Our best answers to your questions about travel to Hawaii during COVID.
33 thoughts on “Essential Hawaii Travel Q&A | More New Rules + NO SafeTravels App.”
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Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel Tips » Essential Hawaii Travel Q&A | More New Rules + NO SafeTravels App.
Could you please help me in this matter. I tested positive for COVID on February 25th and we are planning to go to Hawaii on the 18th of April and stay the week a signed letter from a medical provider stating that you have not exhibited symptoms and are fully recovered (this letter must be signed at least 10 days after your positive test and no more than 14 days from your departure date). All documents must be on company-issued letterhead and submitted. Using my example when would I go to get my letter from my medical provider? Also how does it effect my departure date on April 18th to head to Hawaii?
Hi Salvatore.
The rules for travel following COVID are summarized here https://beatofhawaii.com/hawaii-travel-after-you-recover-from-covid/. There is also the link to the state website to request the exemption to testing.
Aloha.
Can anyone confirm that the Walgreens “rapid POC” test is accepted?
Another question..does it have to be exactly 72 hours or is it more done by the day? For example, I am traveling on Thursday. I plan to test on Monday via Vault. I have to do it first thing in the morning according to Vault so I can get it to their lab the next day. My flight to Hawaii is 11:00 am Thursday morning. Do I have to wait til 11 to be tested on Monday? Does Hawaii collect the exact time you were tested or is it just the day you were tested?
Stephanie, we are heading to Maui from Phoenix tomorrow (Friday Oct 16), and took our Vault tests on Tuesday morning. They were quite easy. Dropped them off at UPS at 1:00 PM, and tracking showed them arrive at the NJ Vault lab on Wednesday afternoon. We woke up this morning (Thursday) with emails dated 2:00 AM with our negative result. There are TWO emails you will receive from Vault – one that just has a simple blue logo, your name, your test result, and the date of the test – but no specific hourly time. Look for a second email to arrive simultaneously confusingly subject line “Insurance Reimbursement Details” – if you scroll to the bottom, there is a MUCH more official looking lab report with the official test name, clinical codes, descriptions, and a digital doctor signature. However, this one only shows a date of collection, not a collection time either! The only time that is printed on the report is the “Result” time, which was actually two days after our test. So, unless Vault is transmitting testing data directly to Hawaii (highly doubtful based on the disorganized nature of all of this so far), my assumption is that they will probably take any test done on T-3 days from arrival, and not a super-exact 72 hour point in time. Also, neither Vault email includes a PDF copy of anything, and the Vault website doesn’t provide a PDF either, to I resorted to “Print to PDF” both reports, and uploaded both to my Safe Travels profile (it accepts multiple document uploads and lists them all). Within a few seconds, the site says “Manual Verification Required”, but I strongly suspect that this will actually happen to everyone, as they want the arrival screener to take a look at the lab result in person (I’m printing them out on paper as a backup). After uploading both Vault emails in PDF form, filling out my trip info (which has to be done before uploading actually), and submitting the health questionnaire, I got the QR code and am ready to fly tomorrow. Aloha! Thanks
Thank you for providing all that information. I feel much more comfortable now that I know how the process works with vault.
Hi Reed!
Thanks for this thorough explanation, I am also worried about Vault not having time stamp but I’d like to take it as close to 72 hours as possible. Could you please provide an update about your experience with showing your Vault result (even without exact timestamp of when you took it)? Was there pushback when they did a manual check?
Thank you!
Thanks for all the info Reed. Can you please, if possible update if you have success with you test results and getting verified at the airport. I’m in a similar situation, I don’t know how precise and strict they are being with the 72 hour window, I’m getting conflicting answers from different people. So I will be flying out of San Francisco to Maui on oct 20 at 10:55am with a connecting flight in Honolulu at 3:15pm…I’m not sure if I need to test 72 hours before my first flight or 72 hours before my connection in Honolulu. I will be taking a vault test at home later on today and just need to figure out the time to take it. The hawaii website confused me a little because it says a test needs to be taken 72 hours before the last leg of your flight into a Hawaii airport. I doesn’t specify if it is any Hawaii airport or if it is the Hawaii airport of your final destination. For me the difference in time from my first flight and the connecting flight that makes a huge difference since vault doesn’t test after 3pm and my Honolulu flight would be at 3:15pm, also most ups stores last pickup for airmail is 3pm so it wouldn’t be possible to mail it today and not tomorrow either as they are closed on Sundays. Not sure what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
As expected, all this is exceptionally vague, confusing and a moving target. Thanks to Beat of Hawaii for trying to make sense of all this. The Hawaiian government has had weeks and months to get their act together but continues to fail tourists and more importantly the residents. Hard to imagine that many travelers will be willing to put money and time at risk this early in the re-opening process. Like many, I will sit back and see what transpires in the months ahead before deciding if a 2021 Hawaii trip is worth the effort. We wish all good luck in your travel endeavors and prayers to the people of Hawaii. Thanks again Beat of Hawaii for your efforts to try and cut through all the confusion.
Hi Phillip.
Thanks! Yes, this is confusing even for us. We keep looking for more clarity and are hopeful. Call us forever optimists.
Aloha.
You guys are GREAT! Thanks for your hard work and positive outlook – a rare commodity these days!! Never give up!
Hi Nancy.
Thanks for that and as well as for your dozens of comments over the past couple of years.
Aloha.
In response to Gerhard’s recommendation for Canadians to fly to SFO for the test….non-essential travel between Canada and the US was extended until at least Oct 21st. and it is very possible that may be extended again. So, right now to the US for vacation travel testing is not a viable option for Canadians.
I’m wondering if the other islands with connecting flights are more complicated than Oahu? We are booked to fly to Kauai with our connecting flight both ways being in Maui. The longest layover is about 2 hours. I think the Covid test 72 hours before our mainland departure takes care of our trip getting there (including the connecting flight) doesn’t it? But what about when we leave Kauai and connect flights in Maui before departing to the mainland? Would we need another test first? Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Carol.
From all current information provided by the state, your one test will be good to get you all the way to Kauai, and there should be no test on the return as long as you don’t do an actual layover on Maui.
Aloha.