Questions that could potentially put the kibosh on visitors’ plans.
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202 thoughts on “Could Latest Plans Derail Hawaii Reopening on October 15?”
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Questions that could potentially put the kibosh on visitors’ plans.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Comments are closed.
I’m surprised they let these mayors even put forth these ideas. Sounds like there isn’t a united front. I sincerely hope they stick to what was announced prior being so close to the reopening date already announced. If after a month it doesn’t work, then reconfigure. This on-the-fly planning when people have to plan way in advance to get to this location is crazy. Pick a plan, try it, then evaluate….please!
If the mayors or the governor want a second test, it should be an instant result test done at the airport.
While hotels might like the mandatory guests for 72 – 96 hours, they will be forever known as the quarantine hotels, much like the tuberculosis sanitariums of old.
Let’s be honest here. The economy is suffering badly, there aren’t going to be a lot of tourists coming anyways – we will be lucky to see 10% of last year’s numbers. Let’s not go to extremes to prevent them from coming.
This must be some kind of super clever plot to pretend to open up Hawaii but really keep it closed as much as possible. But for the record I don’t blame the leaders for going to such great lengths to keep out covid and also listening to their own people and their fears of the terrible situation faced on the mainland.
However I am most frustrated at the fact that the rules keep changing. It would be one thing if this were part of the original plan so people would know up front. But right now Hawaii is doing its best to piss off their most enthusiastic and loyal “customers”. I mean these are the people who rushed out and booked trips so they can get back to perhaps their favorite place in the world and are now getting told sorry, you get to enjoy half your vacation either cooped up in a hotel room or paying big bucks to stay a resort. Eventually people will just go somewhere else. The governor must have known about the desire for the extra test and ignored the feedback – or he should have.
Personally I am interested in if there will be a requirement that you must stay in an approved hotel or if you can stay in a home you own or a friend’s/family’s home. And given the lack of tests on the islands, how will I be able to take the second test ? I suppose the resort bubbles will be able to get them but what about people quarantining outside ? I was thinking of bringing with me mail in tests but it doesn’t seem as if they will be accepted.
Thank you Beat of Hawaii for keeping us informed.
Hi AW.
Thanks for all your comments. There are more updates today and we expect a couple of state events by Tuesday to arrive at something more “final” than this.
Aloha.
Please forward all of these comments to the Gov’s office!
The feckless so-called leadership in Hawai’i has done more harm to the wonderful peoples of Hawai’i than Covid-19. Unfortunately you get the government you deserve.
We are planning on going to our place on the Big Island October 16. We land in Honolulu, change flights to Kona…are we going to need to get tested again to avoid quarantine at our place? We’ve already scheduled maintenance work in anticipation of our arrival and now I’m getting uneasy about the 10/15 reopening date.
IT would seem to me the best way is to get the the Hawaiian govt out of this.
The airlines need to take the lead and test all passengers before they board a plane. The Abbot test, I understand, is a quick and reliable test. Alaska Air announced today that a test will be available before flights but not at the airport so passengers would need to get tested on their own.
Oakland Airport has the right idea.
You would think that the Governor would have been working day and night with Abbot and the airlines to get their economy open.
Sadly, it seems like a low priority. The citizens of the Islands deserve better.
Thank you for all the information you have given on they frustrating issue.
Hi Dan.
It does seem that the airlines have been awfully quiet, and in our minds that has a lot to do with how Hawaii works with businesses. That’s a whole different story, that we aren’t going to get into here.
Aloha.
Interesting. Maybe the airlines cancelling many of their flights on October and November is their way of speaking… saying hey we have no faith in this dummies either and we can’t risk more of our $ waiting on them to get their act together. Just speculation.
Make it Simple — No entry for anybody into the state without a negative Covid test! If you put the kibosh on opening Oct 15 – you will look like fools. Nobody is going to go to the expense or time to take a 2nd test to visit Kauai, Maui County or the Big Island.
Also if people tested on the mainland before they even left the ground — you wouldn’t have to worry about non-residents using Hawaii’s supply of tests!
Time for these officials to form a united front — Get real about this. Nobody is going to travel to Hawaii on 10/15 unless all islands are open to travelers (without having to take 2 tests!).
Simple policy – No Entry (for anybody) without a negative COVID test taken 72 hrs prior to arrival.
Aloha,as of now there is no point in planning any travel the Hawaii, October 15th or beyond,things can change on a dime, it must be very frustrating for the Hawaiian citizens who are waiting to go back to work, how are they surviving?
Hi Bill.
There will be a lot more news coming out over the next few days. If that helps at all. LOL.
Aloha.
This is the ridiculous to the absurd. If you want to retest after arrival O.K., but why would you demand that you quarantine for 3 days of your very expensive vacation after having just tested negative prior to departure?
If the Mayor’s still want tourist to stay away this will do the trick. We were coming Nov 1st and will cancel again (3rd Time)if this hair-brained is in effect. And we will not return until they have a viable plan.
Hawaii’s Political Office holders are the most incompetent,dumbest,and feckless group of politicians on the planet, and it reflects poorly on Hawaiian’s that voted these morons in and then sit back and allow them to ruin their livelihood.
If you care about the economic survival your state you would petition the legislature
to recall and remove your Governor. And if Mayors are running this election cycle, you would vote them out, and if they aren’t recall them. Its past time for Hawaiian’s to do more than just complain, its time for action. Perhaps whomever you vote in will get the message the current clowns are not able to process.
This is the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, among many other things! Southwest just cancelled my Nov 24th flight from SLC to HON. This trip has been planned for a year. I last visited in Oct and cancelled my Apr trip. I have been holding out with a huge amount of patience and hope but things have just gotten too chaotic. I Love spending time in Hawaii but I have now been forced to cancel my travel for the second time this year. I will not return until no covid test or masks are required. Aloha and my best wishes for the future of Hawaii.
Please explain why the airlines can’t just have direct flights to the outer islands. Even going through a hub like Honolulu or Maui seems like it would be fine if you travel to the outer islands the same day you arrive. That should preclude the need for retesting. Mahalo for all the help you provide.
Hi Richard.
This is changing seemingly by the moment. We’ll have another update this afternoon. Thanks.
Aloha.
Get your act together, Hawaii! People can’t afford to make plans only to find out, the rules have changed!!
Ige and the other mayors should open the Polynesian Clown Center. They could do an Abbot and Costello copycat skit called “Whose in Quarantine”. I have cancelled 2 trips back home to Maui and it seems clear to me that they are blockading the island more than quarantining it. I have read a lot of articles about how many of the people enjoy a Hawaii without tourists -and it looks like they are going to have it.
With all the uncertainty and lack of decision making by the Hawaii govt leadership, I have decided to cancel all Hawaiian travel planning for 2021 🙁 Which means my next Hawaii vacation will not be until 2023. Hoping by then this will all clear up by then. Aloha!
Hawaii is never going to reopen because they are full of fear and can’t agree on anything. Not holding my breath for October 15th to happen. No Hawaii trips for me until covid is over…if it ever is. So I may never visit again. Canceled my Hawaii for September and just came back from a 2 week driving trip across the Great Plains state instead and had lots of fun. Minimal closures. Tourism still going on everywhere else. Hawaii did you hear this?
F.U.B.A.R. That is all.
Hawaii’s leadership is clueless. Despite indications otherwise I have to assume they understand the importance of tourism to their economy. When I previously heard that Mayor Victorino was urging a second test I wondered if he was just posturing so he could blame any possible future surges on others, but I suppose he actually thinks this absurd idea makes sense. I have no idea where these mayors presumably got the notion that they might see a significant rebound of travelers if they require a second test and a 3 day quarantine to the burden of an initial test 72 hours prior to takeoff. The typical stay at my condo is 7-8 nights and I’d wager virtually nobody will be willing to sacrifice 3 of their 7 days on island to quarantine. The lack of coordination between the governor and the mayors and the ever shifting “plans” are making this public relations disaster much worse.
I have a house in Kauai I would like to go back to my house . Family circumstances have made Me have to go to the mainland . I need to return to kauai. Everyday is a different story , Why is it ok for people to come to the mainland? Many students come to the mainland . Hawaii is in the United States . If we are not allowed to go to Hawaii with quarantine then Hawaii residents shouldn’t be able to leave . Airlines layoffs of 30 thousand add that to Hawaii’s unemployment and no tourists to support our restaurant rentals car rentals etc. Covid is serious but you cannot forever keep Hawaii in a bubble. Someone please help Hawaii government get on track .
We rebooked to come Thanksgiving week to give it some time to sort out. If this new 3 day quarantine is the case we will go somewhere else and wait a few years before we return. It’s hard enough doing a 12 hour flight each way to come for 9 days now this. Sorry Hawaii businessman we wanted to keep Americans money in America but I guess we will have to head to Mexico
I made plans last week based on their announcement and NOW they are changing the rules? Coming to my own condo on the Big Island for two weeks but still don’t want to spend three days in quarantine. Het it together, Ige. Don’t make an announcement if you don’t have everyone’s buy-in.
As I read the comments, not one seems remotely in favor of travel to Hawaii with the proposed 2nd test quarantine proposal. Hawaii might as well just stay shut and die on the vine…sorry.
If the island has concerns about its visitor exposure of only having one test, maybe they should actually enforce stricter social distancing rules that appear to be the main reasoning for the island outbreaks-sans travel. The last thing I plan to do if/when I get there is a condo potluck.
Hawaii as a whole has rightly complained about the lack of contact tracers and now that more have been added, those contact tracers are running into a brick wall in getting deadend responses from contacts.
Hawaii, there is quite a bit of self inflicted covid pain going on, keeping tourism shutdown isn’t going to fix that.
Aloha, I prefer testing prior to getting on the flight to Hawaii. Mahalo
Hi Marilyn.
Good to hear from you again. Thanks.
Aloha.
I am the optimistic fool that actually booked flights on 10/15 to visit our home in Kauai. Was on a direct flight to Kauai but it was cancelled and changed to a connecting flight through Honolulu. Hawaiian Air said they cancelled several of their October flights. Hmmmm seems like Hawaiian Air again knew what was going on before anyone else. Sad that after 3 months the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Mayors still can’t get their acts together. How about focusing on social distancing, masks and other prevention methods that don’t have such a negative economic and social impact? Great solution especially when there are are no tests available after the 3 day quarantine! May as well keep the 14 day quarantine rather than pretend they are trying to open back up.
This is ridiculous. Quarantine travelers that have already tested negative? If you want a retest fine, but why quarantine someone that’s negative?? No one will come after spending 130$ to get tested then be quarantined anyway on arrival. I’m was coming Nov 1st, but not if this is the plan.
Hawaii has elected the dumbest,the most incompetent, the most feckless leadership on the planet. It reflects poorly on Hawaii residence who voted these clowns in, then sit on their hands and allow them to continue to ruin their state.
Haven’t you had enough? You should immediately petition the legislature to recall and remove the Governor and if a single one of these Mayors gets reelected, its on you. And if they are not up for election they should be recalled. Wake up Hawaii, its time for action, stop complaining and get rid of them.
Geeze. One thing after another. It’s almost like the Gov and his other island 3 Stoogies, can’t agree on anything. I wouldn’t booke reservations till May. And even that date is problematic
I’m traveling on united from houston to maui by way of honolulu. Then 11 days later flying to kauai for a week. Our condos are booked and rental car is booked. If it’s not going to work out then I guess we will need to cancel. We leave houston on a tuesday and would need to get tested on a saturday? Then it would ruin our stay in kauai to be quarantined for 3 days….
I am confused, they publicly announced Hawaii to open with a 72 hour test prior to arrival to alleviate the need for the 14 day quarantine and now the individual islands are wanting to set their own criteria? When is someone going to make the final call on this? Do the individual islands have the authority to invoke their own restrictions? Any ideas?
I am really confused now If I fly from Las Vegas to Maui but land and change planes in Honolulu with a valid negative covid 19 test within 72 hours of arrival in Maui Do I still have to quarantine?
If I fly from Vegas to Phoenix then DIRECT to Maui with a valid negative covid 19 test within 72 hours of arrival in Maui Do I still have to quarantine?
Govenour mentioned tests thru CVS. I called my local CVS in Vegas, they had NO CLUE about anything.
Confused in Vegas.
We have planned a 4 month visit to the Big Island Dec1 to Mar 31 which is costing us a fortune in CA$. this would be our 22nd year of pumping money into the HI economy. If they (Gov’t)can’t get their s…t together we’ll cancel and they can kiss our tourism bucks goodbye.
Russ K
Aloha Guys
This has become crazy. First it was do what Alaska is doing. Now you have so many people involved it’s become undoable. What happened to Lt Gov. Green’s workable idea.
Mahalo Guys
Hi Roy.
We just don’t know where this is going to end up. In French Polynesia, they test twice but don’t quarantine after the first test. That seems more workable.
Aloha.
BOH, I would do that 2nd test scenario. The quarantine is overboard if the traveler has already taken the pre-test. If Hawaii thinks they need to eradicate the virus, it just is not going to happen. Everyone is better served by enforced social distance guidelines.
If they require a second test, they should allow for the quicker/cheaper antigen tests be taken…no quarantine in the meantime.
I watched Lt Gov Josh Green’s video today, nothing has much changed.The big day is next tuesday.
Mahalo
Hi Roy.
We will have an update this afternoon, and there will be at least two events between now and Tuesday if not more. Crazy times for sure. Thanks.
Aloha.
This is very confusing. When the State of Hawaii announced the pre-test program we booked tickets and a vacation rental in Kauai. It now appears that our vacation is in jeopardy thanks to the state’s waffling on the issue. This is very bad for tourism.
We have our tests scheduled and are ready to go for nov 7th flight. Want to make an already scarey situation more scarey, order two tests..
We have thousands on the line…how many people will be willing to risk even hundreds…..we are here to help as well as enjoy. This should have been figured out months ago
We thought after two prior AA cancelations this is a go…now there is another snafu. We are not the problem…only the solution….peoples livelihoods are disappearing and we are willing to subject ourselves to testing.
It sounds like those in charge will not stop till they get a 100 per cent guarantee
..not ever going to happen…one test is pretty good as eliminating the majority of threats. Or watch a guarantee of the Hawaiian economy disappear entirely. We are 70 and risk more to our lives by traveling to Hawaii than ige etc risk by welcoming us tested travelers. Should have had a plan last spring when kur first trip was postponed. Thanks American for working with us and refunding each flight. Risk is now the new normal.
As expensive as it is to get to and stay in Hawaii, and given the fact that most people are there for one week vacation, taking 3 days out of your vacation to be in lock down is absurd. Until Hawaii can get their s@$t together we will not be traveling there anytime soon.
Wow, we have a Thanksgiving week stay booked for Maui but this level of uncertainty is insane. I thought the pre-test was challenging logistically but I at least could find a way to get it done, but there is no way we’re going to put up with a 2nd test 3 days later. We have 2 kids and there is no way we are going to be willing to quarantine for even a day, much less 3 days. I hope they realize that it needs to just open up completely combined with social distancing + mask wearing.
My husband is on the board of our time share with Hilton. They are not even thinking of opening at this time, and I think things like this are the reason. There have been so many announcements, backtracking, more announcements. Seems to me the mayors and governor should have met and figured out a real plan before announcing opening on 10/15. This just creates more concerns and distrust among both businesses and travelers. Add to that the resort bubble on one island, and who knows what on the BI, and people are going to say that visiting Hawaii this year is just not worth the possible financial loss, and frustration. I am so very glad we postponed until March 2021, and am now wondering if that trip will happen. Would like to see our kids, but this is nuts!
Aloha,
If I’m reading this confusing situation correctly- the required Covid Negative test 72 hours prior to arrival to avoid quarantine is only for travel to Oahu. I booked flights in December for my family for 7 nights to Kauai with a layover in Honolulu as there were no direct flights. If we all have to take another Covid test for travel to Kauai and wait 3 days for the results quarantining at the hotel we will cancel the whole trip.
Mahalo in advance for reconfirming this.
Hi Jan.
It does seem you’re reading it correctly. That having been said, however, we expect it to all change again.
Aloha.
BOH….Whoa,whoa,whoa…So, I originally had a non-stop flight to OGG from the mainland. Then the airline dropped that flight and changed it to a connection in HNL (change of planes). I did not think that was going to be an issue, but what you just inferred is that I may have just been disqualified of being able to avoid quarantine?
Thanks if you can find out further clarification on this. Deal breaker.
Hi Craig.
We simply don’t know until there is a clarification from the state.
Aloha.
BOH…the safetravels FAQ section of hawaiicovid19.com answers the question as follows:
My flight transits in Honolulu and my final destination is another island. Will I show my QR code and information in Honolulu or when I arrive on the neighbor island?
Upon arrival into the Honolulu airport, you will show your QR code to the screener. Once your screening is complete at the Honolulu airport, you must now fill out another Safe Travels Program application. This will apply for your trip from the Honolulu airport to the neighbor island, which is your final destination. This also will be the process if you arrive at the Maui airport and transit to another island.
We were scheduled to be in the state in July 2019 but that did not work out. We are now planning to be on Kauai for 7 weeks Sept 2021. We also require weekly one day island hops to Oahu on the Sunday’s we are in the state. Any quarantines will mean we cannot make the trip so we are sure hoping all this gets worked out long before then. Hopefully cheap, accurate, immediate-results tests can be the answer for every flight from the mainland and between islands. I suspicion the airlines, other major investors in travel, and the state’s business leaders could solve these problems quickly now if allowed to do so. I feel so sorry for all there whose lives and economic well-being continues to be disrupted.
There may be no restaurants shops or activities left open by next September
All scheduled for 3 weeks in Kauai on Jan 17th. Non-stop both ways from Phoenix. In 50 years we have been to the islands 11 times and Kauai 6 times. If this does not happen we will find another favorite location for vacations and Hawaii will be a distant memory. Thank yous for the updates, I think!
Hi Ed.
We hope to have more clarification soon. Thanks for your comments.
Aloha.
This has been a long nightmare. It’s getting old and tiring. How many times are the authorities going to continue this full circle none stop circus? No quarantine for me thank you. You can swab my nose, stick a needle in me or what ever you make as a rule. Just make up your mind. Mexico is looking better by the day.
Hawaii will be the laughingstock of the travel world if they change the requirements now only 2 weeks away from the October 15 fly with a negative test and thus avoid quarantine plan . Many people have car rental reservations and hotel reservations or condo reservations all predicated on the official plan announced several weeks ago. That all falls apart if this new proposed additional testing plan is put into effect.
People will be canceling their flights and vacations if the governor changes the requirements..
The airlines and car rental firms and indeed all the thousands of people who rent out their condos will be very unhappy if the state tries to impose a quarantine even after people have got a negative test before leaving the US mainland.
The questions are almost limitless and the problems as well if the state takes another right turn at this time.
People like me who own a condo in Kauai that we don’t rent out can’t imagine flying to Kauai, not being able to rent a car, not being allowed to somehow get to my unit, not being allowed to go to a grocery store for a quarantine period and then without a rental car somehow going to some spot on the island for a follow up test- and requiring me to stay for 3 days or longer at a quarantine bubble hotel that I would have to pay for- the scenarios are ridiculous. Maybe I’ll be forced to sell my vacation home and start going to another nice location that appreciates me stimulating their economy- a place that doesn’t treat tourists or routine visitors ( like me and my wife) like dirt.
I understand the desire to feel confident visitors are healthy before moving about the island but adding a “new” quarantine period is not going to be inviting for visitors unless they are planning an extended stay. Your questions about quarantine location, existing reservations, car rentals are my concern. What if you own a condo … can you stay there? and then how do you get to your 2nd test? Return to the airport for a rental car after another negative test? I see lots of taxi or Uber fares. All added expenses for the visitor? Not a viable plan. Like many, I have had to cancel 2 trips already this year. Booked flights for December back in February. I’m not counting on anything.
I don’t understand the rental car restriction – I guess the benefit is that people aren’t AS EASILY able to violate the quarantine and move around on their own? But why does Hawaii want to expose all those Uber and Taxi drivers to potentially infected people? Wouldn’t rental cars be a better solution?
As usual, heads planted firmly up their collective ____! It would almost be better to simply say that they just don’t know and be done with it instead of even more “death” by a hundred cuts! The mere fact that BOH had to post the comments that you did just reinforces the fact that they truly don’t know how to deal with it BEFORE opening their mouths but then they are politicians that have suffered NO financial impacts from living in camp chaos.