“If you are unvaccinated, you are not welcome in Hawaiʻi.” — Mufi Hannemann.
94 thoughts on “Disagreement, Silence Follow Governor’s Incongruous “Stay Away” Request”
Comments are closed.
Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel Tips » Disagreement, Silence Follow Governor’s Incongruous “Stay Away” Request
Mufi Hanneman seems to be interpreting Ige’s directive in a manner that finesses it, i.e. if vaccinated, come on down. From everything I have read and heard, that is NOT the way Ige intended it to be interpreted. However, Mufi is playing to multiple audiences given his current job AND future hopeful job. Meanwhile, the air carriers have raised their fingers in aloha (not) by pushing cheap fall fares. Most local residents would love the tourists NOT to come whether vaxxed or not simply because our health systems are already WAY overburdened. As far as the question of it all being local community transmission, there is more than a little evidence suggesting this is all “shibai” (you can guess what that means in English with 2 letters, both in the Japanese word). The way the Covid data is collected and accumulated there is ample opportunity for it to be massaged and the Unknown category seems to be statistically out of proportion. It is not hard to believe that many asymptomatic visitors or those with viral loads too early to catch have slipped through the ST program and spread the Delta variant locally. They are too material a component in daily arrivals of 30K or so to not have had an impact. A doctor I spoke to said that there are definitely cases of visitors under ICU care and more that have come into the hospitals and clinic sick. And, the idea that they are all isolated in Waikiki is completely false. I see them daily in my town, in Costco, in Haleiwa, at the beach, on the road. (95% without masks and clearly white visitors as evidenced by clothes, accents, sunburns, rental cars, etc). I have a few staying right in my development in units that are supposed to be for residents not transients. I spoke to one a few days ago and she told me “they were renting for 3-4 weeks and visiting from California. Nice people but that is not the issue. Locals in many cases increasingly dont trust the tourism industry and the politicians to be be for them and telling the truth.
I have to say as a recently returning visitor to Kauai and a person who also resides in a high tourist area of northern Ca, I do find it incredibly disrespectful when people visit an area and do not abide by it’s rules. In this case the mask mandate, no trespassing etc.. When in Kauai I really did not see much of that. I know every one in my party wore our mask in all indoor settings. I think tourist would also appreciate accurate statistics, what ever that looks like, so that we too can make an informed decision.
Thank you
Sad that our politicians make threats to the visitors that come here. “Unvaccinated not welcome” REALLY? Too many political suicide decisions and interestingly they are all in sync.
I will continue my stand as a citizen of our country to support our freedoms.
(edited – see comment policy)
I plan to come in October. But we’re already prepared for a low key beach and snorkeling relaxation trip. We will eat mostly from the condo. Because as we understand it. It sounds as though capacity for indoor activities is lowered since being there in July. We try to be low impact tourist. And we love the islands so we respect them.
And of the 1,200 First Responders between Fire and Police who are sewing Governor Ige to not be mandated to get the “Jab”, what of they. There are a lot of Medical Personnel that do not get the Vaccination as well, does anyone ask why?
I don’t believe your comment has relevance to the discussion at hand on whether it is ‘safe’ to travel to Hawai’i in light of the recent announcements by government officials and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. What you are highlighting is an nationwide issue facing many corporations, organizations, and yes, first responders, whether any of these organizations have the ‘right’ to insist on vaccinations as a condition of employment OR if the decision is made not to get vaccinated, require testing. Please, let’s not try to divert and throw an unrelated topic into the discussion. Let’s stay focused on the question at hand: is it ‘safe’ to travel to Hawai’i right now? I say yes, as long as everyone understands there may be changes in what is possible and available today versus the future.
Lots of very respectful sheep in Hawaii it seems like. Very complacent. They like being told what to do
I will stay way……until the Aloha comes back. I will spend my money else where I am welcomed. Good luck with the numerous businesses that are going to fail. The state of Hawaii is going to have to figure this out. You are going to have to understand what you have created over the past years, an economy that is dependent on tourism. Once tourist’s dollars are gone, where are the dollars are going coming from. I love Hawaii, I will be one of first to book travel to your beautiful state. You need to look to the leadership and question if they are capable of solving the inner island issues.
As a resident of Hawai’i I will share the positive and the not-so-positive of taking holiday in the next sixty to ninety days, there is risk that what you plan to do during your trip may be cancelled or dramatically modified, you will be entering a State with a fragile healthcare system that is overtaxed and operating beyond full capacity. You may be asked to do things you care not to do, like wear a mask indoors, potentially outdoors, you may have to show vaccine card to enter a restaurant, beaches may or may not be closed. Restaurants you have selected may either be operating at reduced hours or closed on some days of the week.
Do not get caught up in the finger-pointing of whether it is the tourists or residents who are infecting others, we’re dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Frustration is building as residents are asked to limit their activities and stay at home while charter boats fill shoulder to shoulder with tourists.
Many have asked “should I still plan to come to Hawai’i”? I say yes, if you’re willing to be adaptable to changes in schedules, risk of beaches closing, and waiting in line (as we residents have to do) for an hour or more to eat in a restaurant. I would suggest buying travel insurance that covers medical emergencies as our healthcare network is taxed beyond normal operation. Many hospitals have set up ‘MASH-style’ tents to receive incoming patients to ER, a typical ER that may handle 24 patients is handling upwards of 60-70 patients at a time. Critical emergencies such as cardiac, stroke, or severe automobile accidents are being prioritized however with few to no bed space, there aren’t even options to transfer the patient to another hospital on the island or to another island. The islands of Maui and Kauai only have one hospital. While vacation planning does not typically include what to do in case of a healthcare emergency I suggest adding healthcare to your vacation travel plans as a precautionary measure.
Maui and Kauai have had a year and a half to increase hospital capacity. Hundreds of mainland cities have had to do that. I’m tired of hearing them complain about inadequate “hospital capacity”. What are they going to do when the next pandemic hits?
Curtis, perhaps a few of those billionaires, rock stars, and tech giants can come together and build a new hospital instead of retreating to Malibu or Santa Barbara Ca when the going gets rough.
Where is all this money for these things supposed to come from? Who will support these things in times of no pandemic? Please, unless you are offering up your money to build it, this is not Field of Dreams. It’s real life.
Have had timeshare on Maui since 2005 and visit yearly. Scheduled for end of September, first of October. 3rd scheduled trip since March 2020. Canceled first two, no plans to cancel this trip unless Maui shuts down. I am vaccinated and have had 3rd vaccine as I fall within the guidelines for 3rd dose. I wear a mask. I have done everything that I can do to be safe for myself and others. The city I am from also has a high number of Covid cases, mostly unvaccinated individuals. No restrictions, no mandates and yes the hospital system is overwhelmed. I don’t know what the answer is but it should not be to discourage vaccinated visitors.
You know we all make mistakes and I think the governor has figured out his reverse invitation was not well received. Doors are open to travel and people will pay to do so, especially if they follow the rules. Hawaiian rules are clear and easy to follow. The governor of CA made the mistake of attending a birthday celebration totally against the state regulations that he put in place. Well, he is now up for recall for just that reason and more. Thank you. I am going to Hawaii in a few short days. And, thank you for your candid reporting BOH. Diane
Hi Diane.
Thank you for your feedback on this issue.
Aloha.
So people will still be able to upload their cdc vaccine card to the safe travels website
For October
Thank
You
Hi Greg.
Nothing has changed.
Aloha.
What can you say after all of this controversy about going to Hawaii. Get vaccinated, wear a mask when indoors and near people, enjoy the Hawaii Weather don’t expect anything when you go there, and sing what Danny Couch sings in his song….. “I Love Hawaii, I Love Hawaii”.