The possibility of having entry requirements based on where you live may be coming to Hawaii travel.
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85 thoughts on “Could Hawaii Restrict California Arrivals?”
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The possibility of having entry requirements based on where you live may be coming to Hawaii travel.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Comments are closed.
Aloha. Trashing your largest market is brilliant! I wish I would have thought of that. What of the super rich Californians who fly in on their private jets? Will you turn them around? If not, I’m wondering if Mr Zuckerberg will have to quarantine in a designated hotel on Kauai or if his 700 acres are spacious enough for the state government to give him a pass? I do hope he stays safe…
Mahalo
Has Hawaii had a big uptick in cases directly related to travelers from CA? It has been over a month since Thanksgiving. Today is 2 weeks from Christmas. It seems punitive to make a declaration like that if there hasn’t been a direct threat. I was supposed to arrive in Kauai on Tues. but we postponed until June. I would have been happy to go with the new rule for Kauai which seems to be if you go to another island for 3 days and then rest you don’t have to quarantine. We had to pull the trigger before that option was available. My parents probably wouldn’t have done it. As a visitor to Maui in Oct, I was very cautious in the few weeks before we traveled.
Let me get this right? The state and people of Hawaii don’t want me to come to my home that I paid a lot of $$$ for but the taxes and fees associated with owning are still required ?
Asinine and tyrannical!!
People have lost their minds and freedoms!
Aloha and thank you for your efforts to keep us all informed!
Any word on how Hawaii might handle travelers who have gone through the vaccination process and thus not susceptible to the virus?
Hi John.
Thanks. No update on that yet but it should be forthcoming. It had been stated by the Lt. Gov. that vaccination based travel would begin next month.
Aloha.
Aloha, I’m pretty sure you need to have 60-70% of the population to achieve that.
Mahalo
Dear Hawaii,
If I ever have the pleasure to visit or live with you all, may it be in the space of love, acknowledgement and permission. Please know that it is my desire to honor and respect the people(both originals and newer) and the land, knowing that Hawaii has it’s own history, culture and now a beautiful blend of other cultures.
After all that you have been through, thank you, beautiful Hawaii for continuing to nourish and share yourself with the rest of the world. What a gift!
I would be honored to come spend time with you some day!
Sincerely, Tamara
We own a house in Kamuela. We live in California in the country. I dont believe we should be punished to not be able to visit our home in Hawaii. They should look at how they are discriminating people that are not associated with the large cities.
What if you don’t live in CA, but are stopping there before flying to HI? We live on the east coast of the mainland, and there are no direct flights to HI. We plan to stop in San Diego, and then head on to HI. Testing is all scheduled for the appropriate times, too.
Thanks!
Hi Maranda.
We will wait to see what the state determines is their next approach. It seems like for the moment, there will be no changes to the current Safe Travels plan.
Aloha.
Is there any indication whether this restriction would apply to residents of other states who change planes at LAX for their final leg to Hawaii?
When I fly to Hawaii on a codeshare flight I always change planes in LAX, so my HA flight originates in California. If they pass this I wonder if I would be affected. I would not have thought of such a thing, but Hawaii seems to pass legislation that sometimes confuses me.
Thanks for this report your information is always helpful
Hi Lopaka.
Thanks. Unclear to us what the state will do next. We will update as soon as we learn more.
Aloha.
Thanks guys for your great work on sifting through the many changes with travel to Hawaii. Challenging on all sides. I had a wonderful time with family and grandchildren in Hawaii for Christmas. I just made it back to Jakarta after 43 hours and 1 flight cancelled mid route and transit denied in Philippines. Back to SFO I went. Now I am in quarantine in Jakarta for 5 days. I will have had 5 tests in total. Still worth it to a Tutu! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
I wanted to add that the Aloha spirit is alive and well in Hawaii. People wear masks and distance when necessary and life goes on as usual. With all the mutations currently with the corona virus, and the fact that vaccinations haven’t been safely tested for the necessary length of time, seems that vaccinations aren’t the answer. We must continue to do what we can and keep that Aloha Spirit strong. May 2021 see safety for Hawaiian residents balanced by a stronger economy. HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!
Hi Nancy.
Yay! Glad it was all worth it, and welcome home.
Aloha.
Florida is #1!
Actually, California is #1 in Covid, but you were close, Florida is close behind!
Please Consider LA a separate population from Northern California. From Sacramento north people are behaving According to the guidelines.
Mahalo
You are perfectly incorrect. Sa Jose makes up 30% of the COVID-19 cases within the state.
kron4.com/news/bay-area/5-east-san-jose-zip-codes-make-up-30-of-countys-total-covid-cases-heres-how-theyre-banding-together/
Mahalo Ang!
I have been coming since 1975 and I agree with you 100%! Hawaii just doesn’t have the same infrastructure and or neighboring States to step in and help. I am a native Californian and not at all offended by the decision to consider temporary restrictions on CA and other high risk States. It shouldn’t be taken personally. Hawaii’s state Representatives are just trying to save the lives of their constituents and visiting fellow Americans. We all need to take a breath and respect every States rights.
Hi All
Just when you think it can’t get any dumber it does.
So if you own a home there but live in a (bad state) then what happens?
Thanks for the info
P.S. Without economic freedom you have no freedom.
Along the same lines if you own a timeshare you are paying taxes too. In my case, for many years. We can’t just cancel our reservation. The expensive fees are due every year whether we go or not. I respect all the safety issues but aren’t the recent increase of Covid numbers from the residents?
I have been traveling to Hawaii since I was a child and my Grandma owned a place there briefly. She met her husband in Hawaii in WWII. I love Hawaii. I, personally, have been impressed by how Hawaii is watching out for Hawaiians. If Hawaii experiences what California is experiencing it will not have the resources to handle the caseload. Hawaii has to be strict. They have to think about the lives of those who live in Hawaii. I can’t wait to return to Hawaii once things calm down, more vaccines are given and Hawaii welcomes tourists back. Mahalo.
Mahalo Ang!
I have been coming since 1975 and I agree with you 100%! Hawaii just doesn’t have the same infrastructure and or neighboring States to step in and help. I am a native Californian and not at all offended by the decision to consider temporary restrictions on CA and other high risk States. It shouldn’t be taken personally. Hawaii’s state Representatives are just trying to save the lives of their constituents and visiting fellow Americans. We all need to take a breath and respect every States rights.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I love visiting Hawaii too. I have visited once or twice a year since 1973. I have a weakness and addiction to this beautiful place. I am staying away this year. As a health professional I would join you in asking visitors to wait out the pandemic. Hawaii’s ability to deal with a wave of Covid is more limited than on the Mainland. For example, Kauai has only 9 ICU beds, Maui 29, and the Big Island 24. The State is averaging between 60-70% bed occupancy right now according to the State Health Department statistics. You can imagine what might happen if the State allows less restrictive travel to resume. One last thought; Minority and Native populations are suffering more during this pandemic (for various reasons). Please be aware that the one best way to reduce their vulnerability to Covid is to stay away for now.
Powerful comment Steve, Mahalo!
Big Mahalos 🤙🏽
I wish people would take this pandemic seriously and just stay home. No one should be traveling anywhere during this pandemic. Ugh! 😷
Amen
Thank you both for the kindness towards our beautiful Islands!
Aloha Ang, Nanic & Steve,
I just wanna to say, you guys Rock!
And thank you helping Hawaii residence by spreading positive educating words.
I’m a Hawaii resident & expanded my business to San Francisco 3 years ago, My partner & I used to fly to/from SF every other week until covid hit! Even though our businesses are Essential & we’re stuck paying rents & utilities in SF We made the conscious decision it’s safer for everyone to stop traveling & stay in Honolulu due to the Very hard work by our government implementing the Strict Laws we have then actually Regulating them. I do miss San Francisco & all my colleagues have been struggling for a long time trying to contain the virus but it’s hard to regulate the laws so easily
where there’s mass populated cities with a million ways in & out!
Hawaii is so small with such little space it’s so dangerous how quickly covid can spread into a mass statewide breakout by putting gas in your car!
I respect you all so much for your Aloha Aina! Please come visit after the pandemic is under control!
Your words are perfect and need to be shared spread!
We all need to take a breath & Respect every States rights!
Thx!
I’m scheduled to fly from SMF to HNL 1/19…is there any idea when they’ll decide we can’t travel to Oahu?!
Thanks so much for your good work & info!!
Hi Liz.
There are no changes at this time. We’ll update as soon as we learn more.
Aloha.
Any idea about how the vaccine plays into all of this? I have been received the first dose and will receive the second Thursday. I’m hoping to visit in April. Have you heard anything about using the vaccine record to allow travel?
I saw today in the paper that Arizona per capita has more covid issues CA. Better ban AZ too. Rhode Island also is worse per capita. Add them to the list too. Whose up next?
We have to take a 72 hr Covid test to not quarantine Or quarantine for 10 days. Either way its their rules. We come over from California and assume the Test and or quarantine works ( again their rules ). Now Hawaii does not think that works ? And they want to ban people from California because people from California are sick ( except the ones with tests or in quarantine ). If they ( who ever that is ) want to ” Ban” me because I am from California does this not mean we now do not abide by the 14th amendment ?
“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Testing results are only a test for that time period. You can be exposed that evening, tomorrow and now you are positive but think you are safe!
Thanks but if that is true Lisa, why even bother to even take the test ? You could get it in Hawaii 3-5 days after you arrive as well
Not sure what to do – i have 2 rt vouchers for Hawaiian air and a voucher for a week in a kauai timeshare since i had to cancel last may trip and from CA.
With only 10 days remaining before finally returning home to the slopes of Mauna Loa, I am starting to get nervous about some last minute change to the State rules of trans-Pacific travel. Probably too much to ask for a 96-hour testing window instead of the current 72 hours.
It is very hard to get a test here as there are almost no Hawaii “trusted testing partners”. My plan is to take an in-person test at Walgreens (if an appointment can be had), a mail in test with Vault Health (Sunday departure makes results iffy) and a backup appointment for a rapid test at XpresCheck in the Phoenix airport during a two-hour layover.
Wish me luck.
We are in Southern California and although they have claimed the 10 day mandatory quarantine, it is not enforced nor will it be. It is up to the individual to choose to quarantine or not. If you test negative, you should be able to travel anywhere. To try to restrict an entire state is ridiculous! Not only will it greatly impact Hawaii for a very long time, it with also affect 1000’s of jobs in California as well.
Pope begs….this is not the time for vacations! People are dying.
I am a protestant, but can not see any more Godly guidance than that!
This is ridiculous if, for no other reason, people (from CA and everywhere else Covid is) have already made 2021 travel plans to Hawaii. Now travellers have to sit on pins and needles again waiting for someone to make a decision. Not all of CA has high Covid numbers, but its okay to penalize anyone who lives in CA. As i’ve said before, just close the doors to Hawaii and toss the keys. Closing would be easier than setting rules and then changing them every other week. Sadly, Hawaii is doing its best to tell visitors they arent welcome.
Well stated Tracy Y.
I have 2 sets of two round trip tickets on Hawaiian Airlines from May 2020 and from November 2020. I cannot get a Refund, only an allowance to use within 18 months.
I have 2 more tickets for a Trip to Oahu in May 2021 …..
I cannot afford to pay for 6 Tickets that I am not allowed to use.
If I find a way to get a Full refund from Hawaiian Airlines, I will never, and I mean never, visit any of the Hawaiian Islands, as long as they are governed by Democrats !
I’m a Californian and Hawaii may be off my summer vacay plans. We go to Hawaii every year and I would rather spend my harder and travel dollars elsewhere then spend them in Hawaii again this year. If you’re going to penalize Californians Hawaii you were going to be losing a lot of tourist dollars
I was there in November. We were on the big island. Had no issues. Just uploaded the required test results. I am scheduled again in July for another visit. We cancelled a trip in March because of lack of clear guidelines by the state government. But I understand that the islands are not equipped as the mainland for medical response that could be needed for a larger scale outbreak. I am not against pre test to traveling to the islands. Just wish there was consistency. My own state has not even a proposed possible plan either. This virus changes. But there has to be some assemblance of a plan. I hope the government of Hawaii can be clearer and consistent.
How does this work for those of us in other states that can’t get direct flights to Hawaii and have layovers in California (not overnight)? I’ve flown to Hawaii many times and have always had a layover in California.
Mahalo for that question! We are planning a late April 2021 trip via California. Yeah, I know that April is 4 months away and lots can change, but since we’re flying out of Philly, we have to land in SAN, then Uber over to Oakland to fly on Southwest out of CA to Maui. Hopefully, we don’t have to cancel another trip — we went to Disney World last October (instead of April 2020) and booked our Maui timeshare back in July 2019! We are never returning to Orlando and this may be our final trip to Hawaii. If we can’t go, then we won’t ever go back! So sad that these politicians are killing the tourism industries with broad rules.
We have been trying to fly to Hawaii from Idaho and having problems finding a covid test within 72 that is not those mail in tests that are expensive.
California has much more testing and the flights from major airports are direct (only 5 hours). So its much easier to get tested and fly from California. So of course there are more visitors from that state! We actually considered a road trip to CA to make it easier for us to get to Hawaii!
I live in Phoenix Arizona and we are back in the highest 3 states again with the highest positive results. Due to that fact it’s hard to fly anywhere without a 10-14 day quarantine . Makes it hard to travel. I’ve tested negative twice but still because of location I live I’m quarantined.
Looks like Kauai may come Off my to do list for 2021. Only Hawaiian Island I’ve not seen.
Why stop with CA? TX, AZ, NY, KY, PA, WA, CO, NM, UT are all covid hotspots along with at least 35 other states.
I live in CA. My daughter lives in L.A. County and the mandatory quarantining for travelers, including Californians just going between counties,does not happen nor do I know how they could enforce it or where theyd get the money or personnel to do so. Hawaii was already looking at giving advantageous treatment to tourists who are vaccinated. In CA it is a tiered system of when it will be offered to you so many are already at the back if the line just because of that. Are you going to further stigmatize travelers just because they live in CA? I thank you for letting me say my concerns.
The last 2 paragraphs of this article were interesting to me. Maybe I’m naive, but how in the world could any state outside of Hawaii and possibly Alaska possibly enforce a no travel order or a quarantine order??? We don’t live in a police state. When crossing a state line, you don’t stop and “show your papers”! We have freedom of movement in this country. I recently drove through New York where anyone arriving from my state is supposed to quarantine for 14 days. Guess what? I didn’t. No one from New York government knew I was there. Quarantine / no travel edicts simply aren’t enforceable.
Mahalo and stay well.
Hi Ed.
Definitely valid questions/concerns. Yet other places have done this, and the Lt. Gov. has indicated it as a possibility here as well.
Aloha.
Idaho had a 14 day quarantine back in March ‘20. Closed all recreation to those of us just across the border in Washington. I had a ticket hung on my car when I got back from a hike in Farragut State Park. Shame on me as I wasn’t reading the news at the time and wasn’t aware of the quarantine. It your correct, no crossing guards at the border.
Our mainland home is in Wyoming, just over the border from Idaho. We are cut off from the rest of Wyoming by an imposing mountain range, and our local stores, services, restaurants, etc., are located on the Idaho side of the border. So, technically, we were supposed to do a 14 day quarantine every time we went to the supermarket. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. This was actually a problem for a few people when the area was slowly reopening back in May, because some employees on the Idaho side lived on the Wyoming side, and their employers were afraid to not “enforce” the quarantine, so they could not go back to work – or they had to find temporary housing on the Idaho side.
It could be worse – look up Point Roberts WA, if you are not familiar ….
Correction, we Had freedom of movement….. All the Covid Cult Members said the disease was more important than freedom…
Kind of like that meme…. “Normal people in hazmat suits, conspiracy theorists maskless at a family dinner table”
Congrats Covid Cult members.. job well done, enjoy poverty.. oh and enjoy your 9 seat Caravan service to Lanai and Molokai
More insanity. What about all the people traveling from other states and connecting to a flight from california. That’s another huge percentage of overall travelers. Are they going to be banned also?
Just referring to Worldometer data from yesterday. California had 32,729 new cases out of a population of 39,512,223 or .00082 percent of the population. That’s a lower rate than some other states. For example Kansas 3765 new cases in a population of 2913314 or .0013 percent. Or Connecticut 4516 new cases on a population of 3565287 or .0013 percent. Do we ban them also? Where does this insanity end?
How do California-based layovers play in to this? We have a layover in San Jose in route to Maui in February.
It makes sense to have you fall under the Calif resident protocals if you actually stay over in a hotel, unless that hotel were part of a “bubble” with the airport.
California has no means to enforce any quarantine.. it is only suggested at LA County and there is no way to enforce
As usual, Hawaii is late to the decision making. This isn’t going to help now. Before Hawaii started its program, all of these decisions should have been made (worst case possibilities being thought of) and a blanket mandate for all travel, with travel banned or restricted for higher covid states if thats what was thought best. Me being from Northern Ca, feeling the effects So Cal has had on us, I would have rather had everything ironed out in August with a clear requirement from where you were traveling from so I knew where to push pur visit out to at that moment. This would have helped Keep more cases down in Hawaii over the holidays, but kept some visition/travel money coming in, kept confusion down, kept messy new issued rules at bay, and then Hawaii could slowly relax as vaccines rolled in and the holiday uptick subsided. But instead rash & confusing decisions were made and now they keep being made on the fly as things are happening. We are in the midst of the holiday/flu season spike with vaccines (slowly but are) being rolled out and more vaccines being approved. Putting More confusing restrictions in place after all of this has been happening is just going to make people all around throw their hands up, more than has been happening.
I fully agree with these very cogent observations.
Absolutely, keep the Californians out and you will Save Hawaii ! Most Californians in Maui do not wear masks ! They just simply refuse. I’ve been for 4 weeks now in Kaanapali and can attest that the biggest percentage of those who are not wearing a mask when required are largely Californians. Mostly Orange County !!!
Wow Quantman, I’m curious if you are out canvassing all these visitors where they are from or are you able to sense where they are from.
Your assertion may very well be true, but without data it is speculation. Spreading mis-information like this is not helpful. Data is what matters.
Ha right. Is he going up to the non mask wearers and asking where they are from? And then the non mask wearer voluntary says ‘hi kind sir. I am from Orange County California and I choose not to wear a mask’. Too much speculation and generalization out there for sure.
In booking our March flight I choose flights thru Seattle instead of LAX fearing something like this and also based on our experience at LAX in November on the way to Hawaii. Who knows maybe WA will be the next hot spot but it doesn’t make sense based on current data to take the risk and fly thru LAX or maybe even CA right now in case this does come to fruition.
Thanks for the update Beat of Hawaii. Always interesting the soap opera like twists and turns for travel to Hawaii.
Hi Kyle.
Thanks. We appreciate all of your input.
Aloha.
The Hawaiian govt is in a tough spot, but they put themselves there. The morons coming from the Mainland who do not follow health protocols are not helping.
First, Hawaiian official correctly assessed early on their delicate situation around inability to care for a COVID outbread (lack of hospital care, etc.), but their seemly beating around the bush between hard line actions (like arresting people guilty of breaking rules, putting up roadblocks, etc.) and softeness (inability to communicate well, letting people roam free without masks as one person above posted), is BS. Send the national guard and police out to beaches – site and arrest people who are not following protocol.
The Mainland Morons (assuming most Islanders do follow protocols, which I know is not 100% either, but I bet they follow protocols more than visitors), I am just shaking my head. Everyone arriving should be required to sign a legal document stating their understanding of the situation, what exactly is required of them from a safety protocol standpoint, and clearly laid out punishments if they do not follow the rules.
We are a nation at war – this is not time for BS. Like, when Germany was bombing London on a nightly basis, you don’t see people just wondering around at night at the bars, right???
Goverment officials needs to get tough – visitors need to be educated better and be held accountable for causing harm to the Hawaiian people and economy. Some visitors just have no sense, so it is the governent’s job to take over . Did I miss something or is this a national emergency???
Q- Did you ask for ID when you conducted your “research”? I am from OC California and recently visited Kaanapali Maui the week before Christmas. I did not observe what you did. Most people had masks on when “social distancing” was not possible and all wore masks on resort property, inside restaurants to order and/or before being seated at a table, as well as at all kinds of stores. Sounds like you need to chill-out and enjoy your holiday instead of getting triggered by what you perceive as your job as mask police, because again I was just there & I did NOT see that- I saw respect and compliance of necessary protocols, and lots of visitors having a good, safe time with lots of warm Aloha from the locals.
Ps… I suggest you do some real research and look at real State of Hawaii data on who is getting Covid, who is being hospitalized etc..
I was there to for 2 weeks over Christmas up at kapalua…I agree with you.
Planning to visit late feb to early march and of course from California. I live in sacramento and have already tested negative once. oh boy. please keep us posted. Hawaiian air says change flights with no fee. lets hopes so. thanks so much for being the go to site for good information
Hi Mary.
Thanks, as always. More changes are coming right up, so stay tuned with us.
Aloha.
Will having getting the vaccine help to eliminate covid requirements?
I don’t think that question can be answered until the majority of the population has received both doses for the currently approved vaccines. That will most likely not take place until late spring/early summer. But who knows?
And Hawaii said yesterday it will probably take till the fall to get most residents vaccinated.
@Karen. Hawaiian government officials should already be working on post-vaccine protocols as of last month (or earlier) when vaccines were announced.
Are they? If they are not, they are digging their hole even deeper than it is today.
This is getting ridiculous. They need to make up their minds. I live in Southern California and have two trips planned to the islands this year.
Aloha Beth! All you have to do is watch the news to see why Hawaii may want to put restrictions on visitors from California. I have been in Hawaii since October 9th and keep extending my return, home, to California because of covid. The news that one person is dying every 10 minutes isn’t very encouraging. In addition there are still people in CA that refuse to follow the CDC guidelines to make the spread even worse. I have 7 family members in CA that have all tested positive for covid and they
have been compliant with CDC rules. That’s just how contagious this virus is.
I might add my brother in laws Dr. told him his case was milder than it would have been had he not been wearing a mask because the mask reduced the viral load that infected him. I don’t love the feel of a mask but wear one for others. Now I will also wear it for my safety too. Mahalo!
I’ve read from virologists that even the doctor does not know the viral load from a test result. The only one who knows is the lab and then they return either a positive or negative. This particular virologist also said that a positive or negative really means nothing without that number and the number needed for getting a positive isn’t sensible which in turn kicks back more positives than necessary. You can read the article in the NYT it’s called, “So you got a positive test-maybe you shouldn’t have.” I’ve had plenty friends with positive tests that said it felt like they had a typical seasonal flu and nothing out of the ordinary.Low zinc is the real reason you might lose your taste and smell. You really have to wonder about this stuff…seems like people are getting the flu during flu season with a covid label slapped on top.
totally! My friend with COPD tested negative twice with PCR gold-standard test and later tested Positive for antibodies; daughter had Covid and my friend tested negative (rapid test) her husband got Covid and again she tested negative (PCR), then she got symptoms of mild fever, loss of taste, and one side lung pain & tested negative again (PCR), then did Anti-body test and yes, you guessed it she tested Positive. So she did have Covid. The tests are not accurate and have to done during a very specific window to get a negative result and also get false positives if there is any Coronavirus detection- this data is from my Brother-in law who runs a local hospital and his sister who is Nursing Chief of Staff for 7 local hospitals in OC California.
’99.something” percent chance of survival.. Unless you are old or unhealthily obese. (in that case hit a treadmill)
But stay scared to return… maybe you’ll feel safer in another 10 months