Interesting similarities exist between the physically isolated and tourism-dependent Florida Keys and Hawaii. This comes to mind today, as we learned that the Keys will reopen to tourists on June 1 via air and car, but with a myriad of new restrictions in place.
While not completely analogous, Hawaii may well observe what happens there and how successful it is, as it plans for its own tourism reopening. The first time that Hawaii could re-open to tourism is July 1, but a date certain and on what basis, have not yet been announced. The lockdowns, both here in Hawaii, and in the Keys, have kept visitors out, and the number of cases low.
One major difference between Hawaii and the Keys, of course, is that you can fly or drive to the Keys, whereas a 5+ hour flight is required to visit Hawaii. The population sizes are different too.
Hawaii and the Florida Keys have both done well.
The Keys has had a very low incidence rate, similar to Hawaii. Florida’s Health Department spokesperson said “Should the Florida Keys experience an increase in cases… restrictions may be heightened and amenities may again be closed. It’s time to start moving forward… The checkpoint has done what it’s needed to do.”
The Keys has been closed since March 22, whereas Hawaii has been “essentially closed” since March 26. Checkpoints were put in place to keep non-residents out of the Keys. Hotels were ordered shuttered, and visitors by air were screened and ordered to self-isolate for 14 days. Here in Hawaii, a 14-day mandatory isolation period under penalty of the law was put in place for all arrivals.
New Keys’ rules and limits set.
Starting June 1, screenings on arrival, will cease. Keys’ residents are being urged to continue to follow best practices including sanitization, distancing, limiting groups to 10 or less, and wearing face masks.
When the Keys re-open, it will do so with a 50% capacity limit on lodging establishments, restaurants, and gyms. Bars will not be re-opening at that time. Vacation rentals will be exempt from the 50% rule. All accommodations will be mandated to implement sanitation procedures per the guidelines set forth by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and will have to submit a sanitation plan to the state.
Will following what happens in the Florida Keys give Hawaii some of the answers needed to move forward?
Thank you for this intelligent and interesting article! It will be interesting to see how things play out in Florida. They’ve had 98 deaths per million population, Hawai’i has had 12. Maybe there more older people in Florida, due to all the retirees from NY and elsewhere. Here in San Diego County (population nearing 4 million), we’ve had 242 deaths; Hawai’i (population about 1.5 million) has had 17. So it looks like the isolation and quar antine policy has had a very positive effect. San Diego has been pretty laid back about restrictions even though the state put out a lot of guidelines. Throughout, we’ve gone for walks and bike rides; mask only for stores. Surfing was a no-no for weeks and there were some tickets issued, but mostly just warnings. We were responsible about it and stayed out of the water and off the beaches. The big difference here, I think, was the lack of quarantine. People would still come in from Arizona and down from LA County (where this was the leading cause of death in March) and Orange County.
Hi Dave.
Thank you for your many comments.
Aloha.
Here’s a footnote about from other areas (source: The Atlantic online).
“flare-ups that begin in reckless states can easily spread into more cautious ones. Cellphone data, for example, reveal that after Georgia businesses revved back into action, more than 60,000 extra visitors poured in from neighboring states every day. Genetic studies show the risks of such movements. By using patterns of mutations to reconstruct the pan demic’s path, researchers have shown that most of New York’s cases likely stemmed from one introduction from Europe in mid-February. Most of Louisiana’s cases arose from just a couple of introductions from within the U.S.”
In April, Georgia had 5 of the 10 counties with the highest death rates in the US. Hawai’i definitely does not want to go down that road.
It’s worth noting that: “The right to travel is supported by Supreme Court precedents, but in 1965, the Court ruled that said right “does not mean that areas ravaged by flood, fire or pestilence cannot be quarantined” if unlimited travel would jeopardize the safety of the nation.”
From today’s Maui News May 20, 2020:
“Gov. David Ige has extended the state’s 14-day travel quarantine through June 30, though he added that more businesses, such as gyms, theaters and churches, could begin reopening next month.Ige signed his 8th supplemental emergency proclamation Monday, extending the quar antine for both out-of-state and interisland arrivals.”
POTENTIAL TRAVELERS…July is the earliest you could arrive for a vacation without a quarantine, but I would certainly not book it now….
Please let me know your thoughts on a July 1st opening for tourists. We are scheduled to arrive on Maui on July lst for 2 weeks. We have to end of May to cancel our condos.
Any info or insight is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Hi Adele.
Honestly we aren’t sure at this point. That is quite a predicament. The safest answer right now would be to reschedule.
Aloha.
I am proud to call Florida my home. I am a longtime resident (since 1966) and glad I am here instead of some of these other states.
There are leaders and followers. Governor DeSantis is definitely a leader. He has been determined and straightforward in his leadership through the great fog of war on CO VID. Was it perfect? No way. But he dealt with the problems as they popped up and he did it all without crying to the federal government. That is what leaders do!
Does Florida still face challenges? You bet! But we have to put out the welcome mat to get tourism flowing again. It is what our economy survives on (we would have state income tax if not for our hefty tourism taxes). Will this bring problems? Most likely! But you cannot move forward without some risk…you cannot have reward without risk. But that is what leaders do: they weigh the risk against the reward, all while being prepared to react to the problems that crop up.
So… can Hawaii learn from Florida? You bet! And in more ways than one!
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I grew up in GA. The saying there was FL is the only state where the further south you travel the further north you get. That’s why most southerners refer to FL as Floriduh. Your Gov. has ordered that the DPH not issue CV data and that hospitals not include CV as a cause of death unless it was the only cause-related malady. The reason Fl has no income tax has nothing to do with tourism. It’s because the more productive states pay more in federal and state taxes so that they can not only protect their own residents, but support those states who don’t tax enough to support their own residents
I believe that Florida has been on track. DeSantis has gotten it mostly right. As far as doctors/hospitals coding cause of death as Cor ona19 I must ask you a question. Have you looked beneath the surface of the death coding situation? Hospitals are being compensated at a much higher rate for coding cause of death as Co vid9.
This is an excerpt from a fact checking organization. This statement is from a doctor that has been instructed to code deaths as Co vid even if the patient has a extremely mild case , but happens to actually die from cancer, congestive heart failure or even a auto accident.
“ Jensen, April 8: I would remind him that anytime health care intersects with dollars it gets awkward. Right now Medicare has determined that if you have a CO VID admission to the hospital, you’ll get paid $13,000. If that patient goes on a ventilator, you get $39,000, three times as much. Nobody can tell me after 35 years in the world of medicine that sometimes those kinds of things impact on what we do.”
This is exactly why DeSantis has given special instruction regarding the hospital coding of deaths.
Most people living on the mainland knows there has always been a ongoing feud between Florida and Georgia. It’s not surprising that you have a biased view of a Florida. I have no ties to either Florida or a Georgia, however have read extensively about the ongoing feud.
Yes Hawaii is further from the mainland which would naturally cause additional concerns. However, the number of cases and deaths in Hawaii is amazingly low. If their governor continues in the current direction the state will very soon collapse. Governor Ige seems to be going for a goal of zero cases in Hawaii. That is certainly not realistic.
It’s time to responsibly reopen Hawaii! They are destroying their economy and the desire for visitors to even come there anymore. Much damage has been done to their tourism industry, regarding the way some local islanders and the local government has treated and spoken about visitors.
Mahalo!
Hi TJ.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Agree 100%
The big difference is that I did not read one negative/repulsive comment from the residents of the Keys…….I read many comments from Hawaiians about how much they HATE the tourists…..so…..they will reap what they sow………….
Hello Tom,
I was thinking the very same thing, and that barely scratches the surface, I wondered what would happen if some Hawaiian residents really knew what they were wishing for. I’m hoping maybe they’ll change the attitudes towards tourists now that they can see and (feel) the economic impact of no visitors to the island. I spend several weeks when I visit and throughly enjoy every minute I get, I know I don’t run into that very often but I know others that have. Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful Hawaiian vacation with nothing but Aloha sprit awaiting you.
Aloha BoH friends! I say follow the Keys very closely, and don’t be in too quick of a hurry to reopen Hawaii – your enclave of islands has far more to lose than the Florida Keys! Hawaii is an isolated group of islands, the Keys are not. They can push everyone off the Keys (think hurricane) to Miami and other parts of Florida if something were to happen, not so with Hawaii. My family and friends will miss our end of summer trip this year, but we will be back…hopefully for whale season! Sending warm aloha to all. And please, Hawaii, be patient.
Hi Tea.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Aloha – we were originally scheduled to visit the Big Island beginning tomorrow for 10 days. Obviously, our plans were delayed. We have rescheduled for mid September. Do you think some restrictions will be lifted by then? We are crossing our fingers we will be able to return. Mahalo for your input!
Hi Sharon.
We do think so. Please stay tuned for updates.
Aloha.
Aloha. We are two senior adults from San Diego ca hoping to make use of our Princeville timeshare from July 12 for seven days. We then hope to do seven days in Kanapali in Maui. The only thing we want is a grocery store and the ability to swim in a pool and snorkel in the ocean. We’ve been in isolation since March 20. Do you think this is wise? I do not want to isolate in my room for 14 days. I’ve been doing that at home. We are using Alaska Airlines. Do you have any words of advice? Aloha, steve said
Hi Steven.
No words of advice. Only that we hope to know more about July soon. Sorry to not be able to help.
Aloha.
Florida Keys has some 13,000 residents… 2.25 million visitors. Half of those residents are in the tourism business.
Hawaii has 1.14 million residents and had 10 million visitors.
Using math skills developed at UC Berkeley one cannot compare a Florida Keys solution to Hawaii. The risk to non tourism related residents in Hawaii MUCH greater than the risks to tourism related residents in the Florida Keys.
You need to find another larger resident population for comparison.
Yes…elect a Republican Governor!
Amen Brother!!!
Phil and Scott. Politics not valid here but I think Hawaii is doing fine protecting itself and residents. You dont know what it is like to live in such a relatively isolated place. You can drive to the keys. Supplies come by truck. Ambulances medics and medical supplies too. Not so Hawaii. The balance can be easily upset. I hope you enjoy your vacations in certain states. Please dont come to Hawaii and interfere with what most of us come for. Some people just have to make it about politics Gov of Florida (Keys) just said he wouldn’t let New Yorkers in. Where do you think all the money in that state comes from?
Two problems with the article. 1. We do not have the medical infrastructure to handle an overwhelming outbreak. Our medical system is pretty bad for the people who live here, not to mention the tens of thousands of tourists who visit here.
2. The article is a real false equivalency. There are 13,000 +/- people in the keys as compared to over a million here in Hawaii.
Laura, these types are going to make everything political. It is why our country is so screwed up.