Governor Ige and the state of Hawaii may be changing their thinking once again on Hawaii travel rules. Disagreements remain between the governor, the chief legislator, and others on how it should work. The governor has been making the rules via emergency proclamations. However, don’t be surprised if the legislature starts to take back its role when it returns to session next week. Lastly, Lieutenant Governor Josh Green appears to be largely sidelined from travel with his vaccination oversight duties.
Josh Green moves from travel to vaccination.
Lieutenant Governor and emergency room physician Josh Green was largely the voice of Hawaii Safe Travel testing and quarantine program for months. That seems to have now changed. Green is now at the helm of the huge task of oversight for Hawaii’s residents’ vaccination. Recent updates from him have focused there. Thus the governor is taking back the role related to travel.
Governor said Safe Travel would work one way, but now it doesn’t.
Ige has said repeatedly that Safe Travels should work consistently to avoid confusion with differing rules by island. Yet, at this time, that isn’t’ the case. Unfortunately, that sends a confusing message to the public that is bad for all islands.
Simultaneously, the current rules around 72-hour pre-travel testing and quarantine are difficult for visitors to comply with easily. As you see in comments, visitors are often left wondering if Hawaii really even wants travelers right now or not.
Statewide orders vs. local island-by-island rules. Officials disagree.
Governor Ige acknowledged that he has the ability to “Issue statewide orders that impacts everyone, but also allows the flexibility that we can take appropriate action in each of the counties to respond to what we see happening in the community.” He said that House Speaker Saiki’s upcoming bill “would not allow for the kinds of exemptions that we are currently seeing, such as on Kauai.” It is interesting to note that Ige has never stated whether he agrees with Kauai’s unique plans.
Last week Saiki said that there still needs to be a statewide policy for travel consistent across the islands to avoid confusion and help the decimated travel economy.” He said that data does not indicate that visitor travel is a primary cause of COVID cases in Hawaii. Ige agreed, stating that the vast majority of cases, “Definitely is residents… The numbers of cases that are tied to visitors continue to be, relatively, a small percentage of the cases we are seeing.”
Mainland caseload is causing Hawaii to freeze.
Hawaii’s governor said he is now disinclined regarding the upcoming legislation being introduced by House Speaker Scott Saiki. Saiki echoed Ige and Green’s prior view that travel rules need to be clearly delineated and not add confusions to visitors (and residents). Saiki said that the current rules are anything but clear. We can certainly attest to that.
Ige now says that he now feels a standard approach for all islands doesn’t provide adequate flexibility for each county. On the other hand, virtually all prior communication from both the governor and lieutenant governor acknowledged the mayors’ desires. Still, they never stated they agreed with the need for island-by-island rules. Thus, this appears to be a reversal in thinking.
On Friday, he said that he thinks “Flexibility is important, and we do see very different conditions in each of the counties.” Yet perhaps waffling on whether he actually concurs or is simply deferring, he continued, “Kauai has the fewest hospital beds and ICU units, so they definitely are concerned about any increase in cases, because it can very easily overwhelm the hospitals there.”
Testing on arrival to avoid quarantine still pending.
Gov. Ige changed policies, after which all mainland arrivals without proof of negative test on landing now go into a mandatory 10-day quarantine without exception. Before that, arriving passengers could quarantine just until those results were presented. The current situation presents too much risk to travelers who may, through no fault of their own, end up in quarantine.
Stakeholders largely agreed that a change was needed, and yet, to date, nothing has happened that would provide for on-arrival testing for those instances. Both Lt. Governor Josh Green and prior Honolulu Mayor Caldwell proposed rapid antigen testing on arrival, and the Hawaii House of Representatives’ COVID committee agreed.
Saiki may introduce another legislation to permit passengers to obtain COVID testing at Honolulu Airport if they do not have a negative test to present on landing. Those passengers testing negative would not need to quarantine. In October, it was announced that HNL on-arrival testing would be available for up to 10,000 passengers daily to accommodate that need.
Meanwhile, Kauai went rogue and is half-in and half-out of Safe Travels.
As you know, Kauai withdrew from the otherwise statewide Safe Travels program, then sought and received approval to allow travelers who have already been in the state for three days to participate in the Safe Travels rules. That new rule is now in effect.
Also, Kauai received approval and has implemented a questionably successful “resort bubble” system, which permits travels to the garden island to stay at one of the five approved quarantine hotels then test out of quarantine on their 4th day here. You’ve been vociferous in comments about your uniform disapproval of resort bubbles.
Which of the sticking points concerns you the most?
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I will be staying in Princeville starting on March 11th. I have had both of my vaccines. If you stay at a hotel that is not a Bubble hotel, do I have to quarantine for 10 days?
Where to start!!! We have been going to Kauai every year for about the last 10 years. We delight in bringing family and friends with us to see the beauty of the island and people. We had a family reunion planned on Kauai for late Feb. early March. We will probably be cancelling as we can’t get a flight to the island from the mainland without stopping at another island. For us this adds many hours to the trip. Also ,some of us will have both vaccinations but I guess that does not count. This breaks our hearts! Some of us will not get on a plane without vaccinations. Others can’t deal with the resort bubble. This is ridiculous………anyone out of quarantine or coming from another Island can enter the bubble and the quarantine will be broken. I have heard there is difficulty , too, in getting a test from a partner in a timely fashion. I am so sorry for all of this and the economy of Hawaii and especially Kauai!
The 72 hr test is ridiculous. The concept that a test 72 hrs prior to travel is adequate is crazy. So lets say you take a test. You think you’re okay…..you get your results. Yay it says you’re negative. You fly over to Hawaii…have some fun in the sun for a few days. On the last day or so of your trip you start feeling a bit low. You pass it off….no way you’re gonna say anything because you don’t want to be put on the no fly list because you are sick or have covid. So you shut up and carry on.You fly home…you start feeling sick. You get tested. Bam positive. So if we trace that back time line wise. You contracted it during that 72 hr wait pd. and in your window of 72 hrs while you were prepping for your trip and shopping for your last minute necessities, taking the doggo to the kennel, picking up that bikini you forgot…..then flew to Hawaii and spread it everywhere you went. Unknowingly. Unfortunately you now came into contact with hundreds of local residents working in different establishments…they take it home and bam our numbers spike. This is why our local numbers look high. While residents stay in Hawaii tourists leave and arent traced as the source in many cases. Vaccinations won’t stop you from getting the virus nor will it prevent you from spreading it. All it does is supposedly give you less symptoms when you do contract it. So vaccinations are not the cure all golden chalise. We can learn alot from Kauai but apparently no one wants to because its all about the money. Which is unfortunate for the locals who are being almost fully blamed for outbreaks. There is barely and tracing being done past 1 person contact and no reprimands or consequences since establishments need to stay open. Test at airports prior to travel. Only negative tests get to fly. And fix that dang rapid tests. And listen to Kauai.
Dawn V. Or … say you take the 72 hour test, fly to Hawaii, spend a few days (or weeks) having fun in the sun. Inject several thousands of dollars into the devastated Kauai economy, maybe put food on a local family’s table and help them to pay a couple of past due bills. Maybe also restore a glimmer of hope in the heart of a local worker. On the last day or so of the trip you’re feeling rested, recharged and ready to take on more Covid BS at home. Let’s get real here. The raw facts are that the cure here is worse than the virus. The answer isn’t to close down the economy, cause businesses to permanently close and families to be forced out of their homes through foreclosure. Living life means taking chances each and everyday. When we get in the car we take chances. When we cross a street we take chances. When we get a vaccine for Covid19 … we’re taking a chance. If someone wants to stay home and quarantine that’s their choice and they should not be criticized for it. Thus, for those of us that choose to live our life we should be able to do so and not be criticized. It’s time for government to get the heck out of our lives.
Mahalo,
TJ
Amen TJ.
Florida does not require masks, is open and not locked down (social distancing, diminished capacity is in place). They have a high rate of elderly people who are the most vulnerable, yet their death rates are lower than CA and NY – the rates rival the 2018 flu season. That is not in the media, nor is the suffering, suicides, drug increases from these lockdowns.
I agree with your post TJ
I understand needing a negative report before coming to Hawaii but you should be able to go to any reputable place instead of having to travel hours to get to a spot and then another hour at the place and then two hours home. That is ridiculous and I wonder who is getting a kickback. Cost us $255 a person
The tests in Boise ID are free.
Wyoming used some of their CARES money to pay for the Vault tests for any resident who orders one. We did this back in October for our return to Kauai. I believe other states have done this, as well. Using the free test for travel to Hawaii is probably not what they had in mind, but I view it as a small tax rebate.
What did Hawaii spend it’s CARES money on? Among other things, a fully loaded $150K robotic dog:
civilbeat.org/2021/01/honolulu-police-spent-150000-in-cares-funds-on-a-robot-dog/
Thanks! I had a failed trip back in August due to a friend who was not up to date on the rules of quarantine, I lasted 8 days in quarantine and finally decided to go home. I incurred many more expenses with hotel bill and food delivery services. I understand the situation with very few hospital beds and ventilators. I feel the inconsistency with rules changing on a daily basis practically. However I just booked a flight for my grandson and am completely fearful of what is to come. Thanks for your help!
Hi Evelyn.
Sorry to hear about your experience. As so many have stated in comments, if you follow the rules closely, it can all work out just fine. Please let us know how it goes.
Aloha.
Hi. We are traveling to Kauai via Honolulu (layover only) on Saturday, Jan 23. We have done this once before, getting our test within 72 hours before our flight leaves LAX and it worked out, although some in our party barely got their results in time before the flight left at 10am. Now I read that for Kauai travel you must not test more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Kauai. That takes almost a whole day out of the process. If we time it for the Kauai arrival, and don’t get results before the flight leaves, do they let you on the plane? also, the Kauai rule says it doesn’t have to be from the approved test provider, nor has to be a PCR test. Does this rule supersede the safe travels rule? Help!
In order to avoid 10 day quarantine in Kauai, you have to stay in Oahu 72 hours, THEN take a test and wait for negative result before you fly to Kauai. So a layover won’t do, you need to stay 4 days…
I am thinking the resort bubble is “crazy”. Anyone entering a resort bubble from another Island or after being freed from another resort bubble would be breaking the quarantine of this e in that bubble.. I have heard that most of the Covid cases that are diagnosed in Hawaii are not from travelers but from the island populations. We have bee visiting Kauai once a year for 20 years…this year we were to come with lots of family. We will be cancelling all of this unless something changes….such as having the vaccine. I guess it is time for a change. The present system on Kauai seems like a money grab but can’t nearly make up for the loss of tourist dollars. I guess Kauai just does not want us on their island! Good luck with the destruction of your economy! Very sad indeed.
sorry I forgot the first name last initial rule!
Thanks. We are on day 4 of our 10 day quarantine after arriving in Honolulu with a negative test from a certified lab (Marshfield Clinic, a well respected/world renown clinic). The test was within 72 hrs as required. But here we are…can you help us with an early release…please. We are negative and will follow safe guidlines in your paradise!
Hi Barbara.
Tests must be by an approved testing partner only, as clearly indicated on the state’s website. https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/.
Aloha.
You can spend another 6 days locked in your room. Or, you can go straight to the airport and return to the mainland, follow all (not just some) of the requirements spelled out on the Safe Travels web site that BoH hosts have kindly linked for you. I recommend starting with the FAQ section, and then come back to Hawaii (except not Kauai) after having followed the actual rules of the program, and not the rules as you would like them to be. This is not about whether you have COVID. Just forget that part. This is about following rules. Because reasons. The world you live in is becoming more and more authoritarian. Get used to it. No cowboys or cowgirls allowed.
Hello again, I am seeking some type of assistance in my getting back home to Honolulu…. I have been stuck on the mainland for quite some time and now its beginning to wear on my nerves. Is there anyone on here that can advise me on best route to get the required testing for Covid and be able to get the results in time as required by the State and Local governments. I know Walgreens is the only site listed that I could find locally that does the required testing but they are up front about they can’t say if results will be ready within the 72 HR. Timeframe required. Anyone on here have any other ideas about the requirements? I certainly would appreciate any tips. Thank you in advance.
Hi Frank.
You didn’t mention where you are on the mainland, which would be of help in getting others to be of assistance. Also, Walgreens is just one of dozens of providers you’ll find here: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/travel-partners/. There are also the mail-in tests from Vault which are accessible from anywhere in the US.
Aloha.
Thanks BOH. I am working on it as I write. Will try Vault. Im currently in Arkansas.
Aloha.
Hi Frank.
Okay. Hope that works out for you. Let us know.
Aloha.
I suggest you use Vault. Pretty reliable to get your results within the 72 hour window – $119.
Thank you, Mike.
Aloha
Good Day,
Reading your updates on the CORONA19 safe travels, and needing a negative test to not quarantine and may be now having the vaccine with the DoD passport for the Safe Travel. Have they spoken about those that have had the virus and have recovered from it? This caught my interest reading an article about all passengers arriving in the United States needing a Negative test or recovering from COVID19. This is also an interest to me and my family since we had a planned trip for Christmas and i had a positive result the beginning of December and retested 3 weeks later for our trip, my test came out positive again and we had to cancel out trip. I researched and spoke to a doctor and found that those who had the virus could be positive up to 90 days after they have recovered from it.
Thank You all you doing to keep us informed.
Alvaro M
Hi Alvara.
Thanks. There has been an exception process for those who have already had COVID. That can be found here: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/faqs/.
Aloha.
Thanks for the link to the above site. It has a lot of good information and is easy to understand.
Please,If it takes me 3 days to get the results for my 72-hour pre-travel testing.Is it all over?Thank you.
Ken
Thank you for asking the question and am looking forward to updates.
Mahalo!
I think Lt Governor Green understands that the real answer to our covid problem is the vaccine.
Aloha Guys
Thank you for the article, but I am still confused. I am sure you are too. Until a clear and concise policy is adopted I will continue to find other vacation travel destinations as nice as Hawaii (less expensive and more accepting of tourists).
This whole pandemic has just made a horrible mess of everything…so sad. I hope a clear and concise policy is instituted soon and people can travel to Hawaii without fear of wasting their precious vacation time “locked” in their “hotel prison cell”.
Hi Richard.
Thanks for your comments. There will be changes ahead for sure. It will be interesting to see what role the legislature plays in travel policy when it returns to session next week.
Aloha.
please let me know what is the policy after taking the covid 19 vaccine
what kind of proof do i need for getting the shots
also what kind of 96 hours proof do i need for a negative result of a negative covid 19 test
thanks
Hi Richard.
Yes, that is the question being asked more than anything else right now. We hope to have answers to report soon.
Aloha.
Surely there could be a statewide Hawaii policy with defined metrics that might lead to different results for the different islands. California, for example — and even with all the problems with its system — has one metric (15% or less available ICU beds) that triggers a county, a region or a city moving to a more restricted tier. It’s a uniform metric applied across the state, but different counties/regions/cities have different freedoms and restrictions depending on how closely they meet the metric.
The 72 hour testing “window” isn’t feasible in all instances. Case in point – my wife and I arrived in Kona on Jan 7th. Did our testing with Vault on the 4th and had our results on the 6th before we left – perfect!
My son and girlfriend took tests on the 6th to arrive here on the 9th. She received her results early on the 8th. Fortunately for them, they had a 6 1/2 hour layover in LA on the way here. He received his results as they were closing the door on the plane in LA for the flight to Kona! No one needs that type of stress! They are here for 9 days – can you imagine doing everything right and still having to quarantine your entire stay through no fault of your own? Something needs to be changed! If you receive your results a day late you should only have to quarantine until that time!
I understand and agree with the whole testing process but some common sense needs to prevail!
The most pressing concern in my opinion, is there is no consistency in the state for rules of entry. The “rules” are so confusing to people! And, on top of that, they’re confusing to residents who leave the state and then try to comply w/ the regulations upon return. Everything is geared towards the “tourist” without regard to residents returning from a trip, i.e. the Safe Travels online form. I was in Carson City, NV the beginning of Nov., and no facility within 100 miles had availability.
Another issue that has arisen is the acceptable labs for testing. Some people have access to other labs that perform the same tests, but if they’re not on that “list” they are subject to quarantine!
Thank you for allowing me to comment.
Can you please tell me if there has been any mention of how people that have been vaccinated are going to be handled?
Hi Michael.
No word yet; hopefully soon.
Aloha.
The vaccine is supposed to prevent the recipient from experiencing the symptoms of the virus … it is unknown if the vaccine reduces the recipient from spreading the virus. The vaccine is not a miracle shot that sends us all back to normal life and the ability to travel freely with immunization papers. There is still an enormous amount of research to be done.
Aloha BOH hope you are well
Through my business I recently made a new acquaintance who is quickly becoming a friend.
Today he brought us a 2021 Hawaiian calendar.
Born and raised on the Hawaiian islands he recently moved here and retired with his wife from Kihei for two reasons. One being his wife has family here the other was our cost of living is much lower then on Maui. That’s a first someone moving to California, because of our lower cost of living.
Anyways during his last visit to our shop we spent a good hour talking about Maui. He relayed that retired citizens still living on Maui are enjoying the break from tourism, but those who relied on it for a living are really suffering.
He also went into depth about how tourism and tourist disrespect changed how citizens view visitors to the islands. He told me a gut wrenching tale about The Blue Pool located at Helele’ike’oha Falls.
He spoke of how years ago locals were allowed by private land owners in the area to visit the popular swim spot. How what a special place it was and the fond memories he had for it.
That was before the travel guide book Maui Revealed was published.
He said Maui Revealed has single handedly caused the most damage between locals and tourist. After Maui Revealed was published The Blue Pool was over run by tourist trashing the place, defecating, trespassing on private land and theft of property.
He said it got so bad that local land owners blocked the private road leading to the spot, so that no one can now enjoy it. He relied tales of private land hiking trails now closed, because of Maui Revealed and sue happy tourist.
My new friend is a quiet spoken man very like able had no resentment in his tone just disappointment. He had myself and a couple of my other good customers captivated with his tale. It brought home why there’s not as much aloha on the islands as in the past.
Hi Richard.
Thanks for your more than 100 comments!
Aloha.
Many “locals” on Kauai have the same feeling about the Kauai version of the guidebook. Used to be sold at Costco back in the day. Things change. We feel entitled to have things the way they used to be for ourselves. Pull up the drawbridge behind me. And no matter where you are, being a LOCAL is now the ultimate entitlement.
There are nearly three times as many people on the planet (8 billion) than there where when I was born (3 billion). And the standard of living world wide has never been higher. People live much longer. Cheap airfare, and the portion of the 8 billion that can afford to travel is a LOT higher than the portion of the 3 billion back in the day. All these people want to go someplace interesting and “safe” and visit “secret” and “special” places like the Maui blue pool (Kauai has several similar places if you know where to find them). And social media obsession has magnified this 10 million percent. It’s all about the picture they post on Instagram or whatever. I recall some idiot managing to kill himself by actually standing over the blow hole on the north end of Maui some years ago. We used to take our kids there every visit. When the surf is big, it is a magnificent natural wonder. They used to be all over the islands, but most were destroyed (dynamited) back in the early plantation days because of the salt spray.
Your observation of how someone moved from Maui to California to lower their cost of living is telling. Supply and Demand. No one beyond the privileged that come from wealthy families, or perhaps have good paying government jobs (because they knew/were someone) can compete with mainland money. Most mainlanders cannot compete with mainland money, for that matter.
There is a similar complaint on Kauai regarding a popular guidebook. I don’t think we can blame the guidebooks-travelers everywhere seek out hidden travel spots on the internet. I too am guilty of seeking out these places when I traveled. How both travelers and residents co exist moving forward is a challenge and concern.
What will the new rules be for visitors and returning residents who have been vaccinated and what about children under 16 who cannot yet be vaccinated. All islands should have the same rules. The legislature needs to step up and end one person making the rules.
To me it’s just scary for us to travel, we have our flights books, spent $4000 on a condo, plus all the excursions and to think that it’s a “time game.” We get our tests done but we are at the mercy of the facility doing the test. Do we cancel? $40,000 to be refunded by excursions in Hawaii, condo refunded. I agree with the Covid testing but geez make it so we can show you after we have landed, quarantine us until our results get back.
What about the vaccine? 2 doses we should be allowed to bypass the test. I have to make a decision soon to chance it or cancel.
The legislators in Hawaii are worse than California. Hard to believe.
We are in Maui right now. We used the Vault testing service. It was very easy, and we got the results back very quickly. It has been really great to be here. We are very appreciative and it seems like most of the people who are working here, seem glad to have us here as well! We are respectful and follow the mask rules. I do wish they would have clear cut policies for all of the islands. We would like to possibly visit some other islands, but we will stay put for now.
Thank you for the current update;I hope to see a unified plan for all the islands soon ,including a 96 hour window. BTW-the Covid testing at The Hawaiian Monarch Hotel in Waikiki ,ran by Kalihi Kai Urgent care is professional,fast,easy— and friendly!-results within 6 hours to your e mail,125$-
We just returned from Arizona and talk about confusion. We could have gotten a Covid-19 test anywhere but it needs to be an ‘approved’ vendor by the state of Hawai’i. So, being in the Tucson area there weren’t any available dates within the 72 hour frame unless we wanted to drive to the 2 hours to the Phoenix area. So we did not get the test. When we arrived in Hilo, expecting to be tested there, we were directed to a line and told where to get our ‘results’. We were not tested, just left the airport on our own. We have quarantined our selves with the daily check in online. It would have been nice to have a negative test and not be quarantined. It’s extremely hard to quarantine in Pahoa with no delivery services available.