Is this the future of Hawaii travel? Back in the news again today.
2,829 thoughts on “Hotels Require Hawaii Vaccination Passports + New Maui COVID Rules Detailed”
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NO we will all be vaccinated when we come in June. I believe this vaccine passport to be a good thing. Anyone without should have to stay at home.
So if one is unable to take C19 vaccines, they are not allowed to travel? A bit harsh, Paul
I hope that the CDC can prove that the vaccine’s ability to prevent Covid will be longer than three months.
I’m an essential /emergency worker for a city government; in my work group we had two people contract Covid. Various others within our corporate yard had coronavirus, also. I received my first shot in early March with the second at the end of the month.
My family and I had cancelled our Oahu vacation from last year and rescheduled to the end of November of this year.
So if there is a requirement that vaccination be within three months of travel, would my family and I have to get the shots again in August?
Thanks for all the info that you give, BOH is my “go-to” for info on the islands.
Hi Reg
Thanks. We appreciate your many comments. It seems hard to imagine CDC will say only 3 months for validity. That’s a key sticking point right now. Everyone will be in the same mess and we’ll all be back to testing. At least pre-clearance is becoming standard to simplify the travel process.
Aloha.
Mahalo for the latest news! We are getting excited for our Maui trip. We’ll be fully vaccinated on April 6, with a departure date of April 22. Sadly, we’ll still need our pre-test from Walgreens (we live in NJ) ahead of time because it appears that whatever happens with these Vaccination Passes, it won’t happen until May, when we are back home.
Hi Steve.
You’re right about it not being in time for your trip, unfortunately. Have a great time on Maui!
Aloha.
OMG People. Vaccination passports, really? This is the purest form of ridiculing and marking people. What’s next? There is e huge difference in leading cause of death for white and black people, hypertension and diabetes caused by poor diets for the latter group (I’m black so I know). Will there be a passport to enter Popeyes Fried Chicken because there is a risk it will drain the healthcare resources? This is going nowhere people, wake up!
The majority of people getting Covid experience NO symptoms, NADA. Only 0.1% dies, but they would have died anyway in 6 months or less. If you are old or have health risks, get vaccinated. But leave the rest of the 98% live in peace. People are getting vaccinated by the millions, but expensive testing, masks and social distancing is still there.
Give me a break, vaccination passports. Pff.
Donald, agree with you 100%.
I refuse to be controlled by any Government as to where I can or can’t go because of a vaccination/vac passport. I am glad I got to see Maui in 2015. I will never return as long as this ridiculous vaccination passport is the requirement and i know of many like me. Good luck Hawaii.
ahahahahahahaha
Do you have a drivers license? A medical card? DO you use any government for anything? You refuse to be controlled. OK! Well guess what you may have to just stay home forever because we the people IE our government have set rules in place to continue to be a civilized society. Do you drive drunk? I am hoping not but thats a rule. Do you wear a seat belt?
Freedom of movement within and between states is Constitutionally protected.
Couldn’t have said it better, Paul. These Libertarians who think that there shouldn’t be any rules about anything are ridiculous.
BTW, the reason that the CDC said 3 months a few months ago was that was all of the time they had to check the general population. Now that people have had the vaccine for longer expect new numbers from the CDC. Also, the pharma companies are saying 1-3 years, but since it’s not been around that long, that a guess on their part.
Personally, I’m hoping to get it in the next few weeks and have a trip to the Big Island planned for August, so I’m hoping all this gets worked out. The key here is that once I’m vaccinated, I’ll feel safe to travel, irrespective of the rules, which I’ll simply obey, wh at ever they are at the time.
Precisely! If you feel you are too entitled to follow rules and guidelines,stay home!! We don’t need you on Kauai!
Hello Danielle, the vaccine isn’t a requirement to travel to Hawaii. It is the person’s choice to be vaccinated. Hawaii will still have testing & quarantine as an option for those who don’t get vaccinated.
ANY type of so called ‘health passport” is literally medical fascism. unless we as a collective absolutely reject this – we are setting a dangerous precedent. What next – the need to share our private medical records with airlines? I don’t think so. THINK about this – really deeply think about this….
LOL do you use a passport if you travel internationally? Does it give anyone any personal information other than the basics? NO If you have a vaccine passport all that will indicate is that you are indeed vaccinated. That is not an invasion of your personal information in any way. Nor is it fascist communist or any other thing you want to attach to it. Do you want to get on a plane with someone sitting next to you that is contagious? I dont.
you are still contagious even though you are vaccinated!!!
Says who?
Gerhard
More laws are going to shut down Hawaii’s island vacation business if the local government continues to issue fake rules and regulations to stifle economic growth. There are many people who refuse to be injected with the experimental human genome altering mRNA injections.
Exactly correct. I have seen too much on the side affects in the VAERS data as well as deaths. I have also seen videos of people showing such evidence. I believe we will see more by Fall of this year. This vaccine is NOT FDA approved, says it on their own web pages but was released for emergency use. We are the guinea pigs, no thank you.
Agree. I have said all along that this is a lab experiment and I decline to participate.
That’s not completely true. While an mRNA vaccine has never been on the market anywhere in the world, mRNA vaccines have been tested in humans before, for at least four infectious diseases: rabies, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and Zika.
Please have your opinions and decisions based on what you believe, but please stop inventing opinions as facts. There is a difference
Check it out.
cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mRNA.html
@Lyn n H
So, I take it you do not use a smartphone and any free app?
The vaccines do not alter your DNA. You know what DOES alter your DNA? Covid-19.
This science can be confusing. Look at the RNA/DNA difference this way. DNA determines what characteristics you were born with (blue eyes). RNA is a chemical that carries instructions about how your body reacts to these m (messenger)RNA “messengers”. The Pfizer and Moderna versions target the spike protein on the surface of the virus particles sending the message to natural antibodies that this is the invader to neutralize.
If you are unsure, you can always choose J&J. That traditional method inserts a dead virus that alerts your antibodies, but poses no risk at inoculation, since the virus is moribund.
Hi, our family of eleven(11) has a trip planned to Maui from June 11-25th. We are greatly concerned that one or some of us will not get our Covid test results back in time for us to travel. 72 hours does not seem like a lot of time, especially since, at this point in time, the approved testing sites will not guarantee results by the time of our flight. All 11 of us are on the same American non-stop flight from Phx. to Maui. What would we do, should that happen?!? (I’m feeling pretty stressed out about it all!)
Vault works very well. I have used it with great success multiple times
I would suggest Vault . I have used it multiple times. You can put several tests in the return envelope. Also mark the envelope with Covid Stat (multiple places) and put your departure date and time on the outside of the UPS envelope and the inside envelope. I bump up departure time a little on the envelope an hour or two just to be safe . When they first started back in October they had some kinks to work out, but now their turn around is much quicker than 72 hours . Good luck
JERI M… Thanks for the reassurance on Vault. Our plan is to use them and in case they don’t return in time, we have Rapid Test appointments at our departure airport the day before we leave. We can do them the courtesy of cancelling if Vault comes through. (At one point Xprescheck’s phone numbers weren’t answered nor could you leave a message!). ONE IMPORTANT THING… If you are Medicare, state that you are not or Vault will not test you.
We used Vault last November, and had no problems, despite our lab work being done on election day. Wyoming continues to pay for Vault tests out of CARES $$, so we recently ordered up a couple more, and they are sitting on a counter top for next Hawaii travel if vaccinations still not good enough to bypass quarantine. Wyoming is vaccinating down to age 50, and I believe going to open up to general public soon. Seems they are not getting enough people interested or they have more vaccines than needed for small population? IDK but all manner of available appointments on the web page.
FWIW, we were not asked if we were on Medicare when ordering the Vault tests, either time. Perhaps depends on what state you live in, but that doesn’t make sense to me, Medicare being a federal thing. Insurance did not matter, either.
David B… All I know is repeatedly Vault stated they could not offer a test in our state. Someone posted here to just say “no” to Medicare and it worked. Has mugging TLC do with our state but Medicare regulations on getting paid. That was a few months ago so perhaps they changed their questions.
How about “nothing to do with our state”! No glasses on plus small keyboard on phone plus one Manhattan equals booboos!
My husband and I are receiving our second shot in the next few weeks. Our girls will have to do a test. We are to vacation the middle of June. Looking at testing sites for our girls we are looking at Walgreens test. Is this a good one?
Aloha
Thank you, Jeri, I have never heard of Vault! I will research it!
Kandy R…. Vault was one of the first Trusted Partners and is one of the testing labs a number of states have now made available to their citizens FOR FREE! So check with your state and see if that is available for you. In our state, no reason is needed to order a test. Just make sure you follow the directions on the packaging and on this site – Noting on the return packaging that the test(s) is for travel to Hawaii will give it preferential treatment in turn around. (Someone may have mentioned that but I’m too lazy to look!)
KANDY R… Since you’ve never heard of Vault, apologies for not explaining it. You can order you kit on line at any time. Make sure to place a different order for each person as their test will be associated with an email. When you are ready, you schedule a “meeting” with their rep and they will call you via Zoom and watch as you do the swab test. That keeps the test from being inappropriately used. Then you send it back in the packaging they have sent you. Make sure you tell the rep it is for travel to Hawaii and they will give you special instructions on what to put on the package so it will be expedited.
I have twice successfully used Vault Health to travel Sacramento to Oahu with Thursday departures each time. I was originally scheduled to leave on Tuesdays for both trips but discovered Vault Health could not provide lab results within Hawaii’s 72-hour window, so I changed my departures to Thursday.
I sampled on Monday mornings and had results by Tuesday afternoon on the first trip and by late Wednesday evening on the second trip (the freeze that shut down the central U.S. mainland a couple of weeks ago disrupted the UPS deliveries to New Jersey on the second trip).
Vault is not a good choice if your final mainland-to-Hawaii flight departs on a Monday or Tuesday, because UPS, Vault’s Next Day Air service to their New Jersey lab, does not operate on Sundays. Vault Health warns about this on their website.
Good News, Bad News… Good News = You can make appointments months in advance (I made ours for July) at Xprescheck at the Phoenix Airport. Appointments every 1/2 hour. Bad News = If you need Rapid Testing (i.e., leave there with paperwork in hand!), the cost is $200 per person. Caveats = You didn’t indicate where home was and it could mean spending an extra day in Phoenix. Also, at one point, they were only open 5 days a week but you can check on their website. Xprescheck.com.
One option is for those who do not get the tests back time, just go and do the quarantine in Hawaii with the rest of the group? Unsure if that is acceptable for you or not.
Thanks for your response, JWI. From what I understand, “quarantine” in HI means staying at a location other than the place you have booked to stay…and possibly at one’s own expense). I could be wrong, but that is what I was told. Has anyone heard anything definitive about that?
Kandy R… First, the quarantine requirement will be lifted as of April 5, 2021 and at that time going forward, the only requirement will be the no-more-than-72-hour in advance negative test. Second, “quarantine” meant staying at a “resort bubble” location which actually could be where you are staying. (We stay at the Marriott Kauai Beach Club on Kauai and that is/was a “resort bubble”.) But that is all old news at this point unless things change yet again.
Quarantine in Hawaii (if you do not have a residence here) means 10 full days locked in a hotel room at your own expense with no services, and you better have suitcase full of food or you will need to have same delivered at expensive prices. You must go straight from airport to the hotel at which you are being locked in a room.
I don’t see how this is a “reasonable” alternative for someone going on two week vacation. If you want to be locked in a room for ten days, you can do that in the comfort of your own home.
I don’t know the make up of your 11 family members, but anyone not getting their negative results from an approved test provider w/i 72 hours, plus the QR code, etc., should stay behind.
If you have an American Family Care Urgent Care near you, some of the locations offer a rapid test. We located one about 90 minutes from us but it was worth the drive to get the results 72 hours ahead of time and it was also covered by insuance. My husband tested positive with no symptoms and we were glad that we found out days before our travel with time to reschedule easily. They aren’t located in every state but I wanted to let everyone know that some locations offer the rapid test if there are any within driving distance. You do have to call to ask if they offer the rapid test and schedule an appointment.
K L… I just checked and Walgreens will still only allow you to make an appointment 48 hours in advance (and I checked both our area and PHoenix) so even if Walgreens does offer Rapid Test in your area, you are praying that you can get an appointment on one of those two days. They do seem to be numerous appointments available but it isn’t travel season yet.
Go to Walgreens.com Look for a location with a RED DOT. They guarantee 24 hour results. I have used them twice and had my negative results within 33 minutes the first time and 2 hours the second time. Trust me it works, and it is FREE!!!!
K L… Absolutely correct but don’t depend on it!!! There isn’t a single Red Dot in our entire state!
We went to Walgreens. Sunday was a blizzard that shut everything down so we went Monday for a Wednesday flight. Had 2 tests back in 2 hours, the other in 4 hours. Not sure if I will get a bill but wasn’t charged there. Pretty easy if you have one nearby that offers the rapid test.
ERIN W… That’s the key “near you”!!! We have to drive 7 hours to find one!
I just pulled up the Walgreens sites in Phoenix. There are at least 8 of them that do the rapid tests that are approved by Hawaii Safe Travels. My wife and I have been to Hawaii 5 times sense Octobers opening and have used them the without issue.
TREY B… Boggles the mind that there are 8 Rapid Test Walgreens in Phoenix but not one in the entire state of New Mexico! I know we don’t like Texans but we do love Arizona!
Dear Kandy,I’m planning my life long dream vacation trip to Oahu next year! I’m getting very excited! !♡♡ I’m waiting on the vaccine passport because I’m a teacher & fully vaccinated. Another reason why I’m waiting is because I don’t want to be in your situation being stressed out about the test results coming back in time.
You can travel with a negative rapid test as long as it’s the correct test from a trusted partner.
Aloha, Hawaii resident here . Are they seriously only considering a 3 month window after vaccination? We just got our JJ vaccine this week, so unless we take a trip off the island before the later part of June, we are back to pre-travel testing . That makes no sense. Hopefully this window gets changed to a year . Ugh! I love my island life, but with that said, I am ready to spread my wings a bit.
Mahalo BOH
Hi Jeri.
We don’t think 3 months will be the recommendation, but that is awaiting CDC guidance from everything we know, and per the governor.
Aloha.
How do we know what Hawaii considers an “essential” worker? I’m a pharmacist and on the front lines as well received both vaccinations months ago.
We have a group of 9 with accommodations booked on a fully refundable basis in August on Kauai and the Big Island, and all have been or will be vaccinated – but without some clarity around the 3 month issue, can’t see booking flights from different parts of the mainland. Hopefully with all adults being eligible by May 1st, there will be more definitive guidance soon. Everything from the vaccine manufacturers indicates a high degree of confidence that at least six months’ protection will be afforded against at least the original strain.
Bill, the worst-case scenario is that you will need to test before you go. Not a terrible heavy lift in my opinion. But you’ll still be safe from gett terribly ill because you’ve been vaccinated.
Dear Jeri, I’m planning my life long dream vacation trip to Oahu next year! !!♡♡ I’m getting very excited ♡♡ My Grandfather was in the Navy & he survived Pearl Harbor. I’ve always wanted to go to PH to pay my respects!I’m waiting on the vaccine passport because I’m a teacher & fully vaccinated now. I’m going to be the best & most respectable visitor to come to Hawaii! I already gave my itinerary completed & now I’m starting my hotel research. Aloha, Andrea:) God bless & stay safe & healthy!