For those using the Kauai resort bubble options and others. But free Kauai COVID tests aren’t for everyone.
60 thoughts on “Free Kauai COVID Tests – What You Need to Know”
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For those using the Kauai resort bubble options and others. But free Kauai COVID tests aren’t for everyone.
Comments are closed.
Which of the “Resort Bubbles” would you recommend?
If I were to bubble in Kauai, I’d choose the Marriott Beach Resort in Lihue because it has an on-site store with basic groceries and access to Dukes Restaurant. It’s is also close to the new free testing place.
From all my mainland contacts… no one is saying “gee, look at Hawaii and Kauai. They are doing great.” They all say, “jesus, are they trying to go poor.”
With less deaths and sickness compared to an average flu season in Hawaii, what we’ve done is put people in the soup line on the sides of the highway.
And with every new month that passes there will always be some “event” that the State “leaders” want to wait and see about. This week is Super Bowl. Next will probably be Valentines day. Then they want to wait and see about a couple variants. When those are deemed safe, there will be a new variant they are concerned about.
Oh, and many “scientists”, Fauci included, along with Moderna, have stated Covid will most likely not go away. It’ll be vaccines and spikes for years to come… ENJOY your masks and emergency orders.
Wake up, this will not be over, out here, way into next winter.
Then we have Florida. Proving lockdowns don’t make a difference. BTW, Alaska opened up this weekend, no more testing or emergency proclamations. Lemme guess, the people of Hawaii still think they are wiser than everyone else? Yippee, you can’t even travel interstate yet! Way to go!!!
Is it true that current orders expire on Feb. 21? Is there a limit to orders that can be placed – especially in light of current stats that do not support an ‘emergency’. We have tickets for March – this is our last try if there isn’t a clear path, our family of 17 is giving up and will find a new paradise.
I live on Kauai and I agree with you. There is only one thing I need to add. Its not to locals that think there wiser then the rest of the world. It’s our dictator or a Mayor that thinks he the Savior of Kauai. He need to open his eyes look at how much damage he’s doing to our economy. Just because he still makes his $137,000 paycheck he tends to forget that he’s the one and only person that caused over 1500 people there jobs.
“Yippie, you can’t even travel interstate yet!” – Sean
This right here sums up the utter stupidity of this State Government, better than anything spoken here to date.
This can be compared to someone from the San Fransisco bay area
(nearly 8 million people, with 5 times the population of Hawaii) traveling to the Greater LA area (nearly 19 million people, with over 17 times the population) being forced to take a test and/or quarantine for multiple days, which is not done. It hasn’t even been proven that people from other regions have been the cause of the spread, and in Hawaii, just the opposite has been proven. Visitors aren’t the majority of the spreaders within the islands.
To boot, not one other state has restrictions on interstate travel, and with the climate in Hawaii proven to be condusive to reduced spreadability, it should be a no brainier that inter island travel, after proving you do not have Covid, along with safe hygiene and distance practices, should be allowed within the state.
Just more to prove Hawaii’s state government is out of control, and out of touch with reality.
Aloha, thank you for all the great updates! So is there an unlimited supply of free covid tests On Kauai? Just concerned that when they do run out, people staying at the bubble will have to rely on the prior testing??? Mahalo for all you do🌺
Hi Annie.
Thanks. That’s a very good question. Nothing was stated about that.
Aloha.
Thank you for this and all the updates. With a family of four, this on-island free test would save us about $900 for the $225/person fee the test would have cost us at the resort bubble. Still, not a big fan of having a family kept in a hotel room for 4 nights before allowed to be free, if all the on-island testing goes well. As an alternative to the resort bubble I had flights and a Maui condo booked to spend 4 nights there. We were going to get tested after the minimum 72 hours on Maui then fly to Kauai. Unfortunately, I checked with all the trusted testing partners located on Maui and none would guarantee COVID test results in less than 48 hours. That meant we would need to schedule a minimum of 5 or 6 nights on Maui to obtain the negative test results before we could schedule a flight to Kauai. We only wanted to go to Kauai and having only 8 nights we could be away from home meant only 2 or 3 nights on Kauai, which led us to cancel our plans. Kauai travelers need to be aware of so many different restrictions AND the length of testing time results needed to meet the restrictions. The last I heard the current Kauai only test requirements are set to expire on February 21. With that only 6 days away has anyone heard an update? With 0 active cases on Kauai and the fewest current cases in the mainland reported since late October I would hope the mayor will remove the additional testing/bubble resort requirements and join the rest of the state on the test requirements.
Hi Joel.
Thanks for sharing about issues with testing for interisland travel. There is no update for now on any upcoming changes.
Aloha.
JoelV, you mentioned that the current Kauai only test requirements are set to expire Feb. 21. Where can that information be found? It would be nice if the second test requirement was dropped.
I wait for the vaccinated rules to be established.
Here are copies and quotes from the Kauai County website. It has been my experience that this is what is as of today, 2-15-21. Tomorrow …?
Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami announced that the County of Kaua‘i, in partnership with the Kaua‘i District Health Office, is now providing free COVID-19 testing weekdays in Līhuʻe for anyone without symptoms.
Mayor Kawakami Quotes:
“This opportunity is open to everyone – no specific reason or doctor’s order is needed.”
“While these tests cannot be used for the state’s Safe Travels program for travel to Maui or Hawai‘i Island, they can be used by Kaua‘i Resort Bubble guests as the post-travel test needed to be released from the bubble. This will make it more affordable for returning residents and visitors to participate in the Resort Bubble program.”
This is very good news for us. We will be visiting Kauai very soon, vaccinated, and very respectful of covid-19 protocols. The post arrival test Kauai requires was quoted to us as $200 per person! If the free testing holds on, we will have $400 in our budget to spend on the island.
How to get to the testing location is still new to our bubble resort, so we haven’t heard how yet. Mayor Kawakami should address how we will be able to violate our wrist monitors to get to the testing site.
What about after getting 2 vaccines ? What is the situation on that?
YES!
Thank you for the update.
This is not really a very good option for many of the bubble hotels. Except the Lihue based bubbles that are very close (Timbers and Marriott and Timbers already has free testing), as the other resorts are pretty far away from the testing center in Lihue. So for instance if you are staying at bubble resorts Cliffs or Hanalei Bay Resort, you would need to take a shuttle or taxi to Lihue ($100+), take the test (free), take a taxi or arrange another shuttle back to the resort ($100+), stay until your results came back (so now you have to rent another day), get released from the EMQ bracelet because only the resort/hotel can do that, take another taxi/shuttle (which you have to reserve 48 hours ahead) to get your car ($100 plus). You have now spent all day driving back and forth and still spent about as much for shuttles vs having the doctor come to the resort, give you a 15 minute test and you are on your way. Will the EMQ resort even let you leave with the bracelet on and get into a cab with a stranger?????? Now if the county wants to set up a test site in Princeville at the airport, Lihue at the War Memorial and in Poipu where the other bubbles are located, fine. Better yet go to the bubbles and do the testing there for free or reduced rates. It should also be noted that supposedly 1400 have gone through some sort of bubble stay and not ONE person has tested out positive. That should tell you something like the first test did the trick.
Another thing about this bubble idea. Most of the travelers in the bubbles are owners of timeshares within the bubbled resort. Marriott, Cliffs, HBR, Timbers, Point are all timeshare resorts. There are a few residents or owners of homes wanting to come over for longer stays that are using the bubbles. Did you know if you stay at The Marriott Lihue, you can walk down the pathway along the beach path to Dukes which is a public restaurant??? So how safe is that bubble? It just overall makes no sense.
Joan B, first, I did not know that a “bubbler” could go down to Dukes – that makes no sense. It’s a severe breach of safety protocols of the quarantine system for me.
You present a very good idea for testing sites. There are three major areas for visitor accommodations on Kauai; Princeville, Lihue and Poipu Point. It would seem to make a lot of common sense to have a testing site in the area of each of these.
Is the decision to headquarter in Lihue a financial nod to transportation providers? Hopefully safety and common sense are paramount.
Did you really just say “Common Sense” ? Big words for Kawakami.
I just learned from a resident of Kauai, that the Bubble hotels are not a true bubble at all. The resorts allow any local or nun-bubbler to visit friends, eat at their restaurants, enjoy their drinks and entertainment. This is unfair monopoly by the Bubble hotels against non-bubble restaurants, stores, hotels and vacation rentals. Obviously this shows hypocrisy of Kawakami. If they fear “visitors” coming, why are they letting locals mingle with them? Here is the first hand comment from a local (from County of Kauai Facebook comment thread):
“YES, I have been to the Bubbles. Many times.
We sit spaced out and of course here there’s lots of air so it feels safe (if it didnt, I’d leave).
Anyone can go.
It sounds like you’re not on island – correct? – but if you were you could go visit .Koa Kea for instance with friends who are Bubbling, or at any time.
Same w all the EMQs.
We were at Dukes the other day – the place was packed… live music, drinks, folks waiting for a seat in the bar area and by 7pm about 1/2 the rest upstairs was full.”
This is true. I walk at Kauai Lagoons almost every morning then swim at Kalapaki.Spoke today with a visitor in the “ bubble resort “ plan—-he can eat at Dukes,shop at the ABC store near Dukes,walk on the beach and around the Lagoons,swim,surf at Kalapaki. I am happy they are able to have these experiences,; its wonderful to have visitors back,but,as a resident I am unable to get a free covid test before or after travel,and,if I quarrantine I am confined to my home,and unable to do my morning walks,swims where guests from “ bubble resorts “ can. -it just does not make sense. -thank you for this forum.
Hi Jeanne.
Thanks for your report from Kalapaki. We appreciate your many comments.
ALoha.
Has anyone in the government of Hawaii and especially about going to Kauai decided if we can go straight to the islands if we have had our vaccination shots. I have had a condo share on Kauai for 30 plus years and would like to come and stay for 4 weeks. Mahalo
Hi Tricia.
That will be forthcoming, but no word so far.
Aloha.
I understood that if we’re going to our own places, we do not have to quarantine. Especially with the vaccine. Or maybe I dreamt that…
As a resident here that recently returned from the mainland with a negative Covid test, I can tell you that’s not true! I had to quarantine for 10 days because I didn’t spend the $1500 + to stay in a bubble resort.
Aloha,
We live in Kihei. We would like to take the ferry to Lanai for the day. Since we will be traveling only within Maui County, are we required to quarantine upon arrival on Lanai and then quarantine when we return to Lahaina? Nothing on the Maui website addresses travel among the same county islands. Please advise. Thank you.
Hi Darleen.
We can’t say with certainty. Can you please ask the Go-Lanai Ferry. They should know.
Aloha.
Somebody “should” know
This whole situation of bubbles, bubble tests that don’t qualify for inter island travel, protected test providers, etc
Is a mess.
I am sorry for believing that Hawaii has a promise to peace and prosperity.
I hope Pele doesn’t get too mad.
No traveling for you. Too dangerous to go approx. 7 miles away. Stay home for eternity, Save Lives. Life may not be worth living, but atleast we’ll all live forever.
One 10 day old positive case. There must be a way to figure out the probability of acquiring covid on Kauai. .0000013
Totally absurd. If this continues Kauai will sink!