Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor and emergency room physician Josh Green said on a Facebook live stream yesterday, “I don’t see any reason not to begin travel (and) getting some hotels open, some restaurant activity going again.” He is unaware of anything preventing travel resuming starting as planned, starting October 1. “There’s no reason we can’t do that… We’re on the precipice of that.”
Hawaii travel soft opening plan: two tracks to avoid quarantine.
Lieutenant Governor Green, who has frequently been at odds with both the governor and Honolulu’s mayor, and is widely believed to be planning a gubernatorial run himself, is proposing two testing tracks to avoid quarantine.
1. 72 hour PCR pre-travel test. First is the long-touted PCR test to be required within 72 hours of travel to Hawaii.
2. Dual antigen tests pre and post-travel. A new alternative to PCR tests that he is proposing, is for antigen testing to detect virus proteins. Those are to be taken on the mainland within 72 hours of travel and again in Hawaii within 72 hours of arrival. Antigen tests provide results within minutes at a low cost of about $20 per test. Green said about the two tracks,
“This is what I believe will be the right plan.” And he added, “Sooner or later we’re going to have to bite the bullet.”
When he was asked whether Hawaii’s limited infrastructure is ready for tourism including in-Hawaii testing, the lieutenant governor said he thinks the state will be ready.
We already have relationships in place with CVS; Kaiser and Walgreens is coming on, and when we finalize the decision to allow for rapid antigen testing anywhere as long as we do a follow-up, it opens up testing everywhere. It opens the scope and makes everything easier, which is what we need to do. We need to make plans accessible and not burdensome. I don’t think travelers coming in is going to be a big worry.”
Green also addressed the many departures in critical positions within the state, saying, “Going forward, Dr. Libby Char, who is a physician, is fantastic. She’s very subdued, extremely smart and she will provide good health leadership, so that’s a big plus.”
With this new Tier, rest assured, no one will get tested anymore with the threat to go back a Tier if not maintained for 2 weeks! I’m sorry but this is not what any other place is doing! With the annual flu season upon us, I only see this becoming a cluster unless it is run solely by the medical community . We don’t have the infrastructure with CVS and Walgreens as touted so why not just say get tested before you come to Hawaii within 72 hours or wait until you have!
Thanks
Ige said today that the trans Pacific quarantine will likely have to be extended beyond Oct 1st. No other details, no supporting reasoning, no plan, just the promise that they will roll out a time line in the future.
So we’re right back back where we’ve been for the last several months. It’s impossible to plan travel and those businesses dependent on tourism continue to suffer.
Hi F B, as I sarcastically mentioned below our leadership here in California are waiting to after the election to “open up.” This is all a politically driven problem. Yes CV-19 is real, but 94% of all CV-19 deaths have huge factors associated with them. My neighbor was in an automobile accident and died, his death certificate said cause of death CV-19 because he had it.
Anyway, it is the belief that Hawaiians and others will not see through this political agenda. Hawaii is awesome and so are their people! Hang in their and see you after the election.
Los Angeles County’s Health Director – Barbara Ferrer recently said “the corona-virus epidemic will be over and kids getting back to school will happen after the election.” So, its getting closer to Aloha time! 😀
Wow! Great news! The testing coupled with the 99.99% recovery rate, Hawaii should be able to get back to business as usual very soon. Awesome!
Sorry Hawaii…your “Devine Leader” has just come out and said Hawaii Quarintine will continue past October 1. He will tell you his new timeline later this week. No Science, No Logic, No Freaking Clue!
All I can say is that I have many RN friends in the medical field here in western Washington. They all say that the hospitals have always been practically empty and that there never was an influx of covid patients that they were expecting even with all the protests going on here. Many medical staff are being laid off because there are minimal patients. One nurse specifically said she has yet to see evidence of a pandemic; she says there are flu or pneumonia deaths, but not any worse than previous years. I realize the media and government are saying one thing but my friends’ first hand observations are saying something very different. That said, I hope the planet is deemed safe to open up again soon without a lot of red tape to go through.
Kat
Same here, niece is an Rn at a large metro hospital in Northern California has reported no covid surge plenty of ICU beds available.
We also have many nurses and doctors that service their vehicles with us same story d none of them wear masks.
Maybe not in Washington, but we definitely had a few close calls here in Hawaii. Several days we had positive covid patients in the waiting room because there were no beds available for them. Thank God it didn’t, but that situation could’ve easily escalated.
Here is a direct quote from the CDC——they do not not currently recommend using antibody testing as the sole basis for diagnosis of acute infection, and antibody tests are not authorized by FDA for such diagnostic purposes.
I’m not picking on Hawaii in anywhere whatsoever. They have an extremely careful and I applaud them :: however the tests they are about to use are not reliable. Sad situation
An antigen test is different to an antibody test…
Here is some info from a website, antigen testing does show current infection.
“An antigen test reveals if a person is currently infected with a pathogen such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Once the infection has gone, the antigen disappears.
Unlike nucleic acid based tests such as PCR, which detect the presence of genetic material, antigen tests detect proteins or glycans, such as the spike proteins found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
They can take longer to develop than molecular and antibody tests, as suitable antibodies for use in the assays must first be identified and produced, which can be a complex and time-consuming process. Accuracy can also be a problem, with antigen tests typically having a much lower sensitivity than PCR.
However, they usually provide test results rapidly, are relatively cheap, and can be more amenable to point-of-care use, which could make them more suitable for testing in the community and in remote regions.”
Hi there
What safeguards will travelers have against contracting the virus during their stay?
Thanks
Donna
Hi Donna.
We’ll be learning more that we will share as Hawaii moves in this direction.
Aloha.
If
Travel is open will pools
And beaches b open as well?
Good morning. How will this ever work? Most of our testing is in AZ is 5-7 day results. If we are tested 72 hours before flying and we get to Hawaii, what keeps us from being exposed on the plane and if we get positive results, what happens to the fact that we are stuck in Hawaii and you have a covid case on your hands. Dont get me wrong, I want more than anything to see Hawaii open again. Its just not feasible for travel from usa.
Embry Women’s Health (in ARIZONA) is offering free COVID testing with results delivered within 72 hours. They are set up at CGCC, MCC and several other locations throughout the Valley. We already tested once to see if it worked within the time frame. It did – SUPER easy, convenient.
Thanks for your good work! Appreciate your effort and good information. We just finished flying domestically in SE Asia. All people were required to have a negative rapid test result to board the plane. The tests were completed at the airport the day before (for $10) (taking 30 min to 2 hours for results) – and verified before boarding with the “all -clear” “certificate. Worked well.
How do the new testing regulations pertain to international arrivals from S. E. Asia (US citizens – Hawaiian residents)? Thanks Nancy
Hi Nancy.
We don’t know the answer yet, but certainly international will need to be addressed with any plan.
Aloha.
I have seen numbers and statistics manipulated by politicians who don’t know beans about what is going on. Why can’t all deaths – for instance – be reported per million per capita – per country – so we have some consistency. 150,000 new cases! How do numbers compare from a country with 300 million residents – side by side with a country with 9 million residents? Do the math! Have you seen a site that reports straight forward numbers – or are they hidden deeper and deeper as this covid thing goes on? The solution is there. The problem seems to be the politicians, CDC, WHO, etc. They say one thing one week and something different the next, until everyone is arguing whether water is wet or not! As Mark Twain said, “There are 3 different kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies. And statistics!” Keep smiling guys!! Mahalo. Maybe I’ll get to see my new grandbaby before he is grown up!
Hi Nancy.
Thanks for your many comments.
Aloha.
Will the restrictions on car rentals be lifted as well?
Thank you,
Sidney
Hi Sid.
Certainly, they will when more normal travel resumes. We are all awaiting details.
Aloha.
Mahalo for the hopeful update.
I still think the airlines need to cooperate more by implementing PCR testing prior to boarding.
What good is a negative test 72 hours prior to departure if by the time one steps on the plane, they’ve been exposed and are infectious?
I’d be on a plane tomorrow to Hawaii if I could, but only if I could be assured that everyone on the plane had tested negative immediately before boarding.
Hi Dayna.
Thank you. Many others feel the same way. Having that as a requirement is within the purview of the federal government.
Aloha.
Makes sense!
Do you think the mayor will lift the stay at home order on September 22
Thank you
Hi Greg.
We will have to wait and see.
Aloha.
He came out yesterday, saying that most likely we’ll see some parts of the order ease up (gatherings of max 5, retail open) if the numbers continue to keep going down. However, he also reiterated that he wants to make sure they’re moving slow as to avoid a third shutdown. On top of that, the governor stated the Oct 1 date for tourism is going to be extended and that they’re looking at doing pilots programs first.
Mahalo for the update. I agree that we need to bite the bullet. It’s been 9 months with 6 of those with job closures. It’s time.
Hi Michelle.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Every time a date is given, Governor Ige waits a few days beforehand to postpone it by an additional month. First it was July, then Aug 1st, then Sept, now it’s Oct. 1st. Just you wait, Last week of sept we’ll be given a November timeframe. To all those hoping to visit here, don’t feed into the hype or make plans in October just yet, wait until this date to see if gov Ige strikes again
Well stated. My thoughts exactly. He keeps moving the goal post.