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Hawaii Travel Now Ready For October Reopening

Hawaii Travel Tips / / 172 Comments

Hawaii travel soft opening plan: two tracks to avoid quarantine.

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172 thoughts on “Hawaii Travel Now Ready For October Reopening”

  1. Robert M.

    This is the same old song designed to keep the residents content.
    don’t be surprised by what happens after.

  2. Rob Q

    Thanks,Your comment policy states no personal attacks or rudeness!
    Why did you post the rude,insulting comments about our Governor and Mayor? Mahalo for keeping us informed.

    1. Beat of Hawaii

      Hi Rob.

      Thanks for your helpful comment. We try our best to manage comments and strive to do even better. It is very challenging. The number we have not posted due to violations recently is large, and this is something that has never happened before.

      Aloha.

  3. Ingrid C.

    I would be willing to bet that after Nov 3rd, this liberal run state will open up fully. I pray the residents can hold on long enough to survive the politics of it all. Hawaii used to be my yearly getaway but I am looking for another less complicated paradise to call my home away from home. I don’t like the stress Hawaii Leaders have caused. Aloha

  4. Ken M.

    Thank you for the update. Recently rebooked my trip to Honolulu for my birthday Nov.28th for 4 days.
    I really hope everyone bucks up and wears a mask and listen to the doctors so we can open up.

  5. Jay Y.

    Before getting too excited: the LtGov isn’t the one calling the shots. Often he wants something while the governor and mayor decide something different.

    Consider for a moment that we have an interisland quarantine and shutdown until the end of September, the mayor already said he’s going to open things back up very slowly to avoid a third shutdown. It is highly unlikely tourism will be back open per October.

    Also, and this is probably not unimportant, consider that on the neighbor islands there’s even harassment towards residents from other islands when they visit family. People are on an edge lately and a lot of locals are currently not very welcoming towards visitors.

  6. Michele B

    Some states & municipalities do not have COVID mandates. While Hawaii businesses & workers will be very happy to see tourists again, the local residents are vulnerable to infection due to the high number of arrivals by air & ship that we usually have each day, from all over the world Travelers from out of state or interisland must sign a form stating they have been informed & understand what local COVID mandates are in place regarding masks, distancing & gatherings, & that they are aware of the penalties & fines to be imposed for non-compliance. They need to understand that masks must cover both mouth & nose.

  7. Teresa W

    Oh I really hope so! We have a 3 week trip planned beginning just after Thanksgiving. We had all but given up on the idea it would really happen. This gives us a glimmer of hope! Thank you for all the news you provide. It is appreciated!

  8. Chris

    The Gov of Hawaii and Mayor of Honolulu are complete fools. So you devastate your economy while cutting your own throats instead of isolating the vulnerable. When this is all said and done, I hope that both of these clowns go to jail.

  9. MargieP

    We’re still under inter island 14 day quarantine but everything will open up to tourists in October? Yeah right!!! If you’re foolish enough to believe this, then I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you!!!

  10. Charles I.

    I believe that the Lt. Governor is on the right track. Tests are readily available on the mainland. Results can be received in time to meet the 72 hour requirement. Governor Ige just needs to set October 1 as the start date for pretravel test plan. Tourists who have a negative test result do not pose a threat to our health and safety. Time for the Governor to begin opening up Hawaii to negative tested tourists.

  11. Cindy

    I don’t understand. So you take two tests in your home state 72 hours upon arrival? Why two??so all 6 of us need to pay for 12 tests in 72 hours before we leave? 160$ a pop. One is tough enough. They don’t even allow testing in Illinois unless you have symptoms. We will have to lie. Nice try but unrealistic

  12. Bert C.

    I visit Kauai in my condo 3 to 4 times a year. I have a rescheduled trip from September for October.
    I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this plan works. Kauai is my happy place

  13. Tom B.

    Hallelujah!!!! I hope that’s true. We’re planning on being on the Big Island next May 5th-12th and then on to Kauai from May 12th-June 11th. We can’t wait to get back and we’re just hoping that most of the restaurants and activities are open again by then. Looking forward to catamaran sails, tubing, golf, visiting the canyon, Kilauea light house and bird sanctuary, walking on the bike path on the East shore and so many other things to spend our money on to help even the small vendors. Hopefully by then no tests will be needed and we all have had our vaccines.
    Aloha until then!!!

  14. Rob W

    Aloha- Thanks for keeping us up to date, the LT Gov’s comments sound positive. We originally booked our Maui trip in June, then we pushed it to July, then Aug and finally we cancelled our summer trip and booked one for mid-Oct. Our October direct flights on AlaskaAir were cancelled recently and they rebooked us on flights with layovers and a red eye. Between the flight changes and no clear direction from the governor on how they would reopen on Oct 1, I cancelled our October trip this morning and rebooked for late December. Hopefully Hawaii’s economy begins to heal and this trip sticks.

  16. Rick

    This sounds promising! We have a rental property on the “Big Island” and usually visit several times a year. If this, or something similar comes to fruition soon, not only will we be able to get more rents, but more importantly to us, come back and visit!

    As always, thanks for sharing BOH!

    Aloha!
    Rick

  17. PamM

    What is going on???
    This is like days of our lives, and no one remembers what’s actually happened.
    Slap me because this insanty is just insane!!
    Beat of Hawai’i, PLEASE help me understand WTH is Green talking about!?!?
    Mahalo

    1. Beat of Hawaii

      Hi Pam.

      It is crazy making over here. Travel stakeholders have no clue what is found on. How can they plan or get prepared?

      Aloha.

  18. Olga T

    Hawaii (and other states)should address what they will use as a metric for measuring “active” virus..ie a baseline metric. There was a recent story in NY Times where in 3 states, it was discovered as many as 85-90% of the tests were Covid positive when the person might not have active virus any longer nor be able to spread the virus. Moreover, there appears to be variability between labs and equipment as to the sensitivity the tests use. Could you be negative at home and positive on island if Hawaii labs use a different amplification cycle?

    Our family loves Hawaii and have been blessed to visit every other year for the past 20 years. Many of our favorite memories have been on island.

    With 3 kids, we will wait to travel until testing is no longer required or the false positive situation is addressed/remedied.

    If one person in our family got a false positive test after getting an all clear at home under scenario #2, all of us would simply have to return home.

    Under option #1, booking a condo for 5, the car, deposits etc, if one person in our family got a + pcr test at home, then it means cancellations for all and from what I have read, there are few guarantees even with trip insurance to recover travel expenses.

    I appreciate public health policy has a lot of considerations to balance. If the tests are in fact variable, perhaps states been “over quarantining” people without live transmittable virus?

    States and labs should address this to give the public transparency on this recent discovery. Our state’s public health officials said they didn’t know even know which labs used what equipment let alone what amplification cycles are being used.

    A hui hou Hawaii. We look forward to visiting again one day. We have 5 round trip tickets covered by airline miles ready to use. Will need to look into if those have an expiry date.

    Enjoy reading BOH. Thanks!

      1. RegY

        It’s been over 1 1/2 years since we’ve been to maui; and over 17 since my wife and I met in Honolulu. We planned a trip for this Thanksgiving week almost 2 years ago and have been looking forward to going to Oahu. I hope that everything will work out. We don’t mind testing prior to arrival, just as long as there are firm decisions as to how testing will affect visiting Hawaii. We hope to be able to visit this year!

    3. Linda T

      You raise great points for consideration. I suggest that you look into your “5 free tickets covered by airline miles.” Airlines typically offer very few “award” seats per flight. Even in the unlikely event you had reserved 5 award seats on the flight that you canceled, no airline will guarantee that they’ll give you 5 award tickets on the new flight that you need.

  20. Scott W

    I will believe it after receiving something official from my rental property manager on Kaua’i!
    Thanks for the update! Crossing fingers now as it has been almost a year since my last time at my condo.

    2. Ding D.

      Government officials never think through their own policies very much at all. If you test when you leave and then again after you get there, and even one of you and your family shows up positive then your vacation is over. And you lose all the money and all the reservations and you’re stuck in your room for 14 days. All you have to do is think through just the tiniest little bit to realize it’s not worth the risk. Hawaii is shooting itself in the foot here.

  21. Scott

    Where the helll have these plans been the last w-4 months??

    We killed yhousands of jobs and crater’d the State budget waiting!

  22. jim o

    Sounds like a reasonable approach but I won’t be making travel plans for Hawaii again until I see it actually happen.

  23. Kevin C.

    Sort of blows a hole in the relentless attacks from the right, acting as if there isn’t a national failure that Hawaii has been trying to cope with.

  24. JohnW

    Good news indeed! There will be some that won’t be satisfied and that’s their right. They can stay away.
    But for those that are happy to take the extra step to assure a safer opening up of Hawaii they are going to find
    a whole new Hawaii then the one they last saw. Less crowded, appreciation of their business and any perceived
    hassles really will be not be any more then a lot of international travel was prior to the pandemic.
    Let’s hope Ige and Caldwell don’t try and undermine Josh for political reasons.

    1. Mark P

      Appreciation of what business

      There are none that will be left there
      completely destroyed by the angry left government officials

    2. Brad F

      If Josh Green was calling the shots, I’d have a higher degree of confidence in the Oct 1 date. Unfortunately, the decision maker will likely kill this at the last minute for some obscure reason just as he has the last two times.

  26. Bob L

    I hate to say it but I will believe it when I see it. It falls back to my tried and true saying, “It’s all blah-blah-blah until you do-do-do!”.

  27. Randy A.

    Hi,
    The CVS test that is available here in CA usually takes more than 72 hours to get the results. So what will be the plan for that small window of time until the results come in after we’ve landed in your paradise?

    Thx in advance.

  30. Keith G

    This is very promising news! Hopefully everything will be in place and visitors to Hawaii will safely return!! Lord knows, businesses sorely need to get back up and running again!

  31. Ron G

    So in other words, if someone takes an antigen test (which is maybe 85% reliable..so a 15% false negative rate) one day, they can then get on a plane the next day or two and arrive in Hawaai 6-12 hrs later…take another test in Hawaii that day…and then come down with Coronavirus two to three days later as the time from exposure is 2-10 days before symptoms…or they have no symptoms and all the people on the plane and in the hotel can be exposed. All tests need to have one week (7 days) minimum between them, or you might as well just not bother? It sounds like Hawaii is simply moving out anyone with concerns and then moving in “Compliant” or “Yes” people into those roles. Wow…sounds just like the Trump White house! Only the old and impaired are dying, so it isn’t a concern as those people will die anyway one day. Nice to create a whole class of 2nd class citizens that are expendable…wonder when we’ll decide other “classes” of people are the same way? Its nice to know that despite being older, financially stable, and with time to travel…my age makes me less of a human to our president and apparently to Hawaii’s Lt Governor.

    1. Dave N

      No sir! Given your concerns you would then just not travel at this time. Surely you don’t want the global economy to be obliterated for your children and grandchildren?

  32. Linda C.

    This is crazy! I wanted to go to Maui this summer, booked in July – had to cancel, now all of these restrictions. Ridiculous. I’ll find another place to travel. The governor needs to do a better job. Think of the $$$ they are losing not to mention the people that are unemployed!

  33. Alfred H

    Wait, the Lt. Govornor’s plan while good, has no teeth? He isn’t in a position of authority? The Governor said yesterday that testing would be for Inter-Island travel only, not trans-Pacific travel? I’m confused.

  34. Ray V

    Could you please watch this ‘antigen’ testing protocol?
    Why are they testing anitgens, and does a positive antigen test prevent travel?
    All that means is that you had it sometime in the past and built up antigens.
    Are they going to prevent travel by anyone who ever had it?
    Guess I can’t visit Hawaii any more – I had it in Feb.
    I’ll miss you.
    Mahalo

    2. Jeanie B

      I think you are mixing up “antigen” with “antibody”. Antigen refers to the protein found in the virus. Antibody refers to the cells that develop after you have had the virus and should make you immune for at least a period of time. Postive for antigens would mean you currently have the virus.

  35. Tammy P.

    Aloha, thank you for this update. Do you think they are planning for October 1st or later in the month? This makes me want to start to look at travel. I do hope it is the right decision for Hawaii. I would hate to see this cause more issues and me be a part of it, but sure would like to take some of my money to Hawaii! Mahalo.

    1. Beat of Hawaii

      Hi Tammy.

      We haven’t heard anything more beyond the October 1 date that Green mentioned. Hopefully, we will know sooner than later.

      Aloha.

  36. Mary G.

    Thanks for the update! We just arrived to Fairbanks Alaska from the mainland and thought I’d share the COVID-19 screening process. They used a travel portal to download a traveler profile & COVID test. Required testing 72 hours prior to arrival. Upon landing – we were met by screeners in orange vests employed by Beacon Health contracted by the state of Alaska. They sent us into a social distance queue to show our completed travel portal screen on our phones. Travelers who had not done this went to a different line to do this first. The whole process took about 15 min. I feel safe and hope Hawaii gets their act together before our upcoming trip there!

  37. Mike A

    So is it a done deal or no? Let governor is not the governor. Is Hawaii going to open 10/1 or you think they might. Hinging on a 10-2 travel as we speak.

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