases remained low because of the lack of travelers and basic commends rules of masks and no large gatherings. Now with the safe travels program in 5 weeks Kauai has had the same number of cases that if did in 7 months. Not locking down is actually what the re-introduction of the 14 day quarantine is about: Keeping the island open for those live Kauai.
The county isn’t banning travel just asking that you spend 14 days in quarantine which has proved the safest way to ensure that there is limit spread.
And David B- yes comprise is needed which why when Mayor Kawakami’s original safe travel program and then new emergency rule #22 were proposed, it was to create a safe two test program to meet Kauai’s needs. It is frustrating that these program where meet resistance from the Governor and not approved which is what had lead to the request in Emergency Rule #23 because that does stop tourism… or at least those willing to spend two weeks in quarantine. Mayor Kawakami is willing to find compromise to open travel safely for Kauai but hasn’t found a partner in Governor IGE. People quarantining at vacation rentals might be able to happen if people are willing to wear the failed resort bubble anklets from another failed Kawakami proposal to restart tourism in the islands.
Sarah- don’t assume peoples’ knowledge of fundamentals, we know kauai plenty, my husbands family created the Grove Farm plantation, he grew up spending time there and we still have family there which was the reasoning of our trip. Other than being an island, you are no different than any other state of the US where most states used funding for extended makeshift hospital facilities and workers to be prepared. You don’t need to erect a whole hospital in 7months. My husbad also works for Stanford Hospital so our family knows first hand the hospital front. We are all aware as how many of these situations in 2020 have divided sides of what people want. At this point 14 days of quarrantine has not enabled visitors to use rentals, but keep them locked down in hotel rooms. Pretending that a quarrantine for 14days or even 3days for people who have already spent thousands is no big deal when your mayor decided to move forward with a tier proposal he had no intention of keeping doesn’t just hurt travelers it hurts the people of Kauai who don’t share your point of view and needed that revenue. Obviously I am not going to change your point of view which is ok, and whatever happens moving forward with Kauai is what happens.
Mahalo Mayor Kawakami for all of your thoughtfulness through this time when you had to make a choice. Wealth or Health. From the beginning you have always been for the safety of our people and our Island. Our Mayor isn’t stupid he doesn’t want our economy to go down he wants our economy to go up and that can’t happen until we have a healthy place to live. This is a hard time for all of us including myself who is not working cause of covid or traveling but this is not going to go away unless we all work together. We need to support and thank a mayor who cares more about the people then he does about the money. And to all you visitors who think we are being disrespectful without aloha,we would just ask for you to be respectful to us and come back when the virus is over and we will be here with Aloha.
Testing, testing, testing. Its the only way to stop the coronavirus. Low cost mass rapid testing will find the people who are contagious and from there isolate and trace back to the source. I would welcome any opportunity to take a low cost rapid test and everyone should in order to stop this pandemic. Give me one when I get off the plane. I’d take one everyday I was on the island in order to persevere the sanctity of the paradise called Kauai. Testing is the key to stopping this, and keeping the island open for business
Well I was very disappointed And sad when our much-needed 2-week vacation to Kauai this past summer was canceled. We hesitantly booked a two week trip to the big island for next year. I’m now wondering if we’ll ever make it back to the islands. 😢
I wish a final decision would be made before I spend $129.00 covid19 testing fee and not be able use the diagnose for flight. Which I would have to pay another $129.00 If the required rule is set again at a later date. It is stressful enough worrying about getting the results back in time to meet the required 72 hours with the negative documentation.
As an inventor and scientist it seems that common sense goes out the window when it comes to problem solving on testing. There is no need to destroy the islands small businesses that are just reopening, the residents livelihoods and Kauai’s already fragile slowly reopening economy with a quarantine that will simply result in no one coming. The need to to maximize the residents protection is critical. Yes, a tiny percentage have slipped through the cracks and have been found positive at 7 days with a second test that were negative with the first 3 day test. The ones who traveled and then received the positive results has been solved since the results must be uploaded before boarding the plane. The simple solution that balances the residents welfare medically and their welfare financially is to require 2 mainland tests before travel. People will need to pay for 2 tests anyways if the mayor has his way. One slower less costly test at 7 to 10 days as decided by the wise sages in power. The results will be back in plenty of time. Providing it is a negative result then a second more costly rapid test at 3 days before boarding the plane. That will catch a very high percentage of those who went positive after arrival on a test 2 at 7 days. This will accomplish what the mayor wants and the islands need. It raises protection for the residents, the airline and airport employees as well as those on the plane. Yes, it is still statistically possible that someone could still become infected in that 3 days before travel but it is a far smaller percentage than currently with 2 negatives between 7 to 10 days before travel. A small percentage will say it is too much of a hassle but it will not drive away that people from coming. it may balance as a plus since travelers will know there is much less chance of being infected by flying. two tests before travel makes much more common sense then 1 before and one after arrival.
MOUNQUE B… Excellent thoughts – if one, as a traveller, lives somewhere where all that is feasible – which 90% of the visiting population doesn’t! Nor can many people afford all that testing. It is costing us $400 plus the expense of three extra nights of stay out of town before we fly to be able to pull off the “simple” testing that is required now before flying!
Bottom line. Let we not forget that this virus that spread over the whole world started with one person in less than a year. Just like one match can burn down a city or forest and take lives. But is eventually controlled and ended with counter measures. The vaccine’s that are now on the horizon I am hoping will be the final dosing to end all of this. Science is tossing us a life preserver. Take the vaccine. As the old saying goes. The life you save, may be your own. Or stay on the bus going to the point of no return.
Who’s backing mayor Kawakami’s push to opt Kauai out of receiving tourist?
Kawakami is a professional politician with aspirations for a run at Hawaii’s governors seat in 2022 he’s not going to make a decision like this without a majority backing him.
So who is it? It’s not local business owners or corporate resort owners or airlines or short term rental condo owners or anyone who relies on tourism for their living.
So who is either the money or group pushing for this closure?
Thanks for commenting your perspective but Kauai is welcoming tourists and returned residents travelers alike but many community members including some county council members are supportive of returning to the 14 day quarantine and opting out of safe travels program. Heck Mayor Kawamaki’s opponent in the last mayoral race is active and load supporter of the Mayor’s COVID safety efforts !!
Eric N, a business owner here just his perspective and support of Mayor Kawakami!
It appears that businesses and individuals ok with bring tourism back don’t have a seat at the table. As Catherine & Deb have pointed out it seems the interest of one very rich techie is the man behind the curtain.
Creating fear among the voting senior and entitlement population with money from a rich techie seems to be a winning hand for politicians these days.
Mahalo Mayor🌴. You are one of the few leaders in the world that holds the health of it’s citizens as a priority. Second, Vacations Hawaii and other such travel businesses promoting vacations to Las Vegas should be banned from promoting these trips. Shame on all media outlets that are advertising their services.
I am a retail shop owner on Kauai. My business is 99% tourism. With the reopening of tourism my business has started to come back in a good way. Unfortunately I don’t think it is worth the risk of our health on our beautiful island to allow this virus to get out of control. Prior to the opening of the safe travels program our Covid numbers were basically nothing and were in control. Now it is getting out of control at a very fast rate. Derick Kawakami has done an awesome job so far keeping us safe and a big mahalo to him. Our health is the main priority on this island, without it we can’t do anything. We are Kauai and we can make it through anything even if our businesses need to stay closed until we get through this pandemic. Let’s all do our part to keep Kauai safe. Mahalo
Honestly, the people of Kauai and Hawaii are simply getting what they deserve – they are, still, calling for the government to take away more freedoms, do more lockdowns, force more mask wearing, spitting in the face of all actual science. This – even as the economy has been permanently hampered, and people are committing suicide.
Perhaps, and Im just spitballing here – perhaps the fact that Hawaii is the dumbest state in the Union with an average IQ of only 95 plays a key role in the it.
I think the Mayor is doing a fantastic job trying to protect the people on his Island!
Without your health, you don’t have the ability to run any business, do any work. He has his priorities straight and stands up strong against insurmountable pressure from a world thinking only in terms of dollars.
He’s gets my support, and will get my vote in the future!
If this virus was killing our young children, every mother mother out there would be out protesting to stop it. Thank God one of our officials is thinking clearly and trying to protect our life’s. No matter how much money you get, it doesn’t help if you die.
You guys should check and see exactly why Hawaii is rabies free. (2 week quarrentine) One other thing, why is HPD writing locals $5000 tickets for non essential travel, when they are flying in thousands of non essential travellers?
This is distressing news that the Mayor of Kauai Derek Kawakami would resort to such Draconian measures just when our businesses here in Kauai are beginning to reopen (at high financial risk and cost). I work for one of the Major Airlines, and if this happens, you might as well forget about “direct” flights to and from the Mainland. All flights will come into and depart from Honolulu ( a major hassel!!). You need to give the Safe Travels Hawai’i a chance to work. It will work if we’re all mindful of each other, wearing a mask, socially distant, washings hands often, etc…
We own a Condo here, and just to get the COVID Test before we left the Mainland (@$139/person), to schedule it within the 72 hour window, was both nerve wracking and costly. People won’t come here, business will fail, people’s lively hood will be lost, then you’ll have worse problems. Protect the sickest, but the vast majority most people can and will recover!
Kauai gave the safe travels program a chance to work…. and it isn’t working for Kauai to keep COVID from spreading as ours cases basically doubled in 5 weeks!
Even during the 14 day quarantine there were direct flights to Kauai from the mainland… and I expect that will remain the case if the Governor approves the request for Kauai to opt out of the safe travels program.
Sorry that you found travel as part of the safe travels program nerve wracking and costly but choosing to travel during a pandemic should come with risk and cost… it helps to discourage people from doing it 😉
Im sorry Sarah but Kauai has not given it a chance. It is not difficult to double your cases when at the moment this program started the number was 0. And I’m not stating 0 due to quarrantine since your island still had 20 cases from July-October. To think that this program would bring 0 cases is ridiculous and wasn’t even stated that way. It was stated this program was to start travel and economy up slowly with as little risk as possible. 1/2 the cases were travelers that hadn’t recieved their tests yet and that has been rectified starting yesterday. And that has not been given a shot.
My son used Hawaiian Air’s Worksite Lab by LAX. Paid $90 and received test results in less than 20 hours (they guarantee results within 36 hours). He was one of their first customers on opening day so maybe he lucked out because they’renot backed up yet?? Not sure. Anyways after one lost Vault test and two cancelled AFC appointments because they ran out of rapid tests, my son is finally on his way! Big shout out to Hawaiian Air for helping their customers solve the testing issue. I will be forever grateful to them that my son will be able to join the rest of our family at our home in Kauai for Thanksgiving!
I agree ,we should shut it down until the Nation has a handle on the Covid situation,
Not only here but abroad.Let the vaccine do it’s job and then decide how to move forward.
Boycott Hawaii until the Islands adopt a reasonable policy that makes it impossible for people to plan their vacations, or confines them to hotel rooms for the entirety of their stay! These policies have no basis in science. Should we ban driving because even one person dies in an accident?
Kauai’s policies are based in science and data which is why they are asking to governor to opt out of the Safe Travels program because it isn’t proving safe. Yes there is risk in life but this decision wasn’t about the one death which is extremely sad but rather going back to the policy that was proven to prevent community spread and mitigate transfer if a person was infected as a result of travel.
It is not based on science & data, its based on fear. my brother is a biochemist in infectious diseases with papers written in scientific journals for covid and vaccine, and he thinks how Kauai mayor is handling this is a joke. You can have a positive test for up to 90days after having the virus but not contagious after 10. The mayor and governor did the right thing in requiring a negative test in-hand which should have been from the start. Out of the 58 with positive tests how many of those in contact that were traced actually contracted it? None that I have heard of or serached. 27 have been visitors and 21 have been residents. The other 10 cases have been residents who did not have any history of travel. Not only do they not have travel history, they had no history of being in contact with anyone that traveled. same with the elderly man who passed. Covid doesnt just appear out of thin air. There could have been asymptomatic people on island or people under the weather that just didnt test because everyone thought they were safe by locking travelers out and quarranting. Kauai has the lowest mask wearing percent at 73% a week ago. And their are plenty of health advisors that would state the opposite of Kauai’s health advisor. There is plenty of “science & data” to go either way depending on what you are argueing for, period.
Please do not allow this Mayor to make decisions for Kauai and residents and Travelers….This will definitely put Kauai back in the sad place of No revenue and no jobs for residents!
Businesses have been closing right and left and now expect more and more if they limit travel to 14 day quarantine! This will crush the economy and put more and more folks in terrible situations financially and also emotionally! We are all worried but travel can be safe and one death is not any kind of measure to close down travel!
I have not been to my Kauai home in 11 months! I want to return to my second home for 27 yrs..We love the island and the folks…Be Safe everyone and Be Smart…
You are welcome to travel to your Kauai home at anytime, you just have to follow the county’s rules whether that be participating in the safe travels or doing the 14 day quarantine.
But if you feel that you don’t want to travel for whatever reason right now there are still able to support the island by making food bank donations or buying products from local business over the internet. Just a thought!
Still one of the major issues on Kaua’i Is the wearing of masks by both tourists and locals.
Outdoor and indoor dining without masks is a super spreader event. See many restaurants with tables close together and no one wearing their masks.
Masks should be removed only when food has arrived and put on right after finishing meal.
Arguments from both sides are appropriate coming with their own set of economic challenges. However, it is the health & welfare of Kauai that is paramount. It’s a tough situation Mayor Derrick is in, but that is his job. That said, could something in the middle work? A Travel plan requiring 2-tests and quarantine; the 1st, a required Neg. pre-arrival, a second 5-day post-arrival (free paid for by State’s Corona Virus Reserve Fund). A mandatory 7-day quarantine until 2nd test result prove Neg. If 2nd test is Positive, the 7-day turns into a 14-day quarantine. This could address issues on both side of this argument while maintaining the interest of Kauai 1st.
Thanks for your comment about the “A Travel plan requiring 2-tests and quarantine; the 1st, a required Neg. pre-arrival, a second 5-day post-arrival (free paid for by State’s Corona Virus Reserve Fund). A mandatory 7-day quarantine until 2nd test result prove Neg. If 2nd test is Positive, the 7-day turns into a 14-day quarantine”. This is actually very similar to the proposal Kauai’s Mayor sent to the Governor last week the major difference being that it was a 3 day quarantine in-between the two tests. Note the the Governor has chosen not to provide an approval to the program Kauai Emergency Rule #22 proposed which has caused Kauai’s mayor to send forward Emergency Rule #23 to governor for the temporary opt-out from the safe travel’s program.
I completely agree with you that a middle ground needs to be found for economy but also ensure that the causes on Kauai and other islands are kept under-control!
Sorry, most tourists will not travel if they are required to quarantine, even for a short period. The cost of a trip to Hawaii is just way too expensive.
Much is being made of ICU beds available. Luckily advances in medicine now result in far fewer infections requiring ICU, Intubations or indeed hospital attendance. However iN California and New York the military very quickly created ICU’s for the pandemic. There is substantial military presence on Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai. Could they not be deployed to set up an extra medical facility perhaps at Barking Sands or somewhere more adjacent to Wilcox. Not wishign to dramatize but the US Military has proved its excellence in doing this in other states on bigger scales. If this s an immediate concern, could the Governor not get medical support from the Services? Not of which stops the requirement that people follow the rules.
I’m not sure putting returning Hawaiian’s into quarantine will help much of anything, that’s where they would go in the first place. The real problem is that they need to practice good rules for covid. We are enjoying the Big Island in some ways it’s reminiscent of Hawaii twenty years ago. There’s a good many Japanese tourist here, who do practice good rules for covid, wish I could say the same for some of the locals.
Kawakami has done nothing but whine and keep his hands in his pockets. While also pulling them out to stuff them with our emergency funding. He has not sought to increase our medical infrastructure this whole time and still pouts about us having only 9 ICU beds. There is huge embezzlement going on here in Kauai and a statewide audit should be done on these criminals. Yes, you are a criminal if you restrict people’s constitutional rights when they have not committed a crime. Yes, you are a criminal too if you took emergency funds and backdoor’d them into your own account or your “business partners”. I cant wait to see the rich priss asses have to fight us survivors over the last cans of spam. You think a virus can kill. Wait till you see the Natural order on Kauai take effect.
Kawakami has done nothing but whine and keep his hands in his pockets. While also pulling them out to stuff them with our emergency funding. He has not sought to increase our medical infrastructure this whole time and still pouts about us having only 9 ICU beds. There is huge embezzlement going on here in Kauai and a statewide audit should be done on these criminals. Yes, you are a criminal if you restrict people’s constitutional rights when they have not committed a crime. Yes, ypu are a criminal too if you took emergency funds and backdoor’d them into your own account or your “business partners”. I cant wait to see the rich priss asses have to fight us survivors over the last cans of spam. You think a virus can kill. Wait till you see the Natural order on Kauai take effect.
I know I’m on the outside looking in, but this seems a little alarmist. Hawaii as a whole is the only state in the nation with decreasing COVID rates, and the number of positive cases arriving is lower than expected at the beginning of the pre testing in October.
Isolating the island won’t do any good if people still have indoor dining, large gatherings and don’t wear masks and appropriately distance.
Please correct me if there’s something I’m not seeing here.
Darick
Wake up…
Your lil shutdown won’t stop nor qwell the virus.
The state was effectively shut down for almost a year & look where we are, ground zero again.
This is tide & Time nothing else…
Wake up and smell the covid, the idiot your asking for help cannot make simple decisions & looks to a Ouji board for answers.
This is from The Garden Island this morning (11/25). It is the reason why testing negative before getting on a plane is warranted. HOWEVER, it doesn’t say what the measurement is for those 14 cases – how many months of accumulated data? And it doesn’t say whether these were tourists or residents returning home.
“Kaua‘i now has a cumulative case count of 119, of which 104 are confirmed locally, one is a probable case, and 14 are positive cases that were diagnosed elsewhere — with tests taken on the mainland where the positive results did not arrive until they were on-island.”
We are looking forward to visiting Hawaii, again. It is our favorite place, as I lived in Honolulu as a child. We are praying for all of you! The safety of the people of Hawaii is upmost importance.
God Bless!
We are looking forward to visiting Hawaii, again. It is our favorite place, as I lived in Honolulu as a child. We are praying for all of you! The safety of the people of Hawaii is upmost importance.
God Bless!
Before everyone beats up on Mayor Kawakami let’s have a little history lesson; after stopping Covid in it’s tracks here with a quarantine and curfew, the Mayor took a lot of time to develop a plan to keep our island safe and make it a safe destination for travelers and returning residents. This involved testing 72 hours prior to arrival and a short 3 day quarantine upon arrival while a required second test was processed upon landing. The Mayor even bought 15,000 second test kits for use with his program. This well thought out plan was turned down by the “illustrious” governor of this state. Mayor Kawakami then had to scramble to come up with the current plan which of course is not keeping Covid at bay on the island. Had his original plan been approved I am certain that Covid would not be out of control here and we would be slowly continuing to re open. But thanks to the governor we will now be shut down. So if you are looking to place blame, blame our lovely governor and Lt governor, the Mayor is a very intelligent individual who has a committee of doctors and business leaders advising him and so far has done an excellent job unless the “higher ups” interfere with him.
Doug, there’s been precious few post-arrival traveler positive tests in which their pre-travel test was negative. Those arriving without their pre-travel test results were being sent straight to room-arrest, and stayed in room arrest when their positive results were received. Nothing would be any different under the Kawakami plan. What would be different – and you know this – is that way fewer non-residents would bother traveling to Kauai. As you also know, the “3 days” will turn into 4 or 5 even under best circumstances. Now, maybe that is what you and the mayor both want, but it would not restart any meaningful tourist travel to Kauai, which is what Ige was trying to do.
Maybe a compromise, such as at least allowing the first 4-5 days of quarantine to be served at a house or condo with multiple bedrooms, a kitchen, more space, some outdoor yard area.
But, compromise is in short supply these days.
Doug-
Well thought out plan??? Your talking of someone who didn’t think to put the money to more hospital upgrades, beds, work etc in the face of a pandemic on an island?!?!. Someone who thought the best plan was to lock out the world so half the island had no revenue. You may think 72hrs in quarrantine is no big deal but it is to most people traveling. The safe travel program isn’t perfect, they should have had negative in hand tests at start and labs that garraunteed quick turn around. You think 2 or 3 cases a day of people who obviously have not been sick enough to be in the hospital since only about 2/3 of the 58 have been in the hospital for no longer then a day or so and 0 are in the hospital now? To where anyone who has had the virus can test positive for up to 90 days after? For a county of over 70k people? Thats covid running rapid? There is no county in the US who has locked down with your numbers no matter if your an island or not. allowing people to not quarrantine and business’ finally create a revenue, how horrible your governent is being, shame on them. If our family Grove Farm wasn’t on Kauai I wouldn’t bother ever coming there with the mindset you have. Kauai is a beautiful place that no one is trying to intentionally bring harm on, everyone is doing their best to get back on our feet in a safe manner. Nothing is 100%.
Lynde,
Your comment in reply to Doug shows your fundamental lack of understanding of Kauai and how things work here. Yes hospital and medical capacity on Kauai needs to be addressed, COVID or no-Covid but nothing on Kauai get’s built in 7 months let alone a medical faculty especially during a global pandemic. But the reason for Kauai to be extra cautious comes from the fact that the one major hospital is already close to being filled with life’s normal illnesses’s and it don’t have capacity to tackle the even more than a handful of COVID-19 cases.
Because of the strict early lockdowns, Kauai was the first of Hawaiian islands lift the strong Covid restrictions and for 7 months the cases remained low because of the lack of travelers and basic commends rules of masks and no large gatherings. Now with the safe travels program in 5 weeks Kauai has had the same number of cases that if did in 7 months. Not locking down is actually what the re-introduction of the 14 day quarantine is about: Keeping the island open for those live Kauai.
The county isn’t banning travel just asking that you spend 14 days in quarantine which has proved the safest way to ensure that there is limit spread.
And David B- yes comprise is needed which why when Mayor Kawakami’s original safe travel program and then new emergency rule #22 were proposed, it was to create a safe two test program to meet Kauai’s needs. It is frustrating that these program where meet resistance from the Governor and not approved which is what had lead to the request in Emergency Rule #23 because that does stop tourism… or at least those willing to spend two weeks in quarantine. Mayor Kawakami is willing to find compromise to open travel safely for Kauai but hasn’t found a partner in Governor IGE. People quarantining at vacation rentals might be able to happen if people are willing to wear the failed resort bubble anklets from another failed Kawakami proposal to restart tourism in the islands.
Hi Sarah.
We appreciate the time you’ve taken to leave comments over the past week.
It is important to point out, however, that you don’t represent Kauai or Beat of Hawaii or how other people feel. You speak for yourself.
As is obvious from a multitude of other comments, there are many differing and equally valid viewpoints.
Aloha.
Sarah- don’t assume peoples’ knowledge of fundamentals, we know kauai plenty, my husbands family created the Grove Farm plantation, he grew up spending time there and we still have family there which was the reasoning of our trip. Other than being an island, you are no different than any other state of the US where most states used funding for extended makeshift hospital facilities and workers to be prepared. You don’t need to erect a whole hospital in 7months. My husbad also works for Stanford Hospital so our family knows first hand the hospital front. We are all aware as how many of these situations in 2020 have divided sides of what people want. At this point 14 days of quarrantine has not enabled visitors to use rentals, but keep them locked down in hotel rooms. Pretending that a quarrantine for 14days or even 3days for people who have already spent thousands is no big deal when your mayor decided to move forward with a tier proposal he had no intention of keeping doesn’t just hurt travelers it hurts the people of Kauai who don’t share your point of view and needed that revenue. Obviously I am not going to change your point of view which is ok, and whatever happens moving forward with Kauai is what happens.
Gosh Sarah,have returning residents been wearing ankle bracelets like criminals while on quarantine at their homes all this time? I had no idea.
LYNDE C…
Bravo! (Brava? – sorry, can’t tell your gender) And how awesome it must be to have that lineage!
Mahalo Mayor Kawakami for all of your thoughtfulness through this time when you had to make a choice. Wealth or Health. From the beginning you have always been for the safety of our people and our Island. Our Mayor isn’t stupid he doesn’t want our economy to go down he wants our economy to go up and that can’t happen until we have a healthy place to live. This is a hard time for all of us including myself who is not working cause of covid or traveling but this is not going to go away unless we all work together. We need to support and thank a mayor who cares more about the people then he does about the money. And to all you visitors who think we are being disrespectful without aloha,we would just ask for you to be respectful to us and come back when the virus is over and we will be here with Aloha.
Testing, testing, testing. Its the only way to stop the coronavirus. Low cost mass rapid testing will find the people who are contagious and from there isolate and trace back to the source. I would welcome any opportunity to take a low cost rapid test and everyone should in order to stop this pandemic. Give me one when I get off the plane. I’d take one everyday I was on the island in order to persevere the sanctity of the paradise called Kauai. Testing is the key to stopping this, and keeping the island open for business
JOE C…
Applause!
Well done Kaua’i 👏
Well I was very disappointed And sad when our much-needed 2-week vacation to Kauai this past summer was canceled. We hesitantly booked a two week trip to the big island for next year. I’m now wondering if we’ll ever make it back to the islands. 😢
I wish a final decision would be made before I spend $129.00 covid19 testing fee and not be able use the diagnose for flight. Which I would have to pay another $129.00 If the required rule is set again at a later date. It is stressful enough worrying about getting the results back in time to meet the required 72 hours with the negative documentation.
As an inventor and scientist it seems that common sense goes out the window when it comes to problem solving on testing. There is no need to destroy the islands small businesses that are just reopening, the residents livelihoods and Kauai’s already fragile slowly reopening economy with a quarantine that will simply result in no one coming. The need to to maximize the residents protection is critical. Yes, a tiny percentage have slipped through the cracks and have been found positive at 7 days with a second test that were negative with the first 3 day test. The ones who traveled and then received the positive results has been solved since the results must be uploaded before boarding the plane. The simple solution that balances the residents welfare medically and their welfare financially is to require 2 mainland tests before travel. People will need to pay for 2 tests anyways if the mayor has his way. One slower less costly test at 7 to 10 days as decided by the wise sages in power. The results will be back in plenty of time. Providing it is a negative result then a second more costly rapid test at 3 days before boarding the plane. That will catch a very high percentage of those who went positive after arrival on a test 2 at 7 days. This will accomplish what the mayor wants and the islands need. It raises protection for the residents, the airline and airport employees as well as those on the plane. Yes, it is still statistically possible that someone could still become infected in that 3 days before travel but it is a far smaller percentage than currently with 2 negatives between 7 to 10 days before travel. A small percentage will say it is too much of a hassle but it will not drive away that people from coming. it may balance as a plus since travelers will know there is much less chance of being infected by flying. two tests before travel makes much more common sense then 1 before and one after arrival.
MOUNQUE B… Excellent thoughts – if one, as a traveller, lives somewhere where all that is feasible – which 90% of the visiting population doesn’t! Nor can many people afford all that testing. It is costing us $400 plus the expense of three extra nights of stay out of town before we fly to be able to pull off the “simple” testing that is required now before flying!
Bottom line. Let we not forget that this virus that spread over the whole world started with one person in less than a year. Just like one match can burn down a city or forest and take lives. But is eventually controlled and ended with counter measures. The vaccine’s that are now on the horizon I am hoping will be the final dosing to end all of this. Science is tossing us a life preserver. Take the vaccine. As the old saying goes. The life you save, may be your own. Or stay on the bus going to the point of no return.
This question is for folks living on Kauai.
Who’s backing mayor Kawakami’s push to opt Kauai out of receiving tourist?
Kawakami is a professional politician with aspirations for a run at Hawaii’s governors seat in 2022 he’s not going to make a decision like this without a majority backing him.
So who is it? It’s not local business owners or corporate resort owners or airlines or short term rental condo owners or anyone who relies on tourism for their living.
So who is either the money or group pushing for this closure?
Richard C,
Thanks for commenting your perspective but Kauai is welcoming tourists and returned residents travelers alike but many community members including some county council members are supportive of returning to the 14 day quarantine and opting out of safe travels program. Heck Mayor Kawamaki’s opponent in the last mayoral race is active and load supporter of the Mayor’s COVID safety efforts !!
Eric N, a business owner here just his perspective and support of Mayor Kawakami!
Sarah
It appears that businesses and individuals ok with bring tourism back don’t have a seat at the table. As Catherine & Deb have pointed out it seems the interest of one very rich techie is the man behind the curtain.
Creating fear among the voting senior and entitlement population with money from a rich techie seems to be a winning hand for politicians these days.
Great point—prolly Mr. Zuckerberg and his 1% friends interest. That’s who I assume interests are being protected.
My thoughts exactly.
I live on Kauai. From what I have heard. The Mayor has no aspirations to be Governor and his wife is not in favor ofit either.
Mahalo Mayor🌴. You are one of the few leaders in the world that holds the health of it’s citizens as a priority. Second, Vacations Hawaii and other such travel businesses promoting vacations to Las Vegas should be banned from promoting these trips. Shame on all media outlets that are advertising their services.
I am a retail shop owner on Kauai. My business is 99% tourism. With the reopening of tourism my business has started to come back in a good way. Unfortunately I don’t think it is worth the risk of our health on our beautiful island to allow this virus to get out of control. Prior to the opening of the safe travels program our Covid numbers were basically nothing and were in control. Now it is getting out of control at a very fast rate. Derick Kawakami has done an awesome job so far keeping us safe and a big mahalo to him. Our health is the main priority on this island, without it we can’t do anything. We are Kauai and we can make it through anything even if our businesses need to stay closed until we get through this pandemic. Let’s all do our part to keep Kauai safe. Mahalo
Well said….health comes first…what good is money if everyone is sick or dying 🤔
I agree.
“One other thing, why is HPD writing locals $5000 tickets for non essential travel, when they are flying in thousands of non essential travellers?”
Huh? Who is being fined $5K for travelling, “non-essential” (whatever that means) or otherwise?
with all these new cases the real question is ..how many people have died from this compared to new cases ??
Honestly, the people of Kauai and Hawaii are simply getting what they deserve – they are, still, calling for the government to take away more freedoms, do more lockdowns, force more mask wearing, spitting in the face of all actual science. This – even as the economy has been permanently hampered, and people are committing suicide.
Perhaps, and Im just spitballing here – perhaps the fact that Hawaii is the dumbest state in the Union with an average IQ of only 95 plays a key role in the it.
I think the Mayor is doing a fantastic job trying to protect the people on his Island!
Without your health, you don’t have the ability to run any business, do any work. He has his priorities straight and stands up strong against insurmountable pressure from a world thinking only in terms of dollars.
He’s gets my support, and will get my vote in the future!
If this virus was killing our young children, every mother mother out there would be out protesting to stop it. Thank God one of our officials is thinking clearly and trying to protect our life’s. No matter how much money you get, it doesn’t help if you die.
You guys should check and see exactly why Hawaii is rabies free. (2 week quarrentine) One other thing, why is HPD writing locals $5000 tickets for non essential travel, when they are flying in thousands of non essential travellers?
Thanks for the update, had travel plans to Kauai December 15th
This is distressing news that the Mayor of Kauai Derek Kawakami would resort to such Draconian measures just when our businesses here in Kauai are beginning to reopen (at high financial risk and cost). I work for one of the Major Airlines, and if this happens, you might as well forget about “direct” flights to and from the Mainland. All flights will come into and depart from Honolulu ( a major hassel!!). You need to give the Safe Travels Hawai’i a chance to work. It will work if we’re all mindful of each other, wearing a mask, socially distant, washings hands often, etc…
We own a Condo here, and just to get the COVID Test before we left the Mainland (@$139/person), to schedule it within the 72 hour window, was both nerve wracking and costly. People won’t come here, business will fail, people’s lively hood will be lost, then you’ll have worse problems. Protect the sickest, but the vast majority most people can and will recover!
Mayor Kawakami do not do this.
Hi Doug,
Kauai gave the safe travels program a chance to work…. and it isn’t working for Kauai to keep COVID from spreading as ours cases basically doubled in 5 weeks!
Even during the 14 day quarantine there were direct flights to Kauai from the mainland… and I expect that will remain the case if the Governor approves the request for Kauai to opt out of the safe travels program.
Sorry that you found travel as part of the safe travels program nerve wracking and costly but choosing to travel during a pandemic should come with risk and cost… it helps to discourage people from doing it 😉
Im sorry Sarah but Kauai has not given it a chance. It is not difficult to double your cases when at the moment this program started the number was 0. And I’m not stating 0 due to quarrantine since your island still had 20 cases from July-October. To think that this program would bring 0 cases is ridiculous and wasn’t even stated that way. It was stated this program was to start travel and economy up slowly with as little risk as possible. 1/2 the cases were travelers that hadn’t recieved their tests yet and that has been rectified starting yesterday. And that has not been given a shot.
Fine! We’ll spend our $$ in Florida then!
bye
Good, take it to tRump land!
My son used Hawaiian Air’s Worksite Lab by LAX. Paid $90 and received test results in less than 20 hours (they guarantee results within 36 hours). He was one of their first customers on opening day so maybe he lucked out because they’renot backed up yet?? Not sure. Anyways after one lost Vault test and two cancelled AFC appointments because they ran out of rapid tests, my son is finally on his way! Big shout out to Hawaiian Air for helping their customers solve the testing issue. I will be forever grateful to them that my son will be able to join the rest of our family at our home in Kauai for Thanksgiving!
One word , 3 syllables :Poverty! Enjoy🤙
I agree ,we should shut it down until the Nation has a handle on the Covid situation,
Not only here but abroad.Let the vaccine do it’s job and then decide how to move forward.
Boycott Hawaii until the Islands adopt a reasonable policy that makes it impossible for people to plan their vacations, or confines them to hotel rooms for the entirety of their stay! These policies have no basis in science. Should we ban driving because even one person dies in an accident?
Well said!! Life has daily risks! COVID is a minimal risk
Agreed. CDC data shows less then 10k people died in the US from COVID alone, but nobody reports that.
Wow what a leap you took from a virus to car deaths. No more leaps from you please.
Hi Chris,
Glad you are choosing to boycott the islands.
Kauai’s policies are based in science and data which is why they are asking to governor to opt out of the Safe Travels program because it isn’t proving safe. Yes there is risk in life but this decision wasn’t about the one death which is extremely sad but rather going back to the policy that was proven to prevent community spread and mitigate transfer if a person was infected as a result of travel.
It is not based on science & data, its based on fear. my brother is a biochemist in infectious diseases with papers written in scientific journals for covid and vaccine, and he thinks how Kauai mayor is handling this is a joke. You can have a positive test for up to 90days after having the virus but not contagious after 10. The mayor and governor did the right thing in requiring a negative test in-hand which should have been from the start. Out of the 58 with positive tests how many of those in contact that were traced actually contracted it? None that I have heard of or serached. 27 have been visitors and 21 have been residents. The other 10 cases have been residents who did not have any history of travel. Not only do they not have travel history, they had no history of being in contact with anyone that traveled. same with the elderly man who passed. Covid doesnt just appear out of thin air. There could have been asymptomatic people on island or people under the weather that just didnt test because everyone thought they were safe by locking travelers out and quarranting. Kauai has the lowest mask wearing percent at 73% a week ago. And their are plenty of health advisors that would state the opposite of Kauai’s health advisor. There is plenty of “science & data” to go either way depending on what you are argueing for, period.
Please do not allow this Mayor to make decisions for Kauai and residents and Travelers….This will definitely put Kauai back in the sad place of No revenue and no jobs for residents!
Businesses have been closing right and left and now expect more and more if they limit travel to 14 day quarantine! This will crush the economy and put more and more folks in terrible situations financially and also emotionally! We are all worried but travel can be safe and one death is not any kind of measure to close down travel!
I have not been to my Kauai home in 11 months! I want to return to my second home for 27 yrs..We love the island and the folks…Be Safe everyone and Be Smart…
Hi Pam,
You are welcome to travel to your Kauai home at anytime, you just have to follow the county’s rules whether that be participating in the safe travels or doing the 14 day quarantine.
But if you feel that you don’t want to travel for whatever reason right now there are still able to support the island by making food bank donations or buying products from local business over the internet. Just a thought!
Still one of the major issues on Kaua’i Is the wearing of masks by both tourists and locals.
Outdoor and indoor dining without masks is a super spreader event. See many restaurants with tables close together and no one wearing their masks.
Masks should be removed only when food has arrived and put on right after finishing meal.
Arguments from both sides are appropriate coming with their own set of economic challenges. However, it is the health & welfare of Kauai that is paramount. It’s a tough situation Mayor Derrick is in, but that is his job. That said, could something in the middle work? A Travel plan requiring 2-tests and quarantine; the 1st, a required Neg. pre-arrival, a second 5-day post-arrival (free paid for by State’s Corona Virus Reserve Fund). A mandatory 7-day quarantine until 2nd test result prove Neg. If 2nd test is Positive, the 7-day turns into a 14-day quarantine. This could address issues on both side of this argument while maintaining the interest of Kauai 1st.
Hi James,
Thanks for your comment about the “A Travel plan requiring 2-tests and quarantine; the 1st, a required Neg. pre-arrival, a second 5-day post-arrival (free paid for by State’s Corona Virus Reserve Fund). A mandatory 7-day quarantine until 2nd test result prove Neg. If 2nd test is Positive, the 7-day turns into a 14-day quarantine”. This is actually very similar to the proposal Kauai’s Mayor sent to the Governor last week the major difference being that it was a 3 day quarantine in-between the two tests. Note the the Governor has chosen not to provide an approval to the program Kauai Emergency Rule #22 proposed which has caused Kauai’s mayor to send forward Emergency Rule #23 to governor for the temporary opt-out from the safe travel’s program.
I completely agree with you that a middle ground needs to be found for economy but also ensure that the causes on Kauai and other islands are kept under-control!
Sorry, most tourists will not travel if they are required to quarantine, even for a short period. The cost of a trip to Hawaii is just way too expensive.
Aloha….On the Garden Island….does anyone know what the 14 day quarantine Hotels will be or currently are designated?
Mahalo….RJ
Hi Russell.
Any hotel will be fine. Just no vacation rentals.
Aloha.
What about individuals traveling to see family? Are they allowed to quarantine at a relative’s home?
What about individuals traveling to see family? Are they allowed to quarantine at a relative’s home?
Much is being made of ICU beds available. Luckily advances in medicine now result in far fewer infections requiring ICU, Intubations or indeed hospital attendance. However iN California and New York the military very quickly created ICU’s for the pandemic. There is substantial military presence on Oahu, the Big Island and Kauai. Could they not be deployed to set up an extra medical facility perhaps at Barking Sands or somewhere more adjacent to Wilcox. Not wishign to dramatize but the US Military has proved its excellence in doing this in other states on bigger scales. If this s an immediate concern, could the Governor not get medical support from the Services? Not of which stops the requirement that people follow the rules.
I’m not sure putting returning Hawaiian’s into quarantine will help much of anything, that’s where they would go in the first place. The real problem is that they need to practice good rules for covid. We are enjoying the Big Island in some ways it’s reminiscent of Hawaii twenty years ago. There’s a good many Japanese tourist here, who do practice good rules for covid, wish I could say the same for some of the locals.
Only 11 ICU beds in Kauai! Stop the spread.
Does a negative COVID19 test allow me entry into Kauai on 12/02?
Hi John.
We don’t know yet. That is awaiting word from the governor.
Aloha.
Kawakami has done nothing but whine and keep his hands in his pockets. While also pulling them out to stuff them with our emergency funding. He has not sought to increase our medical infrastructure this whole time and still pouts about us having only 9 ICU beds. There is huge embezzlement going on here in Kauai and a statewide audit should be done on these criminals. Yes, you are a criminal if you restrict people’s constitutional rights when they have not committed a crime. Yes, you are a criminal too if you took emergency funds and backdoor’d them into your own account or your “business partners”. I cant wait to see the rich priss asses have to fight us survivors over the last cans of spam. You think a virus can kill. Wait till you see the Natural order on Kauai take effect.
“Kawakami has done nothing but whine and keep his hands in OUR pockets”
FIFY
Kawakami has done nothing but whine and keep his hands in his pockets. While also pulling them out to stuff them with our emergency funding. He has not sought to increase our medical infrastructure this whole time and still pouts about us having only 9 ICU beds. There is huge embezzlement going on here in Kauai and a statewide audit should be done on these criminals. Yes, you are a criminal if you restrict people’s constitutional rights when they have not committed a crime. Yes, ypu are a criminal too if you took emergency funds and backdoor’d them into your own account or your “business partners”. I cant wait to see the rich priss asses have to fight us survivors over the last cans of spam. You think a virus can kill. Wait till you see the Natural order on Kauai take effect.
I know I’m on the outside looking in, but this seems a little alarmist. Hawaii as a whole is the only state in the nation with decreasing COVID rates, and the number of positive cases arriving is lower than expected at the beginning of the pre testing in October.
Isolating the island won’t do any good if people still have indoor dining, large gatherings and don’t wear masks and appropriately distance.
Please correct me if there’s something I’m not seeing here.
Darick
Wake up…
Your lil shutdown won’t stop nor qwell the virus.
The state was effectively shut down for almost a year & look where we are, ground zero again.
This is tide & Time nothing else…
Wake up and smell the covid, the idiot your asking for help cannot make simple decisions & looks to a Ouji board for answers.
This is from The Garden Island this morning (11/25). It is the reason why testing negative before getting on a plane is warranted. HOWEVER, it doesn’t say what the measurement is for those 14 cases – how many months of accumulated data? And it doesn’t say whether these were tourists or residents returning home.
“Kaua‘i now has a cumulative case count of 119, of which 104 are confirmed locally, one is a probable case, and 14 are positive cases that were diagnosed elsewhere — with tests taken on the mainland where the positive results did not arrive until they were on-island.”
I support whatever is best for Kaua’i and Hawai’i as a whole.