Details on latest 14-day mandatory quarantine for all arrivals, even with negative test results.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
366 thoughts on “Breaking News: Kauai To Shut Down Effective December 2.”
Comments are closed.
Details on latest 14-day mandatory quarantine for all arrivals, even with negative test results.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Comments are closed.
Kauai gets what it voted for. I noticed the mayor was elected to the office by a margin if over 2 to 1. Elections have consequences. Enjoy the victory!
John C. I’m upset to see no leadership going forward. The correct comments about getting field hospitals and additional help from the federal government should be first thing tomorrow. My dad was a WW2 tank driver and he told me stories about medical field hospitals that were built in 2 days. I was a second homeowner on Kauai until last December and have wanted to buy another house this year. All is on hold. Please see thru the cowardly government leaders. J.
Any idea what happens to visitors who arrived prior to December 2? Do they have to suddenly quarantine or leave? Or are they out of quarantine for the duration of their trip?
Wondering the same our flight is on Dec 1st. We have our expensive quick COVID tests today and would like to know before we pay for them.
Im wondering how these people are planning to survive, without jobs and not producing anything? Are people just completely relying on the government and handouts nowadays? I do not understand their thinking and reasoning. I hope this becomes a good lesson for everyone and changes this entitled thinking for generations to come.
If you follow the science then you know that the leading experts in epidemiology state that lockdowns do not work! Why? Recycled air depletes the immune system and once a person is compromised, released from quarantine then they’re more suseptible to getting viruses!The answer is herd immunity and protecting the vulnerable! 3 world experts plus 500 of their colleagues in infectious diseases all agree that to ignore herd immunity is like ignoring biology itself! Protect the kapuna but get out and live life to beat the virus!
DA Z…. go ask Sweden how fantastically herd immunity worked out in that country. It simply Doesn’t work, and for you to sit there as an armchair epidemiologist is irresponsible. You’ve been brainwashed by the Dear Leader. Thanks for playing tho……
If the people of Kauai whose livelihood depends on tourism do not raise their voices they deserve this mayor. He is rich and he and the county employees are getting their full salaries without working even 50% of the time thanks to real estate taxes collected from all the shut down businesses at full rate. The governor’s incompetence defies description. He turned down a 3 day testing and now is approving total shutdown!!!
I have just cancelled our family’s 3 week trip covering December/January months which would save me about $25,000. Despite the fact that I have visited Kauai for more than 50 times since mid eighties and quarantined 3 times for 14 days each earlier in 2020, – I no longer have any sympathy for Kauai, and will go somewhere else.
How many $25,000 trips have we missed out on because wealthy criminals like Kawakami and Ige hate the working class? How many more?
It’s disgusting that the people of Kauai support this. Hard to have sympathy for them anymore, agreed. I’m looking to move my family off island to somewhere that the leaders don’t openly hate us.
You did the right thing Mayor. Yes, it’s going to sting especially from the comments and feedback that’s being slung. And many have valid concerns, but that’s why we have leadership in a democracy. And you are a precious leader in American government nowadays. Hopefully, people will come to appreciate the tough decision you had to choose. And no, I’m not working for Mayor or have a cushy government job. I too have been furloughed since last March and frankly quite concerned and scared. I also loved my job and miss it very much. But people, wake up. I suggest you refer to the strategy New Zealand proactively initiated almost immediately. Most of their citizens had the same reaction of those with all these negative comments here. Well you know what? Kiwi’s have enjoyed virus free status for the last 3 months. Not only because they’re an island nation, but because they were blessed to have a strong intelligent courageous leader who can take the heat. Grow a pair fellow Kauai citizens. And put even more of your energy into helping your neighbor and have patience.
Urgent: Hawaiian Airlines Canceling Flights!!! Woke this morning to notification that, on the date for which we were going to travel, there are no longer any flights from Phoenix to Honolulu. There is a flight the day before and the day after but not that particular day (01/07/21). If this happens to you (and not necessarily just Phoenix), you will be instructed to go the website but the website simply will tell you it can’t find your reservation.
Thank goodness Hawaii is like 51 out of 50 places I plan to visit…yes almost dead last. I say this as a “mainlander”. About the only way I would be in Hawaii is a layover at Honolulu.
Thank you for this unfortunate news. I was just about to book flights for Xmas. Delta has devised a plan of rapid antigen tests on departure, with testing again in Italy on arrival. Is it perfect ,no, but it does allow for life to go on and mitigate the risk. Look at Harvard virologist, Michael Mina, recommendations on this type of rapid antigen testing for a true scientific approach. He’s on Twitter at @michaelmina_lab
People aren’t dropping dead on the streets.Let that sink in. It’s flu season now, people are getting sick but the majority are feeling like they have a normal cold. Covid-19 is not as bad as the media is making it out to be. It’s not worth shutting down the country or the economy over. Yes, I had it and survived, that’s why I know. Wake up people! It’s not about saving lives. It’s about a one world government and control. They want you to be scared so they can take away your freedom and rights. If you’re fine with that, you have only yourself to blame.
Yeah, ok brah. Tell that to the families of the 266,000 people who’ve died from Covid. And you might want to loosen your tinfoil hat a bit. Thanks for playing
As a Kaua’i resident I feel that what Mayor Kawakami has done is entirely the right decision. The disease of Covid does not care about tourism nor does it care if you are a local returning from the mainland or you are a tourist. It does not care if you are losing tourist dollars for your business. This disease has become a political platform of dissent when we should all be thanking the Mayor for wanting to save the lives of the residents who live here.
Mayor Kawakami’s suggestion of a post travel test with a 72hr Quarantine is an amazing compromise and makes a ton of sense to me. With the current testing program you have a massive up to 72hr window where people can still contract Covid-19; which we see happening. Also people with ‘pending test results’ are still being allowed on flights and a few times these individuals have in turn eventually tested positive putting the entire plane at risk. For what? So they could sit on the beach for a week and kill someone’s Kupuna?
The strategy that Mayor Kawakami has suggested is the right suggestion. Negative test before the flight, 72hr’s Quarantine, negative test after and you are free to move about as you wish! This method greatly reduces the cases that slip through and builds confidence between the residents and tourists which by the way is another large issue with the current plan.
I am not sure everyone has thought this through to be honest. Adding another 72hr quarantine on the island is good in several ways. These people will need to stay somewhere and eat somewhere and the local hotels are perfect bubbles for this. The county of Kaua’i had an amazing plan that was ready to be rolled out that would have these hotel bubbles act as resorts where people could still enjoy the poolside sun and restaurants at the hotels for 72hrs till their test results came back negative. This keeps the hotels open and jobs going. Then once they test negative they are free to go out and consume and be tourists.
As a Kauai resident, you probably have a 95 IQ (lowest average IQ for any state in the nation), and this would explain why you would thank a criminal for illegal orders that destroy the island’s economy and citizens. Thank you; it’s your general attitude that has convinced me to move my family back to mainland, since these island’s are going to be spiralling into Decades of economy depression, with no reason to ever expect recovery. With zero resistance from its population, Hawaii’s government is almost entirely unaccountable. What will you do, vote a Democrat out of office? LOL.
I see you repeatedly telling everyone about your plans to move your family back to the mainland. Are you looking for sympathy or someone to stop you? How about you stop talking about it and just get on with it. Kauai will survive quite fine without you.
Will all restaurants and food trucks be shut down as well ? I’ve prepared to fly there in 2 days .
Most businesses, including food trucks, restaurants, etc., are open. I expect many will reclose within a week or so, as the remaining short-term visitors depart, and its back to residents and “long term” visitors. So shops and restaurants that cant make it without short-term tourists will have to reclose.
Still a Lot of rental cars on the roads this weekend. Since no one will be able to rent them starting Wednesday, they will start disappearing, again, which is an upside to this debacle.
As far as the lack of hospital beds and healthcare workers, is there any aid that the US military could provide? What is their capacity and ability to help civilians on Oahu?
Thanks for the updates, BOH!!
Hi Chris.
Thank you. We aren’t aware of any issues with capacity at the island’s major hospital/trauma center.
Aloha.
I looked at travel statistics for Kauai from December 2019: 124,500 visitors, average stay was 7.8 days. Expenditure, which I assume means the influx of dollars from tourists, was $175 Million. Only 8,9% stayed with friends or relatives. The rest stayed in hotels (49.1%), condos (19.6%), rental house (16.2%), or timeshares (14.1%).
public.tableau.com/profile/dbedt#!/vizhome/IslandMarketTravelDashboardDecember2019/Statewide
Kawakami’s decision and Ige’s approval will virtually shut down the island. Tourism will come to a standstill, unemployment will rise again, hotels, restaurants, and small businesses will shut down, some permanently. Other islands may see a slight uptick in new reservations as Kauai visitors switch islands, but most will just cancel altogether. Airlines will stop their flights, people will scramble to try to recover their deposits and airfares. How long this will last is anyone’s guess, but most probably through the end of December, until the numbers return to something Kauai’s limited medical resources can handle. But, this action and future uncertainty will have further consequences down the road. More visitors canceling trips, even more businesses closing, people trying to sell their condos and rental houses. Crime will probably increase again as locals try to cope both physically and emotionally.
This was I’m sure a very tough decision for Kawakami- weigh the lack of tourism dollars against the safety of Kauai residents. I just hope this latest restriction will be no longer than absolutely necessary, for the sake of Kauai’s economy, and for those, such as I, who love visiting the Garden Island.
We were some of last December’s tourists, staying in a rental for 10 days. It’s heart-breaking to see what these policies are doing and will do to your island. I understand that most get their info from “mainstream media”, and are therefore terrorized by “case” numbers. Please educate yourselves and consider how much of this is fear-driven by people who have zero interest in your individual lives. Who do you think will swoop in to buy up your businesses and homes when you all are bankrupt? Fight this! Freedom and self-governance are worth fighting for.
How disappointing! We were coming over n December 4th with our grandkids, we have purchased test,which was additional $500.
Self inflicted wounds. I feel bad for the Kauai economy and its residents. What a shame
I too live in a tourist based economy on the mainland, and we have been forced to close our restaurants to indoor dining this past week. We meet 2 of the 3 metrics to open back up, but our unelected health czar is drunk with power so we haven’t. I hope your mayor doesn’t expect a federal bailout for what is essentially his choice. I’ve been reading comments from locals in other papers and am getting the sense you don’t want mainlanders to return. So certainly won’t be coming to Kauai anytime in the near future. It’s easier to go south to Cancun and Tulum for warm hospitality and beautiful beaches. Be careful what you wish fir, tourists have lots of options.
As an owner of a condo in Princeville (timeshare) I find this on again off again practice untenable for residents and friends that are business owners on Kaua’i. My wife and I come ‘home’ every year for the last six years and bring friends along. We will not be traveling there to be stranded-we are going to the US Virgin Islands instead.
Many have said all along it seems at best risky for a tourist to plan a trip to Hawaii with the constant uncertainty and moving goal posts. 2020 plans made in 2019 or 2020 were scuttled and many have no appetite to get back on this roller coaster until 2022 at this point (post vaccine and related travel protocols recalibration – which will be a whole new chapter). I hope that when I am confident to plan a trip that there is a Kauai economy to return to. Prayers to all for good health and economic viability.
Thanks Phillip for your well phrased comment.
If you and others on this site are able, a great way to show support from afar to the Kauai economy is to visit the islands small business’s website and buy things and have them shipped to you. It brings a little bit of the islands to you while you are awaiting return but also helps them recover a bit of the missing tourism revenue!
We are scheduled to arrive in Kauai on Dec. 1st. Does this mean we have to quarantine beginning the 2nd, or are we ok to go out and enjoy the island since we arrive before the shutdown?
As long as Kawakami doesn’t expect extra fed or state aid to bail him out so he can get reelected, let him destroy the economy. Hopefully the voters realize there are consequences to actions like this, and the next mayor will act more responsibly.
Wow,love the islands on again off again aloha meens goodbye.the state will be a fond memorie. Will spend my dollars some where else perhaps florida.
This actually makes sense. I have been highly critical of Hawaii over the handling of travel, primarily the uncertainty of it. The constantly changing rules makes it difficult for businesses and visitors. Now that we have a vaccine on the horizon (early – mid 2021), keep all of Hawaii closed for travel (or 14 heavily enforced quarantine) until the vaccine is out and effective immediate testing is out. Then require both before someone can travel to Hawaii. This is the only way to control Covid in Hawaii.
For those Mainland residents doing holiday shopping, please think of Kauai Kookie, Kauai Coffee, and anyone else who ships to the mainland – order lots of gifts and please help them stay in business. We want them to survive and have as good a holiday as possible.
The governor needed to step it up from the beginning. Why would he not approve a second testing with a short quarantine? The timing of this is seriously going to cause such a negative
,ripple-effect for residents, especially during the holidays.
Thank you for keeping us informed on your site.
Hi Valerie.
Thanks for your comment.
Aloha.
This is really devastating news. First we had a trip planned for June and then we rescheduled for August. Then we just canceled all together. Now I’m beginning to wonder when we’ll ever be able to reschedule our trip. I’m hoping maybe next summer but if the mayor and governor keep behaving this way I can’t realistically plan a trip and purchase plane tickets…
We actually have rebooked our flight for Dec 1 so we can still come. Getting our covid test on Sunday 11/29, will be on the last flight from the mainland on 12/1. Hope our resort doesn’t close and kick us out or cancel our reservation! Great website, you were first to post it!
Hi Leonard.
Thanks. Good point about whether resort could close during your stay.
Aloha.
I cant believe so many consider traveling anywhere prior to vaccination! We cancelled our yearly Hawaii trip months ago, and wont be rescheduling until vaccinated! Which I expect to be 3-4 months away.
I noticed The word Hospital used in the plural. Isn’t there just one small state run hospital on Kauai. I heard that Maui’s efforts to establish a private hospital were blocked by the state. Oahu had all the hospitals state and private. Has this changed?
Some of these comments are simply astounding! Human life is not a commodity, and science is not based on economics.
I wonder if the people who are angry at Mayor Dereck Kawakami are also angry at the other local politicians throughout the country who are undermining public safety with lax covid related health regulations. It’s those politicians who are prolonging this pandemic.
A suggestion:
Focus your frustration on the US Senate who is on vacation while Americans desperately need a relief package, so we can afford to stay at home and not infect one another. Imagine how much we could choke this virus if the majority of Americans could just stay home for 3 weeks.
Hawaii has a population of over 1.4 million with only 238 deaths. That’s.00017% deaths in the population. The shut down is what’s astonishing.
Thank goodness someone else can also do the math. Too bad most people’s eyes glaze over when anyone tries to explain the actual stats relating to C-19 tests, cases, hospitizations and deaths. And forget explaining false positives and false negatives in testing, as well as the death rates by age and co-morbitity. People just seem to believe whatever the media reports and also just want to be scared. The islands will continue to suffer their foolish leaders instead of thinking for themselves.
RAY and LYNN H–We area an extremely small island community and even one death means something to all of us. If you’re a tourist, I hope you never set foot on our island(s) again, because your attitude is what makes the people of Kauai have a hard time with tourists-we don’t need your $$. If you live here, you should be ashamed of yourself for even remotely implying that we should be open because “only” one person has died. Talk about privilege. I am in medicine here, what we have VS what is available in the mainland health care wise is not even remotely comparable and it’s not a matter of IF we get overwhelmed, but when we get overwhelmed. That’s aside from the fact that the nurses and allied health professionals don’t have the same experience as those on the mainland (some do, but many do not). To those of us in the medical world, this virus is not political and we could care less about your vacation or political party. The sheer number of people who have a heart attack, stroke, or some other adverse medical event while vacationing in Hawaii is a daily occurrence, which also takes up hospital beds. The amount of insensitivity in some of these comments that are whining about “oh my vacation” amazes me (although I don’t know why, as those of us who are residents should be used to it by now). Our Mayor did the right thing. This was an extremely hard decision for him, but it was the right decision. Don’t you think he has spoken to our health care leaders? He has and he will continue to do so because he cares about Kauai’s people. Inconveniencing one’s vacation isn’t a priority, our health is the priority. Just stay home -or go to Mexico or the Bahamas…leave Kauai alone. Please. Aloha ʻino! BOH, guys I appreciate you posting both sides and I know you do work for HA and are both into travel, but please advise caution to visitors & don’t help them tout changing tickets to get here before the new order, please, it isn’t helpful.
Thank you for your very informative and up to date sucks on weekdays happening on Hawai’i, especially on the island of Kauai. We’re an Alaskan family that annually comes to visit for a month every year. With the uncertainty we have had to put our annual trip off until things are more stable. Being that tourism is a big industry in Alaska, we truly empathizing with you all. Sending you prayers for a better tomorrow from Alaska.
Hi Ben.
Thanks. We hope you’ll be able to return again soon.
Aloha.
I remember Iniki…she put kauai to sleep for a long time. Kawakami is far worse.
I am praying for Kauai.
Apparently kids sports is more important than feeding a family , keeping one’s health care or job. This is one of the worst back paddling government decisions of this whole covid crisis. And how was government covid money and private donations spent? Certainly not increasing the hospitals ICU capacity or even planning for it. A million or so goes to alfalfa production for cattle. Other money unspent. The virus is here to stay plan on dealing with it and give people back their livelihoods.
Iniki devastated the island, but galvanized the people. We survived that, but capitalism increased afterwards. Mayor Kawakami is doing the best possible thing to keep Kaua’i safer and reduce the spread of a horrible disease. We are fortunate to have a Mayor with the wisdom and courage to make such a bold edict for the benefit of the island and her people
It doesn’t effect the mayors livlihood. He gets paid. My suggestion of a two test system before arrival would have eliminated nearly all covid from traveling to Kauai without destroying the economy and so many livlihoids.
We have opted to travel to the US Virgin Islands as they have a tried and proven testing system in place. I feel really bad for the residents and friends we have on Kaua’i; we own in Princeville and our annual trips will cease until this roller coaster system of travel is finally put to bed.
I had a feeling the mayor would finally wear him down, glad I changed my plans before the news hit. As you have stated, trying to keep infection at 0 would be impossible, so it will be interesting how they proceed forward in the near future. I’m afraid even with a vaccine the mayor will now be able to force the governor’s hand in requesting a 2 test pre/post for Kauai to re-enter the program and in that case our March trip will have to be pushed out again. They need to be putting rescources where they should go, into their hospital because this virus has shown how vulnerable the island is for future health issues. I hope for Kauai that once the holidays are over things quickly get better, a vaccine gets to their elderly & at risk so they don’t have to be paranoid about opening their island again. I feel so bad for those in the tourism/rental business that this is crushing.
Maybe I’m Misunderstanding but it doesn’t sound like they have the physical space to expand hospital beds. IE they’d need to build a new hospital to expand which will take a year plus.
Certainly a school gym or two can be uesd. Where there’s a will, there’s away. It really seems as though they just do not want tourists back at all.
Correct.
Derek Kawakami is destroying Kauai’s economy and people’s livelihoods. Kawakami makes the statement “We shouldn’t penalize our local people by restricting activities, such as youth sports when that’s not the current source of infection.” yet he is doing just that. Youth sports travel to neighbor islands to compete yet Kawakami says the mandatory 14 day quarantine is for both Trans-Pacific as well as Inter-Island travel. I have friends that have lost their jobs and are no longer eligible for Unemployment or Health insurance because of Kauai’s Draconian “on-again, off-again” ridiculous travel bans and lock downs.
What Ige and Kawakami don’t understand is that this is a virus and it isn’t going away; even with a vaccine. There is a 99.5% survival rate. The hospitals aren’t overwhelmed by Covid patients. In fact, only 1 person is currently hospitalized due to Covid on Kauai. Enough with the Fear Mongering. Enough with the Shut Downs. Enough with the Quarantine. Open The Island and the State and stop destroying peoples livelihoods. At this point, this is nothing but Control and Tryanny.
It actually has a 99.8% survival rate. Just .1% lower then the common cold. Also people who test postive most of the time it’s a cold positive which means the virus is dead and they are not infected nor can infect anyone else coming from the WHO which the cdc is ignoring and Dr. Yeadon a 16 yr employee from Pfizer and many other doctors but for some reason the government and media only want to listen to one doctor whos not even practicing i might and the cdc which is controlled by money. Please governors do your research. Stop buying into the lies
I totally agree with you Goldie. The percentages of dying from anything other than COVID on Kauai are sooooooo much greater. Like falling off a cliff while hiking, a surfing accident, helicopter crash, the flu or just about anything. This is a virus like you said that 99.5% of people survive from. It’s absolutely ridiculous what the mayor is doing to his own people, as well to visitors. We love Kauai, but probably won’t be back for a while. At least not until the COVID crisis subsided or Kauai gets a new mayor and Hawaii gets a new governor.
Aloha!!!
Thank you for your response , this is so frustrating ! To say the least ;(
Amen!!! My wife and I love Kaua’i and our annual trips to our condo. That said, until the mayor and governor stop the horsecrap, we will be traveling elsewhere. Praying for our friends on the island that own businesses there! Mahalo for your comment Goldie C.
The word “control” rings true! Look at all democratic run states on the mainland and you start to get the picture. you vote for socialism and you get socialism…
It’s a 97.8% survival rate not 99.5%. If it was 99.5, we would have had significantly less deaths.
Exactly!!! Find the John Hopkins newsletter article that was recently scrubbed that said US overall deaths for this year -2019 are LESS than overall US deaths for 2018. (The data is also on the CDC website , if you can find it)…Yes it’s a nasty virus, but when you put everyone with comorbidities into the Covid death category and literal SCARE the life out of everyone this is what you get = The elimination of freedom to choose the life you want to live and the risk you’re willing to take when you walk out the door.
I agree with Goldie C. As I’ve said from the beginning Gov Ige should have invested the billions it’s received in covid funding to employ a robust testing plan & protocol for tourism. Trusted Partner testing is a joke.. let people get tested by Any CLIA Certified Lab . This will eliminate All the problems they have encountered. Travelers need to be able to obtain results from a lab that has 24 hour turnaround which ensures they can travel & closes the 3 day gap for contracting infection in between.Shutting down is not the answer. I tested negative,arrived on Maui for two months and observing that 99% of tourists are respectful of mask and distancing protocols. However many locals age 16-35 are not. We observed gatherings of 6 or more people bbqing and socializing every weekend at the parks & beaches(no masks). Local business owners are relieved and elated that they had visitors back and ensured mask/distance protocols were followed. I implore Mayor Victorino not shut down the island again. If needed make fines steaper for those that don’t comply. If they want to stay they will comply or be arrested. Masks should only be required on the beach if there are more than 4 in your group. We are having a healthy, joyous visit. This is our home and we want to be able to continue to enjoy it while local businesses owners can still prosper and live comfortably instead of in poverty where many are headed if shut down again.
Concur!
That’s what they said in California and Texas. Now look what’s happening on the mainland. Personally, I don’t understand why so many people still refuse to wear masks. I saw it all over Maui and I see it all over Dallas, TX. Are anti-maskers gasping “covid isn’t real” as they die?
The police I saw in Lahaina conversed amongst themselves while people walked around without masks, sometimes using and selling drugs on the sidewalk. It provided an interesting educational experience for my 11 yr old daughter.
What we see on the news and what we see on the streets, presents an interesting dichotomy.
Mahalo!
Yes! Thank you! Someone who know what really is going on! It makes me sad to see how fearful people are over a virus that has a 99.9% recovery rate and where ineefective PCR tests are used. Government needs to stay out of our personal lives. And I agree, the tyranny is just going to get worse from here on out. Just wait for it everyone. The signs are everywhere. Sending peace and love.
Spot on, Hibiscus!
Amazing how Ill-informed government leaders can still be knowing what we now understand both globally and domestically about COVID-19. Is it ignorance or a personal (or political) agenda?
When Kauai was closed down in March, we all did our part. When it reopened, there was no plan in place. Business after business have closed. At least 50% of the cases have been residents. Its ridiculous to watch residents continue to have large gatherings. Maybe they need to educate people with masks, proper handwashing technique, social distance. It’s not going away any time soon.
Remember every other year in history Kauai had flu and virus every year and people died every year? Remember in prior years everybody didn’t get randomly tested for a virus?…..but if they did every year there would be positive cases. Positive cases mean the virus is extinguishing itself. Non scientific dummies running the show. For no other reason than to kill private businesses. Brilliant plan. You fooled all the stool pigeons. Congrats. They really didn’t deserve to live free any way
What incoherent babble….
You make absolutely zero sense. Please get back on your medication. Thanks for playing tho….
I feel dumber for having read this. Get off QANON dude
Kaui’s unemployment rate for the third quarter was 27 percent! Mayor Kawakami, how about you and all of your union buddies in and out of government (so called essential workers) layoff 27 percent of your workforce! How about you consider the suicide rate, domestic violence cases, lost homes and jobs, et al and quite playing on peoples fears of “overloading the hospitals” spike in cases (due to more testing and not even a health emergency for most people). This Covid debate is driven by fear, void of facts, and dictated by fools and cowards who make decisions while drawing paychecks for those that are unemployed. And the sins will be on your heads!
I’ve never seen such a mickey mouse operation in my life. Lack of factual direction, lack of concise decisions and a tactical strategy. Further to this, tourists themselves are taking a lot of the heat, when in fact, it’s locals returning from the mainland causing the problem.
There’s needs to be a 72 hour result uploaded test before they depart and all positive cases needs to quarantine with supervision. If people don’t starve from Covid itself, they’ll starve because they cannot feed themselves.
This has been a huge wake up and warning to Hawaiian Government about their lack of preparedness. What would happen with a major earthquake, tsunami or eruption? Got capacity to help? People need to start demanding action from their representatives!
Bravo Manu. Mahalo for throwing some Truth out there. We love the culture and islands of Hawai’i and sorely miss our annual trips to Kaua’i. We actually toyed with moving there at some point, however now seeing This? Nope. Still hoping to return to our condo on the North shore someday. Not while this is going on.
Governor Incompetent has struck again! Holy cow! The army corps of engineers can build a hospital or send in the Mercy ship- recruit medical personnel from the mainland. Or send your citizens into hunger, loss of homes, livelihoods, depression, etc…World-wide economic loss will cause more people to die of hunger than Covid:( … the cure is worse than the disease.
Wow!
What does this mean for Maui? My family and I have a trip planned for December 25.
We sadly, will stay away from Hawaii for the next few years. Perhaps they will sort out their problems by 2025. Meanwhile, the Bahamas, Mexican Riviera, and Greek Islands are beckoning. Thank you Beat of Hawaii, for keeping us mainlanders and Islanders up to date. Will continue to follow your reports with interest.
Hawaii politics is “Monkey See Monkey Do”. Be prepared to change your plans ASAP.
Hi Jenn,
As of now, Maui is still part of the state’s Safe Travels Program thus you shouldn’t be affected but the island Mayors at any time have the right to request modifications or changes to their islands participation from the Governor.
Hope that this answer helps you.
I just got back from Maui. Many businesses are closed and more are closing. Going depnds on what you plan to do. Are you the type that stays at a resort the entire time? Or, are you more adventurous? Reduced services at resorts and less available away from the resorts. Or luau was cancelled due to staffing issues. No other luaus were available. Many locals still refuse to wear masks and continue to have large gatherings. Your biggest risk for exposure comes from the locals and time spent in the airport. Also, airlines will have ceased social distancing on the planes by then. This is planned to end on December 15th. So, your likely to be shoulder to shoulder with strangers.
Personally, I would hold of till next year.
Good luck and mahalo!
Hi JLH.
Thanks for the update from Maui.
Aloha.
Aloha guys.
I’m going to ask you your opinion. What says Beat of Hawai’i in reference to the latest updates?
I’m interested in everything you have to say.
Personally, I’m a bit relieved.
Now you go…
Hi Pam.
Thanks for asking, and for your nearly 100 comments.
As Beat of Hawaii has evolved, we’ve tried to foster an open forum for visitors. As a result, there are thousands of comments each month. We tend to avoid highly editorializing our content, to the best of our human ability. So there you go in theory.
We don’t have an answer to how things should proceed and above all don’t want to see COVID spread on Kauai. Keeping it at zero, however, doesn’t seem possible. It also isn’t clear to us to what degree it is spread as a result of visitors. There have been many comments to that effect too. The article we posted about that a day ago seemed to indicate that visitors are not the primary source of spread.
The lack of employment in our tourism-based economy is extremely concerning, with widespread ramifications. This is a small community and we see and know these people well and we feel the pain. Just tonight, two business owner friends told us they are throwing in the towel.
This sudden change didn’t seem to provide much of an opportunity for the current system, which has been in place less than six weeks, to work. So what does this say about that plan? And then there have been comments questioning what Kauai has done in terms of increasing preparedness since March.
And finally, how will industry stakeholders like airlines, hotels, restaurants, and tour operators feel closing down once again within a week. Will they be ready to reopen at the next change, or will they fear this becoming a endless string of openings and closings with unmanageable losses.
Aloha.
Thank you Beat of Hawaii,I agree with your response to Pam. As a Kauai resident I am extremely upset with this sudden plan.
Hi Jeanne.
Thanks for your comments. More will be revealed on this very challenging situation.
Aloha.
This is very sad for the residents of Kauai. How are they going to survive? I don’t worry about the big global companies (Hyatt& Marriot come to mind) but I do worry about their everyday employees.
I don’t know what the answer is, but this approach seems too drastic & as a tourist I would be very skeptical about making any travel plans for Kauai until there is a reliable vaccine.
We love Kauai & have been visiting for a month yearly for several years. Canceled our trip for June 2020 & unfortunately I don’t know when/if we will be able to return to the most beautiful island.
My heart goes out to the residents that are struggling. Thank you BOH for your updates
Hi Carol.
Thanks. We are very concerned here on the ground as well. While the Hyatt and its wealthy owners will survive, what about the hundreds and hundreds of employees?
Aloha.
Excellent reply. I feel so sorry for those whose lives are in constant turmoil by this mayor. What has he done to increase medical facility needs in all these months? This situation was going to happen eventually, unless a total blockade of Kaua’i was implemented with absolutely no travel in or out of the island. Seems like he’s more interested in getting his face on social media than anything else.
Mahalo to BOH for being the best!
Hi Ed.
Thanks! We appreciate all of your comments.
Aloha.
We are scheduled to arrive in Kauai on Dec. 1st. Does this mean we have to quarantine beginning the 2nd, or are we ok to go out and enjoy the island since we arrive before the shutdown?
Since you arrive before 12:01 on December 2nd, if your negative COVID test is upload to the safe travels prior to your flight’s departure to Kauai you aren’t subject to Emergency Rule #23 or the new temporary quarantine.
I still encourage you to participate in the voluntary post travel testing program for visitors. This will allow for the county to gather information on when it can open safely again. When out enjoying the island, please remember to wear a mask and support local business.