526 thoughts on “Hawaii Travel Upheaval: Stakeholders Livid As Adversaries Now Concur”
Kevin F
We had booked a 2 week trip for our family of 6 in December & cancelled it because of the restrictions. We will instead travel to Florida where there are less hoops to go through. It really breaks our heart… we love Hawaii & have visited several years running. I hope the governor removes the restrictions sooner then later.
Lana K
First off I agree with Bill C.
The state of affairs is the same in Hawaii as all liberal run states.
We deserve the government we have!
As long as you keep voting in career politicians you will have to deal with their stupidity and crookedness.
Remember a career politician is only that because they are either too stupid or too ugly to do
anything else with their lives.
A good example of why we deserve the government we have is they want to give you $600 for not having an income for 8 or 9 months, that works out to be about $75 dollars a month for you while they continue to get in the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in their salary plus all the under the table things they do.
Another example of why we deserve the government we have is they want us on Obama Care but they won’t go on it themselves, they have the best medical treatment available.
Another example of why we deserve the government we have is how a lot of the liberal politicians that have been handing down draconian rules to us aren’t following themselves, “Do as I say but not as I do”.
A good local example locally is how the mayor of Honolulu started tearing apart Sherwood Forest in Waimanalo for payback for his buddies when people weren’t allowed to protest, it just shows the wannabe emperor has no clothes.
So as long as the citizen put up with it and continue to be sheep, yes we deserve the government we have wholeheartedly until we stand up and say, “Hell no we aint gonna take it no more”!
Barbara M
LANA K…
I have a real dislike for political rants on this site but in this case I feel it necessary to point out… In case you’ve forgotten, our “government” has been conservative for the last four years so please don’t blame our current state of affairs, nationally or locally, on “liberals”.
L.ana K
Barbara you didn’t read my comment correctly, it has nothing to do with conservatives, the major problem is career politicians of all stripes.
Lana K
First off I agree with Bill C.
The state of affairs is the same in Hawaii as all liberal run states.
We deserve the government we have!
As long as you keep voting in career politicians you will have to deal with their stupidity and crookedness.
Remember a career politician is only that because they are either too stupid or too ugly to do
anything else with their lives.
A good example of why we deserve the government we have is they want to give you $600 for not having an income for 8 or 9 months, that works out to be about $75 dollars a month for you while they continue to get in the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in their salary plus all the under the table things they do.
Another example of why we deserve the government we have is they want us on Obama Care but they won’t go on it themselves, they have the best medical treatment available.
Another example of why we deserve the government we have is how a lot of the liberal politicians that have been handing down draconian rules to us aren’t following themselves, “Do as I say but not as I do”.
A good local example locally is how the mayor of Honolulu started tearing apart Sherwood Forest in Waimanalo for payback for his buddies when people weren’t allowed to protest, it just shows the wannabe emperor has no clothes or ba..s.
So as long as the citizen put up with this bull…t and continue to be sheep, yes we deserve the government we have wholeheartedly until we stand up and say, “Hell no we aint gonna take it no more”!
Bill C
The entire state is committing suicide at the hands of its leaders. The only solution is to open fully without any restrictions and go about life normally. Treat the ill and mourn the 0.1% or less who succumb to the illness. 99.9% are healthy or recovered.
I won’t live my life for the .1%. We will all die eventually. For most, that will be before we reach 90 years old. No one lives forever here on earth.
The citizens of Hawaii are already looking at 2-10 years of hardship. Life is not that long to suffer this self-imposition.
Joerg H.
I find it interesting how easily you write off the lives of .1% of the population. BTW, I’m not so sure that number is correct considering that we are nearing 300K already in this country. In either case, you’re also ignoring the suffering of the people who end up in the hospital, and/or in the ICU. The fact that our hospitals are nearing capacity, and soon in some places they are going to have to perform tirage (i.e. decide who lives and who dies). And now we have the UK variant in this country which is more contagious. Pretending that nothing is going on and writing off .1% of the population in order to help the economy is, in my opinion, somewhat hard-hearted.
David B
Bill’s not going to make too many friends at the Senior Center with that attitude. And we did just pass 0.1% = 330,000 (0.1% of 330M) recently. According to my internet, we’re approaching 340K. It’s a tough virus on the old/health compromised, to be sure. There didn’t used to be so many elderly/health compromised people in the past pandemics, because was rare anyone lived that long, and we manage to keep people alive nowadays that even a generation ago would not have made it.
But, this is a travel to Hawaii blog; not a public policy blog. The only question is whether some balance of travel/economic life is possible while trying to shield vulnerable people from the virus. Should not have to be all or nothing either way, although some people (Bill C) would go all one way, and others (maybe Kauai Doug?) would go all the other. Reality is that it continues to spread in populated areas. Mask mandates don’t seem to matter. It’s not a Red state Blue state thing, as badly as some people want it to be.
Joerg H.
I agree, I think Bill needs to steer clear of the senior center, that’s for sure! I also agree that this isn’t a public policy blog, however, public policy does have an effect on travel to Hawaii. Finally, while I wish that the public policy response to the pandemic had never been politicized, it was and continues to be. The divide between Democrats and Republicans in regards to mask-wearing, for example, shows this quite clearly. Again, this is an important factor in regards to this blog and travel in general since it’s been shown that mask-wearing is the best way to prevent the spread of the virus, and yet there’s a significant part of our population who just doesn’t believe in it. This forces those who are trying to address the pandemic in our governments to utilize other, more economically devastating measures such as lockdowns and travel bans. Take a look at this article for more details: pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/10/29/both-republicans-and-democrats-cite-masks-as-a-negative-effect-of-covid-19-but-for-very-different-reasons/
“On the other hand, nearly one-in-five of all respondents who mentioned the word “mask” (18%) specifically called masks unnecessary, ineffective, oppressive or unfair; stated that they refuse to wear masks; expressed skepticism about the COVID-19 pandemic in general; or expressed a belief that the pandemic is being used to manipulate Americans for political gain.
These responses were far more common from Republicans: 27% of all mask mentions by Republicans expressed such views, compared with just 3% among Democrats who brought up masks. Looked at another way, Republicans accounted for 92% of those expressing skepticism or opposition to masks.”
So how do we fix this? How do we get the virus under enough control to begin to open back up again? Considering that it will take Months before there is widespread vaccination do we just hunker down and wait?
Debra S
We make an annual Jan trip to HI, often changing up which islands we visit. 2021 plan: Maui-1 wk & Kauai-2 wks. Plans made in May, hoping things will be better C19-wise. HI institutes the Safe Travel plan—sounds good—a way to go to Hawaii safely. I hear the details, think we better change our plans—cancel Maui and go to Kauai for 3 weeks—then we don’t have to worry about testing when changing islands. Much time on the phone changing flights. I look for approved hotels on Kauai where we can stay while we wait for results if we don’t receive them before we depart. There is no approved list of hotels for Kauai. I found a list compiled by a realty company but when calling Hawaii Tourism, they had nothing. The first place I booked, thankfully sent me an email clearly stating we couldn’t quarantine there if that was necessary. I canceled that booking and reserved at a Hilton. At this point, I feel my bases are covered. But, then, the Governor of Hawaii declares results have to be available before departure. CVS, a trusted partner, says they can’t guarantee pre-departure results so go elsewhere. The final straw was the Governor approving Kauai opting out of the Safe Travel program for an unspecified amount of time. I reluctantly and sadly decided to cancel our trip. We talked about going to Maui instead, but we would still have to have results before we leave & no one can guarantee that will happen. Yes, I suppose we could change our flights until the results are available but then would we risk not being within 72 hours? I’m worn down by all the changes & uncertainties. There are too many restrictions. If you can’t produce your negative results you can’t rent a car & you can’t stay in a short term rental & there’s the question of how to get food & you have to spend two weeks in a hotel room. I give up. We will look for somewhere else to go. Hopefully we will be back in January 2022. Hopefully, Hawaii will be able to ride this out and not lose more lives & businesses.
Colin M
We’ve been visiting Kauaʻi for many years from our home in Canada, and will do so again, but not this year. Once a vaccination is available we will, once vaccinated, be back. In the meantime, we are ordering favorite items such as paʻakai (sea salt) via mail from vendors on the island in an attempt to help the economy, although the crazy postal charges mean that we have reluctantly declined several sellers charges recently. Aloha a hui hou.
Maggie T.
We canceled our Ohau trip scheduled for the end of December based on the fear of doing everything in compliance with Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program and still having to quarantine for part or all of our vacation. All the changes are confusing and create too much uncertainty. Hope to visit one day post Covid19.
Patrick S
Im intending to travel to Maui the end of the month. At the moment Kaiser (I’m a member) is running behind on test results. There is a chance I will not have my results back by my departure from Oakland. I’m a little hesitant to travel given the possibility of a quarantine.
Casey S.
For the cost and risk of possibly ending up spending an entire vacation stuck in a hotel room, and being treated like a convict, I will be looking for other places in Polynesian to vacation rather than support Hawaii’s fear mongering lefty politicians.
Tutu K.
Mahalo! Try American Samoa.
John N
Flew in this Monday afternoon 12/7 from SEA to HNL using Hawaiian Airlines preferred partner US Biotek (aka AnyLab Test Now in Redmond) for $90 since it was cheaper than $119 Vault price and I didn’t want to hassle with the UPS drop off process. Process went smoothly. Showed up 15 minutes early for a Friday 1:30 appointment; no one else inside small office; was done in less than 15 minutes including filling out the 2 pages of paperwork. Test results came back at 10 pm Friday night (8 hour turn around) into my Inbox which I promptly uploaded the PDF attachment to the Travel website. Flight was probably less than half full so the gang of 15 health screeners was more than adequate to handle the load as it was less than 10 minutes to exit the screening area after what seemed like a 10 minute walk (but really 5) to get to in the first place. Only issue was the screener was unfamiliar with US Biotech as an “approved” test partner so she need to check with her supervisor who said I was good to go. Overall just an additional 15 minute delay to walking over to baggage claim from gate C7. There was also no other C-gate arrivals when we arrived at the gate so everything went smoothly.
RandyB
Aloha John. Can you let us know if you noticed how long after you uploaded the PDF to the State system (Safe Travels) that the system acknowledged you were good to go? That has been one of the points of failure that has been “vague” as the State would not commit to less than 24 hours even though most have said it was faster. Reason it matters: For those of us from East Coast where every hour will matter (unless they expand to 96 hours) having to account for 24 hours in the State system is a problem.
Mahalo
Gabrielle S
This is the worst mismanagement by government I have ever witnessed. Why the legislators are sitting on their hands, watching the state go under water is beyond the pale. They have the power to legislate all these rules unconstitutional and unenforceable. After 9 months one can hardly call this a crisis. Covid is here. Let’s deal with it sensibly and stop committing economic suicide. Government has no business destroying the private sector. The Governor and all the mayors have behaved unconscionably! It’s amazing to me how timid most of the islanders are that they don’t push back at this nonsense.
Tutu K.
Let’s not blame the local government for the egregious leadership the Trump administration has done to the American people. If the president of the United States had not lied to the people in January 2020 about the virus we wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with. He knew that the virus was deadly and airborne, yet he lied to everyone and said it was a hoax and would “disappear” one day. well, it hasn’t disappeared yet….4.5 millions American are infected and over 250K dead. If All Americans had worn their masks from the beginning instead of acting like spoiled Karens’ and Kens’ we wouldn’t have as many dead or infected people. China doesn’t even have this issue anymore and that’s where it started! Taiwan and New Zealand also got rid of the virus because the citizens of those countries are patriotic and listen to experts that believe in science. So if anyone wants to get angry, get angry at unpatriotic Americans who refuse to wear their mask and spread the virus to their neighbors and loved ones. The local government is trying to keep us safe, but people like you continue to care about Money more than People. And, that’s the difference between local people and mainlanders. We know without a shadow of a doubt that People’s lives are far more important. We can fish, hunt, farm, and stay with our ohana if it gets bad. We will never let harm come to our own -our community. So please stop talking about the private sector and capitalism. Nobody here cares about that. Go back to Maui or California if that’s your value system. Did you see what Kauaiians did to the Superferry? Money is not the priority. Basic needs yes, but never capitalism.
David B
“We can fish, hunt, farm, and stay with our ohana if it gets bad.”
The vast majority of Kauai residents can only hunt and fish at Costco, Safeway, Foodland, or Walmart, and that 4×4 you use to take your dogs hunting requires gasoline and spare parts. You going to hunt down toilet paper?
Cuba got rid of capitalism. They are on an island. Plenty of fishing. they live awesome lives with their ohana. Free healthcare.
Tutu K.
Wow. Well, if you feel that way about the people of Hawaii you don’t have to come here. You’re more than welcome to go anywhere else in the world, especially since you think so lowly of the residents here. Obviously you don’t know many local people if you actually believe they can only survive on Costco, Safeway, Foodland, or Walmart. And, I’m not talking about transplants or people who like to say how many years they’ve been on the island. I’m talking native Hawaiians and descendants from the Territory of Hawaii. Just because they go there, doesn’t mean they have to. I guess you’ve never seen the t-shirt, “Kauai – Not for Wimps”. Cubans do sound pretty happy. Aloha ‘oe!
David B
Tutu,
We are all transplants or offspring of transplants. Hawaiians are also offspring of transplants from long ago. Everyone’s ancestors came from somewhere. I also don’t care how long anyone has been here. I know identity politics and divisions right now are all the rage. “I grew here, you flew here” “Don’t forget to go home,” yeah yeah.
Sure, many Hawaiians fish and hunt, and so do many non-Hawaiians. The island has plenty of pig/goat hunters of all racial compositions and ancestral origins. By the way, a young Hawaiian man in Kilauea makes very good (legal to sell) sausage. But, I doubt anyone wants to go back to life as it was in 1778.
Most people in Cuba live lives of desperation and poverty. It is an extremely poor country that has had to feed off other countries to survive since the revolution. The “special” period post USSR and pre-Venezuela was anything but “special” for the people who had to suffer through it. Costco ad Safeway and Walmart and Foodland don’t exist in socialism.
Lana K
The crazy lockdowns aren’t working, they’re only making it worse and making more people die.
California is a good example.They have the most draconian lockdowns and right now they are the epacenter.
All they are doing is ruining people’s lives, ruining businesses while making politicians, big tech and big box stores rich.
Tammy C.
Hello!
We’re supposed to fly out Fri, 12/18 until Jan 2 to the Big Island. I have all of us (2 adults, 3 teens) scheduled for the rapid test at American Family Care. The test will be administered and results given to us on Thur 12/17. Has anyone had luck with this? I’m considering getting a test from Vault and taking that as well. I’m beginning to wish we had not chosen Hawaii. I kept thinking things would improve and even out, versus continue to be so chaotic. Any guidance from folks who have recently been there/done that would be much appreciated.
Thanks so much-
Tammy
Mary K.
We used Vault and it worked out great. However, I think Vault is now advising if you are flying Tuesday or Wednesday, they can’t guarantee you will get your results in time. Something to do with overnighting delivery, I think. We dropped our tests at UPS at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, received our results the following day at 6:30 p.m., plenty of time before our flight. Write “STAT HAWAII” on both your box and the inside pouch.
Jean T.
We have tickets to Maui on United in the last part of January. Does anyone have experience with United sending out test information by email 14 days before the flight? Our nearest approved testing site is 250 lies away. That is nearly impossible for us during the winter weather to get it returned in a timely fashion of 72 hours. Help, please! Thank you!
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Jean.
Hopefully someone with UA experience will give us a hand.
Aloha.
Jean T.
That would be great, however, United is not particularly cooperative. We have tried everything to get firm information. It is leaving us totally stressed out. Thanks for your comment!
DANA G.
Jean
Send away for the Vault test. It’s done online. You do it three days before you leave. Write Hawaii Stat on all sides of the envelope and Hawaii stat on all sides of the box. Find the best/fastest UPS store/hub to drop it off.
We did our tests on October 30 at 10:15 AM for a November 2nd 10:00 AM flight. We got our tests back by Saturday night. The key is the UPS store.
We had a wonderful three weeks.
Good luck❤️🌴
Barbara M
JEAN…
Vault is great but only if you are not flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Since UPS doesn’t deliver on Sunday, that is an issue. In addition, Vault has denied us a test because we are on Medicare. Don’t know if that is only our state (NM) but it is worth attempting to order a test (good for two years) just to see if you have that same problem. (Obviously I don’t how old you are!!!)
Jim K
We lived on Maui in the early 2000s (family there since early 80s) Vacationed in Kauai every 2 years since 2006. We got stuck with a lost vacation tab plus maintenance fees in 2020 ($5k). We liquidated everything we had with Marriott and have written off Hawaii in total. I sure hope the local economy can become more diverse with revenue from something else than tourism. Otherwise, I fear the future will be grim. The Kauai mayor is misguided at best and grasping on to fortune cookie science. Calling tourists covidiots exhibited a lack of emotional intelligence as well. You can choose to be safe and allow local business to thrive simultaneously. I’m sure some will say don’t let the door hit you in the okole. I’m good with that!
Barbara M
Jim K…
You know – and I don’t – what your travel plans are/will be for the future but just FYI…
Marriott owners “bump” every other ownership when looking get on a list to trade to other properties. Marriott Hawaii owners “bump” every other owner, Marriott and otherwise.
If you haven’t consummated that liquidation, you might want to at least consider that fact for future trading potential.
Jim K
Thank you Barbara. I appreciate the input. All the best to you and yours.
Casey S.
Sorry that happened, we cancelled our trip as well, luckily we were able to get the hotel side back and ended up with 10k in airline vouchers. Needless to say, we won’t be using those for Hawaii until the locals wake up and vote out these jerks they elected. Maybe they should try a different party in the next election and see how that changes things for the better. Oh well, there’s still great Polynesian culture on other islands with a much more inviting attitude towards tourists. French Polynesia will most likely be in our future travel plans, or perhaps Puerto Rico for a change.
TL
Totally agree about the chaotic state of affairs. There is no way to get results back prior to boarding in most cities, which discriminates against people who are not flying in from LA or Seattle. Stuck in quarantine despite a negative result and following the rules.
Ed B
I was shopping for a Hawaiian trip just this weekend for my wife. Not happening now.
TR
The unfolding collapse of Kauais economy is heartbreaking to see. As the small business bankruptcy and unemployment crisis evolves into the real estate crash, Kauai’s tax revenue will plummet to unsustainable levels. While Covid-19 has challenged leaders everywhere, Kauai’s choices and resulting outcome may be the worst imaginable.
Todd B.
We have plans to go to Kauai Jan 12 thru the Jan 22. This is our second rebooking from a May cancelled trip. I have been waitng a few days to make sure Kauai didn’t change again but looks like we will be cancelling in the next couple of days. Don’t really have a choice. Thanks BOA for keeping us up to date. Much appreciated
Beat of Hawaii
Hi Todd.
Thanks. We expect there to be news this week if you care to wait.
Aloha.
Denise L.
To get test results back in 72 hours takes diligence. Be sure to seek out a place that is approved on the Hawaii safe travels. Even though some have exited, new ones have joined too. We went to a really nice urgent care the day before Thanksgiving and had our test. We were told it would go to the lab that evening. Well Friday I was hoping to get results for Saturday flight but lab still didn’t have tests! I was so stressed but the people answered calls and made sure to get it done and by Saturday morning we had our results in hand before travel. And details matter!!!! be careful to make sure e-mail is printed perfectly and name and address match flight reservation etc etc.
Comments are closed.
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We had booked a 2 week trip for our family of 6 in December & cancelled it because of the restrictions. We will instead travel to Florida where there are less hoops to go through. It really breaks our heart… we love Hawaii & have visited several years running. I hope the governor removes the restrictions sooner then later.
First off I agree with Bill C.
The state of affairs is the same in Hawaii as all liberal run states.
We deserve the government we have!
As long as you keep voting in career politicians you will have to deal with their stupidity and crookedness.
Remember a career politician is only that because they are either too stupid or too ugly to do
anything else with their lives.
A good example of why we deserve the government we have is they want to give you $600 for not having an income for 8 or 9 months, that works out to be about $75 dollars a month for you while they continue to get in the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in their salary plus all the under the table things they do.
Another example of why we deserve the government we have is they want us on Obama Care but they won’t go on it themselves, they have the best medical treatment available.
Another example of why we deserve the government we have is how a lot of the liberal politicians that have been handing down draconian rules to us aren’t following themselves, “Do as I say but not as I do”.
A good local example locally is how the mayor of Honolulu started tearing apart Sherwood Forest in Waimanalo for payback for his buddies when people weren’t allowed to protest, it just shows the wannabe emperor has no clothes.
So as long as the citizen put up with it and continue to be sheep, yes we deserve the government we have wholeheartedly until we stand up and say, “Hell no we aint gonna take it no more”!
LANA K…
I have a real dislike for political rants on this site but in this case I feel it necessary to point out… In case you’ve forgotten, our “government” has been conservative for the last four years so please don’t blame our current state of affairs, nationally or locally, on “liberals”.
Barbara you didn’t read my comment correctly, it has nothing to do with conservatives, the major problem is career politicians of all stripes.
First off I agree with Bill C.
The state of affairs is the same in Hawaii as all liberal run states.
We deserve the government we have!
As long as you keep voting in career politicians you will have to deal with their stupidity and crookedness.
Remember a career politician is only that because they are either too stupid or too ugly to do
anything else with their lives.
A good example of why we deserve the government we have is they want to give you $600 for not having an income for 8 or 9 months, that works out to be about $75 dollars a month for you while they continue to get in the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in their salary plus all the under the table things they do.
Another example of why we deserve the government we have is they want us on Obama Care but they won’t go on it themselves, they have the best medical treatment available.
Another example of why we deserve the government we have is how a lot of the liberal politicians that have been handing down draconian rules to us aren’t following themselves, “Do as I say but not as I do”.
A good local example locally is how the mayor of Honolulu started tearing apart Sherwood Forest in Waimanalo for payback for his buddies when people weren’t allowed to protest, it just shows the wannabe emperor has no clothes or ba..s.
So as long as the citizen put up with this bull…t and continue to be sheep, yes we deserve the government we have wholeheartedly until we stand up and say, “Hell no we aint gonna take it no more”!
The entire state is committing suicide at the hands of its leaders. The only solution is to open fully without any restrictions and go about life normally. Treat the ill and mourn the 0.1% or less who succumb to the illness. 99.9% are healthy or recovered.
I won’t live my life for the .1%. We will all die eventually. For most, that will be before we reach 90 years old. No one lives forever here on earth.
The citizens of Hawaii are already looking at 2-10 years of hardship. Life is not that long to suffer this self-imposition.
I find it interesting how easily you write off the lives of .1% of the population. BTW, I’m not so sure that number is correct considering that we are nearing 300K already in this country. In either case, you’re also ignoring the suffering of the people who end up in the hospital, and/or in the ICU. The fact that our hospitals are nearing capacity, and soon in some places they are going to have to perform tirage (i.e. decide who lives and who dies). And now we have the UK variant in this country which is more contagious. Pretending that nothing is going on and writing off .1% of the population in order to help the economy is, in my opinion, somewhat hard-hearted.
Bill’s not going to make too many friends at the Senior Center with that attitude. And we did just pass 0.1% = 330,000 (0.1% of 330M) recently. According to my internet, we’re approaching 340K. It’s a tough virus on the old/health compromised, to be sure. There didn’t used to be so many elderly/health compromised people in the past pandemics, because was rare anyone lived that long, and we manage to keep people alive nowadays that even a generation ago would not have made it.
But, this is a travel to Hawaii blog; not a public policy blog. The only question is whether some balance of travel/economic life is possible while trying to shield vulnerable people from the virus. Should not have to be all or nothing either way, although some people (Bill C) would go all one way, and others (maybe Kauai Doug?) would go all the other. Reality is that it continues to spread in populated areas. Mask mandates don’t seem to matter. It’s not a Red state Blue state thing, as badly as some people want it to be.
I agree, I think Bill needs to steer clear of the senior center, that’s for sure! I also agree that this isn’t a public policy blog, however, public policy does have an effect on travel to Hawaii. Finally, while I wish that the public policy response to the pandemic had never been politicized, it was and continues to be. The divide between Democrats and Republicans in regards to mask-wearing, for example, shows this quite clearly. Again, this is an important factor in regards to this blog and travel in general since it’s been shown that mask-wearing is the best way to prevent the spread of the virus, and yet there’s a significant part of our population who just doesn’t believe in it. This forces those who are trying to address the pandemic in our governments to utilize other, more economically devastating measures such as lockdowns and travel bans. Take a look at this article for more details: pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/10/29/both-republicans-and-democrats-cite-masks-as-a-negative-effect-of-covid-19-but-for-very-different-reasons/
“On the other hand, nearly one-in-five of all respondents who mentioned the word “mask” (18%) specifically called masks unnecessary, ineffective, oppressive or unfair; stated that they refuse to wear masks; expressed skepticism about the COVID-19 pandemic in general; or expressed a belief that the pandemic is being used to manipulate Americans for political gain.
These responses were far more common from Republicans: 27% of all mask mentions by Republicans expressed such views, compared with just 3% among Democrats who brought up masks. Looked at another way, Republicans accounted for 92% of those expressing skepticism or opposition to masks.”
So how do we fix this? How do we get the virus under enough control to begin to open back up again? Considering that it will take Months before there is widespread vaccination do we just hunker down and wait?
We make an annual Jan trip to HI, often changing up which islands we visit. 2021 plan: Maui-1 wk & Kauai-2 wks. Plans made in May, hoping things will be better C19-wise. HI institutes the Safe Travel plan—sounds good—a way to go to Hawaii safely. I hear the details, think we better change our plans—cancel Maui and go to Kauai for 3 weeks—then we don’t have to worry about testing when changing islands. Much time on the phone changing flights. I look for approved hotels on Kauai where we can stay while we wait for results if we don’t receive them before we depart. There is no approved list of hotels for Kauai. I found a list compiled by a realty company but when calling Hawaii Tourism, they had nothing. The first place I booked, thankfully sent me an email clearly stating we couldn’t quarantine there if that was necessary. I canceled that booking and reserved at a Hilton. At this point, I feel my bases are covered. But, then, the Governor of Hawaii declares results have to be available before departure. CVS, a trusted partner, says they can’t guarantee pre-departure results so go elsewhere. The final straw was the Governor approving Kauai opting out of the Safe Travel program for an unspecified amount of time. I reluctantly and sadly decided to cancel our trip. We talked about going to Maui instead, but we would still have to have results before we leave & no one can guarantee that will happen. Yes, I suppose we could change our flights until the results are available but then would we risk not being within 72 hours? I’m worn down by all the changes & uncertainties. There are too many restrictions. If you can’t produce your negative results you can’t rent a car & you can’t stay in a short term rental & there’s the question of how to get food & you have to spend two weeks in a hotel room. I give up. We will look for somewhere else to go. Hopefully we will be back in January 2022. Hopefully, Hawaii will be able to ride this out and not lose more lives & businesses.
We’ve been visiting Kauaʻi for many years from our home in Canada, and will do so again, but not this year. Once a vaccination is available we will, once vaccinated, be back. In the meantime, we are ordering favorite items such as paʻakai (sea salt) via mail from vendors on the island in an attempt to help the economy, although the crazy postal charges mean that we have reluctantly declined several sellers charges recently. Aloha a hui hou.
We canceled our Ohau trip scheduled for the end of December based on the fear of doing everything in compliance with Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program and still having to quarantine for part or all of our vacation. All the changes are confusing and create too much uncertainty. Hope to visit one day post Covid19.
Im intending to travel to Maui the end of the month. At the moment Kaiser (I’m a member) is running behind on test results. There is a chance I will not have my results back by my departure from Oakland. I’m a little hesitant to travel given the possibility of a quarantine.
For the cost and risk of possibly ending up spending an entire vacation stuck in a hotel room, and being treated like a convict, I will be looking for other places in Polynesian to vacation rather than support Hawaii’s fear mongering lefty politicians.
Mahalo! Try American Samoa.
Flew in this Monday afternoon 12/7 from SEA to HNL using Hawaiian Airlines preferred partner US Biotek (aka AnyLab Test Now in Redmond) for $90 since it was cheaper than $119 Vault price and I didn’t want to hassle with the UPS drop off process. Process went smoothly. Showed up 15 minutes early for a Friday 1:30 appointment; no one else inside small office; was done in less than 15 minutes including filling out the 2 pages of paperwork. Test results came back at 10 pm Friday night (8 hour turn around) into my Inbox which I promptly uploaded the PDF attachment to the Travel website. Flight was probably less than half full so the gang of 15 health screeners was more than adequate to handle the load as it was less than 10 minutes to exit the screening area after what seemed like a 10 minute walk (but really 5) to get to in the first place. Only issue was the screener was unfamiliar with US Biotech as an “approved” test partner so she need to check with her supervisor who said I was good to go. Overall just an additional 15 minute delay to walking over to baggage claim from gate C7. There was also no other C-gate arrivals when we arrived at the gate so everything went smoothly.
Aloha John. Can you let us know if you noticed how long after you uploaded the PDF to the State system (Safe Travels) that the system acknowledged you were good to go? That has been one of the points of failure that has been “vague” as the State would not commit to less than 24 hours even though most have said it was faster. Reason it matters: For those of us from East Coast where every hour will matter (unless they expand to 96 hours) having to account for 24 hours in the State system is a problem.
Mahalo
This is the worst mismanagement by government I have ever witnessed. Why the legislators are sitting on their hands, watching the state go under water is beyond the pale. They have the power to legislate all these rules unconstitutional and unenforceable. After 9 months one can hardly call this a crisis. Covid is here. Let’s deal with it sensibly and stop committing economic suicide. Government has no business destroying the private sector. The Governor and all the mayors have behaved unconscionably! It’s amazing to me how timid most of the islanders are that they don’t push back at this nonsense.
Let’s not blame the local government for the egregious leadership the Trump administration has done to the American people. If the president of the United States had not lied to the people in January 2020 about the virus we wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with. He knew that the virus was deadly and airborne, yet he lied to everyone and said it was a hoax and would “disappear” one day. well, it hasn’t disappeared yet….4.5 millions American are infected and over 250K dead. If All Americans had worn their masks from the beginning instead of acting like spoiled Karens’ and Kens’ we wouldn’t have as many dead or infected people. China doesn’t even have this issue anymore and that’s where it started! Taiwan and New Zealand also got rid of the virus because the citizens of those countries are patriotic and listen to experts that believe in science. So if anyone wants to get angry, get angry at unpatriotic Americans who refuse to wear their mask and spread the virus to their neighbors and loved ones. The local government is trying to keep us safe, but people like you continue to care about Money more than People. And, that’s the difference between local people and mainlanders. We know without a shadow of a doubt that People’s lives are far more important. We can fish, hunt, farm, and stay with our ohana if it gets bad. We will never let harm come to our own -our community. So please stop talking about the private sector and capitalism. Nobody here cares about that. Go back to Maui or California if that’s your value system. Did you see what Kauaiians did to the Superferry? Money is not the priority. Basic needs yes, but never capitalism.
“We can fish, hunt, farm, and stay with our ohana if it gets bad.”
The vast majority of Kauai residents can only hunt and fish at Costco, Safeway, Foodland, or Walmart, and that 4×4 you use to take your dogs hunting requires gasoline and spare parts. You going to hunt down toilet paper?
Cuba got rid of capitalism. They are on an island. Plenty of fishing. they live awesome lives with their ohana. Free healthcare.
Wow. Well, if you feel that way about the people of Hawaii you don’t have to come here. You’re more than welcome to go anywhere else in the world, especially since you think so lowly of the residents here. Obviously you don’t know many local people if you actually believe they can only survive on Costco, Safeway, Foodland, or Walmart. And, I’m not talking about transplants or people who like to say how many years they’ve been on the island. I’m talking native Hawaiians and descendants from the Territory of Hawaii. Just because they go there, doesn’t mean they have to. I guess you’ve never seen the t-shirt, “Kauai – Not for Wimps”. Cubans do sound pretty happy. Aloha ‘oe!
Tutu,
We are all transplants or offspring of transplants. Hawaiians are also offspring of transplants from long ago. Everyone’s ancestors came from somewhere. I also don’t care how long anyone has been here. I know identity politics and divisions right now are all the rage. “I grew here, you flew here” “Don’t forget to go home,” yeah yeah.
Sure, many Hawaiians fish and hunt, and so do many non-Hawaiians. The island has plenty of pig/goat hunters of all racial compositions and ancestral origins. By the way, a young Hawaiian man in Kilauea makes very good (legal to sell) sausage. But, I doubt anyone wants to go back to life as it was in 1778.
Most people in Cuba live lives of desperation and poverty. It is an extremely poor country that has had to feed off other countries to survive since the revolution. The “special” period post USSR and pre-Venezuela was anything but “special” for the people who had to suffer through it. Costco ad Safeway and Walmart and Foodland don’t exist in socialism.
The crazy lockdowns aren’t working, they’re only making it worse and making more people die.
California is a good example.They have the most draconian lockdowns and right now they are the epacenter.
All they are doing is ruining people’s lives, ruining businesses while making politicians, big tech and big box stores rich.
Hello!
We’re supposed to fly out Fri, 12/18 until Jan 2 to the Big Island. I have all of us (2 adults, 3 teens) scheduled for the rapid test at American Family Care. The test will be administered and results given to us on Thur 12/17. Has anyone had luck with this? I’m considering getting a test from Vault and taking that as well. I’m beginning to wish we had not chosen Hawaii. I kept thinking things would improve and even out, versus continue to be so chaotic. Any guidance from folks who have recently been there/done that would be much appreciated.
Thanks so much-
Tammy
We used Vault and it worked out great. However, I think Vault is now advising if you are flying Tuesday or Wednesday, they can’t guarantee you will get your results in time. Something to do with overnighting delivery, I think. We dropped our tests at UPS at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, received our results the following day at 6:30 p.m., plenty of time before our flight. Write “STAT HAWAII” on both your box and the inside pouch.
We have tickets to Maui on United in the last part of January. Does anyone have experience with United sending out test information by email 14 days before the flight? Our nearest approved testing site is 250 lies away. That is nearly impossible for us during the winter weather to get it returned in a timely fashion of 72 hours. Help, please! Thank you!
Hi Jean.
Hopefully someone with UA experience will give us a hand.
Aloha.
That would be great, however, United is not particularly cooperative. We have tried everything to get firm information. It is leaving us totally stressed out. Thanks for your comment!
Jean
Send away for the Vault test. It’s done online. You do it three days before you leave. Write Hawaii Stat on all sides of the envelope and Hawaii stat on all sides of the box. Find the best/fastest UPS store/hub to drop it off.
We did our tests on October 30 at 10:15 AM for a November 2nd 10:00 AM flight. We got our tests back by Saturday night. The key is the UPS store.
We had a wonderful three weeks.
Good luck❤️🌴
JEAN…
Vault is great but only if you are not flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Since UPS doesn’t deliver on Sunday, that is an issue. In addition, Vault has denied us a test because we are on Medicare. Don’t know if that is only our state (NM) but it is worth attempting to order a test (good for two years) just to see if you have that same problem. (Obviously I don’t how old you are!!!)
We lived on Maui in the early 2000s (family there since early 80s) Vacationed in Kauai every 2 years since 2006. We got stuck with a lost vacation tab plus maintenance fees in 2020 ($5k). We liquidated everything we had with Marriott and have written off Hawaii in total. I sure hope the local economy can become more diverse with revenue from something else than tourism. Otherwise, I fear the future will be grim. The Kauai mayor is misguided at best and grasping on to fortune cookie science. Calling tourists covidiots exhibited a lack of emotional intelligence as well. You can choose to be safe and allow local business to thrive simultaneously. I’m sure some will say don’t let the door hit you in the okole. I’m good with that!
Jim K…
You know – and I don’t – what your travel plans are/will be for the future but just FYI…
Marriott owners “bump” every other ownership when looking get on a list to trade to other properties. Marriott Hawaii owners “bump” every other owner, Marriott and otherwise.
If you haven’t consummated that liquidation, you might want to at least consider that fact for future trading potential.
Thank you Barbara. I appreciate the input. All the best to you and yours.
Sorry that happened, we cancelled our trip as well, luckily we were able to get the hotel side back and ended up with 10k in airline vouchers. Needless to say, we won’t be using those for Hawaii until the locals wake up and vote out these jerks they elected. Maybe they should try a different party in the next election and see how that changes things for the better. Oh well, there’s still great Polynesian culture on other islands with a much more inviting attitude towards tourists. French Polynesia will most likely be in our future travel plans, or perhaps Puerto Rico for a change.
Totally agree about the chaotic state of affairs. There is no way to get results back prior to boarding in most cities, which discriminates against people who are not flying in from LA or Seattle. Stuck in quarantine despite a negative result and following the rules.
I was shopping for a Hawaiian trip just this weekend for my wife. Not happening now.
The unfolding collapse of Kauais economy is heartbreaking to see. As the small business bankruptcy and unemployment crisis evolves into the real estate crash, Kauai’s tax revenue will plummet to unsustainable levels. While Covid-19 has challenged leaders everywhere, Kauai’s choices and resulting outcome may be the worst imaginable.
We have plans to go to Kauai Jan 12 thru the Jan 22. This is our second rebooking from a May cancelled trip. I have been waitng a few days to make sure Kauai didn’t change again but looks like we will be cancelling in the next couple of days. Don’t really have a choice. Thanks BOA for keeping us up to date. Much appreciated
Hi Todd.
Thanks. We expect there to be news this week if you care to wait.
Aloha.
To get test results back in 72 hours takes diligence. Be sure to seek out a place that is approved on the Hawaii safe travels. Even though some have exited, new ones have joined too. We went to a really nice urgent care the day before Thanksgiving and had our test. We were told it would go to the lab that evening. Well Friday I was hoping to get results for Saturday flight but lab still didn’t have tests! I was so stressed but the people answered calls and made sure to get it done and by Saturday morning we had our results in hand before travel. And details matter!!!! be careful to make sure e-mail is printed perfectly and name and address match flight reservation etc etc.