526 thoughts on “Hawaii Travel Upheaval: Stakeholders Livid As Adversaries Now Concur”
Desiree J.
My husband and I had to reschedule our 8 day trip to Kauai from Dec’20 to Jul’2, as a 14 day quarantine would make the trip pointless. Broadening testing partners pre-arrival and making testing more affordable and available to tourists post-arrival could help mitigate the barriers to entry.
Char C
I believe our Mayor proposed allowing those with a neg pre-test to obtain a post-test once they arrived on Kauai & the Gov turned the proposal down. Many options were proposed, but Gov. Ige wouldn’t budge. What’s good for one island, not always good for another. Ppl vacation here, but we live here. This is our home.
Ryan B
We have postponed our Kauai trip. We are hoping we can reschedule this year but it isn’t looking good. We waited until the plan allowing travel with a negative test was announced to book. Then we heard the news that Kauai was requiring the 14 day quarantine. If we can’t reschedule we will lose a lot of non refundable deposits. It definitely leaves a bad taste in our mouth. We are looking at possibly a trip to Mexico instead if we don’t get definitive info on when we can come without quarantine.
Jamie P
My son and I canceled our trip to Kauai to visit my nephew. I think the quarantine is a good idea, because the 72 hour window of testing before you leave the mainland is not effective if you are exposed.. for instance, in the airport before you catch your flight.
MackK
The governor and the mayors are doing this on the premise that they will get relief from the federal government. Don’t count on it. The consensus is: we are not going to subsidize those States for making irrational decisions. This will literally hurl the island of Kauai into third world country status, very quickly.
Doug
There is an excellent article in the Honolulu Civil Beat this morning about “small town” Kauai and why decisions are being made the way they are. The article title is “Lee Cataluna: A Pandemic Looks Very Different In A Small Town Like Kauai”. I’d post a link but I believe they are not allowed. It will give you insight as to why things are happening as they are on Kauai.
Barbara M
DOUG…
Every once in a while I would get an email from them. Nothing since October, however. How do I re-enroll? I think I actually made a contribution.
Barbara M
DOUG…
If you Google “Honolulu Civil Beat” you will see the article.
Doug
Aloha Barbara, once I made a contribution I regularly receive their emails, did you opt out? Anyway, you don’t need the email it is a free paper just google the article title or Honolulu Civil Beat and it will come up.
Edward V.
We had a two week stay in Kauai that we rescheduled for Maui. No way paying to quarantine for 2 weeks. This is after I’ve been working on Oahu for 3 weeks.
Loc
We have plans for Maui in February but have not booked our accommodations yet because of fear of changing restrictions. I have a work colleague who had to cancel his family trip to Kauai due to the new restrictions and another friend cancel his family’s trip to Maui because he couldn’t find a lab that would guarantee Covid results within 48 hours. We are physicians who are all willing to get tested, wear masks, and travel safely. But Hawaii travel has become too much of a hassle.
Jade
This is all such a shame. I lived on Big Island for 16 yrs. and would love to come back for at least a visit. But won’t while this insanity is going on. I feel such grief for the local people and all residents, while the government turns Hawaii into a third world country. All while the politicians and big business make millions or billions of dollars while the rest of the people starve, can’t work, lose their business, and die in despair.
Steve D.
My wife and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Maui in November. We had a wonderful time and had no health issues. With that said, we paid $250.00 extra to take the Covid tests just for the opportunity for us to come spend our money in Hawaii. Most people are not going to go through all of that and what it takes to register with your State, upload their Covid test scores into the State website, etc. I love Hawaii, love the people but something has to change. You can’t make it so restrictive that even if your open for visitors you scare travelors away.
Greg A
Arriving back home in Hawaii from California where COVID is spiking and the ability to get test results back within the 72 hour time frame is impossible, has put the changing day to day, inconsistent policies front and center for me. Despite testing within the 72 hours of flying and because of the number of people getting tests now I couldn’t get results back prior to stepping on the plane. My negative test results however did arrive via email 5 hours after arriving in Kona. The Safe Travels web site does not allow me to upload those results after arriving. I have made many calls and have gotten many different answers to questions as a result of the inconsistencies in the program. I have my negative test results in hand but am still required to quarantine for 14 days, with the threat of fines and imprisonment if I don’t. For people who can’t get their results back before flying there should be something in place so you can show that you have had testing and then follow ups daily while quarantining until the results come in. Again for me it was only 5 hours after arriving.
Troy
We had our first trip to Hawaii canceled by these maniac policies.
Ross
It has been a year since our visit to the islands. I’ve started and stopped my plans it seems every time your Governor makes a move. Your problem is a lack of a clear message to visitors…are we welcome or not. It seems Not is the overwhelming answer. Good luck. People want to travel…
Tutu K.
Mayor Kawakami is doing an excellent job. He’s always proactive and ahead of the other Mayors, including the Governor. Most of Kauai’s infections are travel-related. The bottom line is that it’s not safe to travel right now. Just because the plane ventilation is safer doesn’t mean that the airports or cities where tourist and returning residents came from are. We know there is an incubation period of the virus even after taking a negative test. American tourist need to stop complaining and whining about not being able to come and how our economy will suffer and we’re all going to be in the poor house. Guess what? It’s not your Kuleana. And, yes, no one is crying that you’ve decided to go to Mexico or the Bahamas instead. The less entitled and whiny Americans the better. I’ve read numerous similar articles and I haven’t read one yet from an Asian, Aussie, or European tourist bitching and moaning about Hawai’i’s safety rules during a global pandemic. Because they get it!! America today has 14.5 Million Covid-19 cases in a 10-month span. One million added in just 5 days due to Thanksgiving holiday. That’s how Americans give thanks – by spreading their “aloha” (virus) to their family members and traveling even though the CDC asks them not to. That’s real patriotic.
Chris
According to the Hawaii covid website…none of the new cases were from visitors to Kauai. I understand you have limited hospital resources but you can ship your overflow here to Oahu just like you do your complicated patients now. The suicide rate is worse than the covid death rate…it’s not saving any lives.
RIch
Thanks for your input. People need to be kept safe. The figures are shwoing cases are being reported from Residents not visitors since the 14 days began. Are you suggesting residents should not return to Kaua’i until it is safe and there is a vaccine? That is the only sure way to stop the spread whether they are in California or Oahu. I cannot see Kaua’i residnets accepting that they cannot return home as no one knows how many monhts it ill be before enough people are vaccinated for it to make a difference. Also if residents are away from home, how will they get their physician to arrange a vaccination for them. I do feel some people are trying to turn this from being keep Kaua’i safe to let’s blame visitors where as the Wailua couple show, visitors are not the main reason people are slipping between the cracks. Stay Safe. I gues folks on Kaua’i need to stay there too.
David B
Kauai’s financially secure elders who are frightened of the virus don’t plan to fly anywhere, and would be perfectly happy if LIH was shut down, so long as Costco Walmart Home Depo Safeway still have full shelves. Especially those big packs of TP that arrive by the twice-a-week barge from Honolulu. Oh, and also need Amazon-UPS deliveries.
Anybody who thinks otherwise is Selfish.
Jim R.
David, that made me chuckle. Funny how the sarcasm is ironically real…😂
Joerg H.
I couldn’t agree more Tutu K. when I read these posts from whiny Americans I just want to ask them if they would like some cheese with their whine! Look, right now the CDC is suggesting people simply don’t travel. This is especially true of vacations, visiting family for the holidays, etc. We are in the middle of a pandemic and the spread of the virus in the US is completely out of hand. What really exhausts me is this fake concern about the people of Hawaii and the economic impact on them of the pandemic. The question that should be asked is what is the state and the federal government doing to help offset this impact? What programs are there for people who have to close their restaurants, etc., and the people that work there? Certainly, the answer isn’t just “Let’s pretend that there isn’t a pandemic at all so I can go on my vacation”. If you look at other countries those governments are essentially paying people to stay home and in Germany, they are paying companies 75% of the money they made in 2019 to keep people employed. We are doing anything like that. So, if people what to be angry I think that they should be angry at the virus, and the fact that the government has done a poor job helping people who are economically affected by the pandemic.
Scott T
We cancelled our Kauai trip all together. Decided against trying another Island due to uncertainty of what will happen between now and February. Will try again in a year or 2.
Dean R.
There were 6 of us coming from Missouri to stay for 3 weeks in February and we cancelled all plans including flights. It is a shame but there is too much uncertainty with the local government.
Jason B.
I had planned on flying to Kauai in August 2021 to visit my parents and have my 50th birthday celebrated there but that may change, I have saved up lots of money for that trip and I haven’t made any reservations just yet, I’ll continue to monitor the situation through March and decide if I still want to go to Kauai where I was born and raised, I have other options in mind such as a week long road trip here or visit my sister in western NY, I was looking forward to spend some time with my parents on Kauai and spend some money, if I don’t go to Kauai in August, it’s not a total lost on my behalf.
Thomas
Maybe Kauai needs to go completely under for people to wake up. Sad but perhaps it’s only way people will decide to make changes. They had one death since safe travel launch and they shut down.? It was a very old person. Kawakami is very irresponsible with peoples well being and prob doesn’t deserve to be mayor.
Justin P
My regular Hawaii travel is postponed indefinitely. Fingers crossed for everyone affected out there.
Karen M.
Plans have not changed to the Big Island. Wsiting yo see what happens. All reservations still cancellable at this point.
Comments are closed.
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My husband and I had to reschedule our 8 day trip to Kauai from Dec’20 to Jul’2, as a 14 day quarantine would make the trip pointless. Broadening testing partners pre-arrival and making testing more affordable and available to tourists post-arrival could help mitigate the barriers to entry.
I believe our Mayor proposed allowing those with a neg pre-test to obtain a post-test once they arrived on Kauai & the Gov turned the proposal down. Many options were proposed, but Gov. Ige wouldn’t budge. What’s good for one island, not always good for another. Ppl vacation here, but we live here. This is our home.
We have postponed our Kauai trip. We are hoping we can reschedule this year but it isn’t looking good. We waited until the plan allowing travel with a negative test was announced to book. Then we heard the news that Kauai was requiring the 14 day quarantine. If we can’t reschedule we will lose a lot of non refundable deposits. It definitely leaves a bad taste in our mouth. We are looking at possibly a trip to Mexico instead if we don’t get definitive info on when we can come without quarantine.
My son and I canceled our trip to Kauai to visit my nephew. I think the quarantine is a good idea, because the 72 hour window of testing before you leave the mainland is not effective if you are exposed.. for instance, in the airport before you catch your flight.
The governor and the mayors are doing this on the premise that they will get relief from the federal government. Don’t count on it. The consensus is: we are not going to subsidize those States for making irrational decisions. This will literally hurl the island of Kauai into third world country status, very quickly.
There is an excellent article in the Honolulu Civil Beat this morning about “small town” Kauai and why decisions are being made the way they are. The article title is “Lee Cataluna: A Pandemic Looks Very Different In A Small Town Like Kauai”. I’d post a link but I believe they are not allowed. It will give you insight as to why things are happening as they are on Kauai.
DOUG…
Every once in a while I would get an email from them. Nothing since October, however. How do I re-enroll? I think I actually made a contribution.
DOUG…
If you Google “Honolulu Civil Beat” you will see the article.
Aloha Barbara, once I made a contribution I regularly receive their emails, did you opt out? Anyway, you don’t need the email it is a free paper just google the article title or Honolulu Civil Beat and it will come up.
We had a two week stay in Kauai that we rescheduled for Maui. No way paying to quarantine for 2 weeks. This is after I’ve been working on Oahu for 3 weeks.
We have plans for Maui in February but have not booked our accommodations yet because of fear of changing restrictions. I have a work colleague who had to cancel his family trip to Kauai due to the new restrictions and another friend cancel his family’s trip to Maui because he couldn’t find a lab that would guarantee Covid results within 48 hours. We are physicians who are all willing to get tested, wear masks, and travel safely. But Hawaii travel has become too much of a hassle.
This is all such a shame. I lived on Big Island for 16 yrs. and would love to come back for at least a visit. But won’t while this insanity is going on. I feel such grief for the local people and all residents, while the government turns Hawaii into a third world country. All while the politicians and big business make millions or billions of dollars while the rest of the people starve, can’t work, lose their business, and die in despair.
My wife and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Maui in November. We had a wonderful time and had no health issues. With that said, we paid $250.00 extra to take the Covid tests just for the opportunity for us to come spend our money in Hawaii. Most people are not going to go through all of that and what it takes to register with your State, upload their Covid test scores into the State website, etc. I love Hawaii, love the people but something has to change. You can’t make it so restrictive that even if your open for visitors you scare travelors away.
Arriving back home in Hawaii from California where COVID is spiking and the ability to get test results back within the 72 hour time frame is impossible, has put the changing day to day, inconsistent policies front and center for me. Despite testing within the 72 hours of flying and because of the number of people getting tests now I couldn’t get results back prior to stepping on the plane. My negative test results however did arrive via email 5 hours after arriving in Kona. The Safe Travels web site does not allow me to upload those results after arriving. I have made many calls and have gotten many different answers to questions as a result of the inconsistencies in the program. I have my negative test results in hand but am still required to quarantine for 14 days, with the threat of fines and imprisonment if I don’t. For people who can’t get their results back before flying there should be something in place so you can show that you have had testing and then follow ups daily while quarantining until the results come in. Again for me it was only 5 hours after arriving.
We had our first trip to Hawaii canceled by these maniac policies.
It has been a year since our visit to the islands. I’ve started and stopped my plans it seems every time your Governor makes a move. Your problem is a lack of a clear message to visitors…are we welcome or not. It seems Not is the overwhelming answer. Good luck. People want to travel…
Mayor Kawakami is doing an excellent job. He’s always proactive and ahead of the other Mayors, including the Governor. Most of Kauai’s infections are travel-related. The bottom line is that it’s not safe to travel right now. Just because the plane ventilation is safer doesn’t mean that the airports or cities where tourist and returning residents came from are. We know there is an incubation period of the virus even after taking a negative test. American tourist need to stop complaining and whining about not being able to come and how our economy will suffer and we’re all going to be in the poor house. Guess what? It’s not your Kuleana. And, yes, no one is crying that you’ve decided to go to Mexico or the Bahamas instead. The less entitled and whiny Americans the better. I’ve read numerous similar articles and I haven’t read one yet from an Asian, Aussie, or European tourist bitching and moaning about Hawai’i’s safety rules during a global pandemic. Because they get it!! America today has 14.5 Million Covid-19 cases in a 10-month span. One million added in just 5 days due to Thanksgiving holiday. That’s how Americans give thanks – by spreading their “aloha” (virus) to their family members and traveling even though the CDC asks them not to. That’s real patriotic.
According to the Hawaii covid website…none of the new cases were from visitors to Kauai. I understand you have limited hospital resources but you can ship your overflow here to Oahu just like you do your complicated patients now. The suicide rate is worse than the covid death rate…it’s not saving any lives.
Thanks for your input. People need to be kept safe. The figures are shwoing cases are being reported from Residents not visitors since the 14 days began. Are you suggesting residents should not return to Kaua’i until it is safe and there is a vaccine? That is the only sure way to stop the spread whether they are in California or Oahu. I cannot see Kaua’i residnets accepting that they cannot return home as no one knows how many monhts it ill be before enough people are vaccinated for it to make a difference. Also if residents are away from home, how will they get their physician to arrange a vaccination for them. I do feel some people are trying to turn this from being keep Kaua’i safe to let’s blame visitors where as the Wailua couple show, visitors are not the main reason people are slipping between the cracks. Stay Safe. I gues folks on Kaua’i need to stay there too.
Kauai’s financially secure elders who are frightened of the virus don’t plan to fly anywhere, and would be perfectly happy if LIH was shut down, so long as Costco Walmart Home Depo Safeway still have full shelves. Especially those big packs of TP that arrive by the twice-a-week barge from Honolulu. Oh, and also need Amazon-UPS deliveries.
Anybody who thinks otherwise is Selfish.
David, that made me chuckle. Funny how the sarcasm is ironically real…😂
I couldn’t agree more Tutu K. when I read these posts from whiny Americans I just want to ask them if they would like some cheese with their whine! Look, right now the CDC is suggesting people simply don’t travel. This is especially true of vacations, visiting family for the holidays, etc. We are in the middle of a pandemic and the spread of the virus in the US is completely out of hand. What really exhausts me is this fake concern about the people of Hawaii and the economic impact on them of the pandemic. The question that should be asked is what is the state and the federal government doing to help offset this impact? What programs are there for people who have to close their restaurants, etc., and the people that work there? Certainly, the answer isn’t just “Let’s pretend that there isn’t a pandemic at all so I can go on my vacation”. If you look at other countries those governments are essentially paying people to stay home and in Germany, they are paying companies 75% of the money they made in 2019 to keep people employed. We are doing anything like that. So, if people what to be angry I think that they should be angry at the virus, and the fact that the government has done a poor job helping people who are economically affected by the pandemic.
We cancelled our Kauai trip all together. Decided against trying another Island due to uncertainty of what will happen between now and February. Will try again in a year or 2.
There were 6 of us coming from Missouri to stay for 3 weeks in February and we cancelled all plans including flights. It is a shame but there is too much uncertainty with the local government.
I had planned on flying to Kauai in August 2021 to visit my parents and have my 50th birthday celebrated there but that may change, I have saved up lots of money for that trip and I haven’t made any reservations just yet, I’ll continue to monitor the situation through March and decide if I still want to go to Kauai where I was born and raised, I have other options in mind such as a week long road trip here or visit my sister in western NY, I was looking forward to spend some time with my parents on Kauai and spend some money, if I don’t go to Kauai in August, it’s not a total lost on my behalf.
Maybe Kauai needs to go completely under for people to wake up. Sad but perhaps it’s only way people will decide to make changes. They had one death since safe travel launch and they shut down.? It was a very old person. Kawakami is very irresponsible with peoples well being and prob doesn’t deserve to be mayor.
My regular Hawaii travel is postponed indefinitely. Fingers crossed for everyone affected out there.
Plans have not changed to the Big Island. Wsiting yo see what happens. All reservations still cancellable at this point.