131 thoughts on “Testing Approved As Hawaii Visitors Demand Essential Information”
Saralee F
True…I understand their reluctance to reopen, but their economy is scraping bottom of barrel. I say test at airport, then give contact info (ph# and where you are staying & how long). If by chance it comes back positive, then quaranteen is a necessity. If negative, let visitors enjoy.
Maybe it would create jobs having peeps tested! And put people back to work. They could run the tests to labs. Or do onsite
Shelli,
Yes, there are many! You can Google Hawaiian Shopping or on whatever items you are looking for. We live in Oregon now, but I wanted to get a few more Hawaiian print face masks for our family, so that’s what I Googled and I found several local vendors. Once you start to look, you’ll be surprised at what you find.
Na Mea Hawai’i is a lovely store in Honolulu that sells beautiful Hawaiian products and books, and they will ship.
Kapaia Stichery in Lihue is one of my favorite stores! I can’t sew a stitch, but they have gorgeous items and the women there are so friendly.
Maui Quilt Shop in Kihei has great Hawaiian items. It’s a small place, but the women are very nice.
If you start looking around, you will find many local places that would probably be glad to have your business. I like to buy from local people myself. Good luck to you!
Shelli G, that’s a good example of spreading Aloha on the mainland, Mahalo Nui Loa!
You get it! All of the safeguards being talked about is simply meant to keep Hawaii the special place it is. We did great throughout this, which is amazing when you consider all the travelers we get from all over the world. Have to give the local government a lot of credit for that and their quick and effective response.
I think some credit has to go to Hawaiian Airlines. They seemed to be involved in the early press conferences
and I’m guessing were instrumental in the decision making process. As Hawaii’s flagship carrier they had a big stake in this deal.
My take anyway….and when we reopen I’m planning on using them and supporting the local jobs they create.
It’s going to be an interesting rebuild, but in my opinion the Hawaii that comes back from this will be a very special place indeed!
Every time I read about what the local politicians are doing to Hawaii with their stringent lockdown over this, I want to laugh. However, I also know the extreme financial burden it lays upon the people of Hawaii and it then makes me sad. However (yes, another flipflop, on a rollercoaster of emotion), I know that the people of Hawaii elected these politicians, so they are reaping the crop they sowed, so I feel indifferent.
I could not help but consider the similarities here to that of the story about Roman Emperor Nero watching his city burn. Since it has been a long time since I read anything on Nero, I started with the trusty google search engine. With it I found an interesting short story about debunking the myth that Nero fiddled while the city burned. However, the story they do relay is strikingly similar to Hawaii’s situation.
Go to history.com, search there for “Nero’s Rome Burns”. The similarities of Hawaii and that recalling of history are striking. It is a short read of only four paragraphs. It is the last paragraph where you can draw the parallels.
So the question begs: Will Hawaii’s politicians be judged in history to be similar to Nero?
Looks like a positive step. Need to get Walgreens and CVS lined up to give the tests. Might make sense for airlines to contract them to give the 20 minute tests from pop ups at the airport. With the reduction in flights, a gate could be turned over to a testing center, What needs to exist is clarity, How long do the tests say current? If I fly to the mainland for a weekend trip do I need two tests or is one valid for a week? Certainly better than 14 day quar antine and enables jobs to return to the islands whilst reducing risk of infection.
Unfortunately there are always those who think life should fit around them and anything that inconveniences them is unacceptable.
Testing should be done on air crews and military (done by the military) as well. No point in testing all the pax if a flight atendant or pilot is carrying infection asymptomatically.
I find this all very Interesting, I work in a Dental Office as a Certified Dental Assistant, We now PRESCREEN our Patients over the Phone,and as they Enter the Office we ask them to WEAR a mask,they are then REQUIRED to rinse with a Medicated MouthWASH,Cleanse their hands with Sanitizer or WASH with Soap and water, lastly WE check their Temperatures before Start Treatment. Our Costs of doing Business have gone Up as Well, Where as a box of S3 masks 50 count was $8.99 prior to this COVID19, Now it is $ 50.00.Saftey People, Common Sense.
So, for me with Travel, I would gladly have a TEST before getting on a Plane.
Aloha. Thanks as always for your information. I thought I would put my 2 cents in here about our situation.
We are very fragile here on Maui. Also Kauai. Our health care system cannot even handle day to day illness (2 months to see a doc for a friend with serious issues.). No flying to Oahu to get care without serious hoop jumping if at all. another friend just had a heart attack. They flew him to Oahu but his wife could not go to help him. he had to fly alone both ways.
Ok so they test people who want to visit. a negative test. Great. What about if they get exposed and become contagious before they fly? whole plane exposed. Not to mention all the false testing, both positive and negative. On Maui 1 sick person came to work at Maui Memorial Hospital. That created 50 known cases of both patients and staff. We don’t even really know who they exposed in the community. Then there is the fact that people are NOT following the quar antine. Some are caught but others are not. It is just a really really delicate balance of economy vs health. We love and need tourists and also have to be very slow and careful. I appreciate that they are opening local community and then maybe inter island first to see how that goes. it is going to be a slow process and I think we all have to surrender to that.
Hawaii of all places knows this issue. Remember Captain Cook……
Yes related medical issues are complicated here, and everywhere. Where there is no visitation, and here where for anything serious air travel is required.
I think it is important to set expectations. Testing is not a panacea. THe silver bullet will come with an effective vac cination and strict rules to make people have it. No use if a large portion of society says it is against their politicis or religion.
As to effectiveness. A test may not show infections only recently acquired and yet to replicate in large numbers. A test will not show infections after the test. A test can give false negatives where vi rus reolication is only starting and false positives from other vir uses.
However 14 day quar antine is only effective for a) those who show symptoms up til 14 days. for some it takes 21 days. Some who are asymptomatic or woth light symptoms could go out after 14 days and still be infectious.
So nothing is absolutely safe. My view would be preflight test 2-3 days before flight, certificate to airline on check in. Test at gate and positives given second test if both positive refused boarding. Quar antine for 3 days and then test at home pack. If negative, call clinic arrange full test and certificate goes to Helaht Department.
Also as they become reliable test for antigens to prove immunity. Currently these are better but still not reliable. In an ideal world, the higher the rate of people who have had this and been cured the better. However those who have had it the worst seem to have the most antibodies, so asymptomatic infections may not deliver sufficient antigens to prevent re-infection.
Summary. Nothing is perfect. Use testing, quarantine and any other means to reduce risk but balance it with giving people jobs and providing the state with the revemue to pay for schools, roads, social welfare, police, fire etc.
What we do not see comments on is the need to be smart. GO to the beach and have fun with your family but repsect others, keep your distance, do not leave potentially infected items behind, be particularly respectful to Kupuna and do not forget this disease can kill Keikei as well and has done.
And the false negatives? Not to mention, if you have a plane of 200 passengers, and it the time it takes to take the test, 15 minutes for results each passenger, it’ll take over 3000 minutes to test one plane of 200 passengers. Then, you have a 15% rate of false negatives. Out of 100 people, you’ll have 15 who are actually infected and walking around, infecting people without a clue.
(A NY University study found as high as a 40% failure rate on the 15 minute Abbott test. They suspended it’s use in their system until further study.)
Also, you cannot force a person to get a test. The idea has been floated that passengers who refuse to test would have to agree with quar antine for 14 days. But we have the 14 day quar antine now for arrivals- that’s not being enforced. (Article in the local news yesterday about a local family returning home and required to do the 14 days. No one ever checked up on them.) All the violators have been caught because locals have reported them- not because the authorities were doing their job, for them.
Most of the ones caught were caught because they posted photos on social media showing what idiots they were. We are not talking about the sharpest tools in the toolbox here.
What states in the U.S. have rapid testing at cvs / walgreens currenty?
In theory I think rapid testing before travel to Hawaii would
work keeping tourists and residents safe however we are probably a minimum of 6 months away from that kind of testing being available in the U.S. I think Hawaii is in big trouble if other tourist destinations allow travel without these stringent requirements and Hawaii doesn’t
soften its stance. Can The Hawaiian economy survive another 6 months with little or no tourism ?
Yay. The threat, that the Hawai’i economy can’t survive without exploitation and neo-colonialism! Gotta get back to mass, uncontrolled tourism- STAT!
In 2008, we got hit bad by the crash. It took 4 years for the economy to start to bounce back. A huge amount of talk about diversifying our economy, more sustainable, less dependent on mass, uncontrolled tourism. Unfortunately, it was just talk.
People really want change here. You read in in local FB pages, you read it in the op-eds. But the government is in a rush to go back to same old, same old.
Going back, because “we can’t survive without tourism! Eek!” will be the end of us. Have you ever heard about being loved to death? That’s what’s happening here- the environment is being loved to death. We need to change the way we do tourism. Eco tourism, agri tourism, more culturally sensitive. We need to control the destination, not tourism controlling the destination. Quality over quantity. We can do it, if there’s enough political will. Nepal has very controlled tourism. They control the amount, they control lodging, tours, activity. They make a lot of money off tourism, on THEIR terms. We need to take a lesson from them.
I would think the airlines want to test before boarding to guarantee safe passage for staff and guests. That should be mandatory regardless of decrease seating density.
I had read that XpresSpa (located in the airports) has now converted over to XpresCheck (they are even advertising jobs) for the sole purpose of giving rapid-result covid-testing. Not sure all the details…but I had read JFK (which has a direct flight to HNL) is the first testing location. I have seen job ads for Atlanta and a few other airports.
Is the 14 day Quar antine till June 30 in affect on the island of Maui as well? I thought I read till May 31 then it would be decided. Just wondering. Thank you so much
I’m wondering how the 14-day quar antine works I live in Washington State and have a vacation home on the Big Island, where I usually go for a month at a time, several times each year. Since there are no longer any nonstop flights from the mainland to Hilo or Kona, is it possible to fly from Seattle to the Big Island and quar antine at my house, or would I need to rent a hotel room in Honolulu for 2 weeks before flying on to Hilo, and then need to quarantine for another 2 weeks at my home in lower Puna?
Also wondering how to get from the airport to my lodging?
Thanks for any information you can provide.
You can go to your endpoint via inter-island flight prior to enter the 14 day period. As far as we know you will not be able to rent a car, so will need to find another way to get to where you are staying. And no shopping trips are permitted either.
Get your testing …. “ Just head to CVS or Walmart says Hawaii State Rep. Gene Ward.” What kind of fantasy land is this guy living in? There are sick people in many parts of the country who struggle to get tests not to mention first responders. This might be the testing situation in Hawaii but it is not like that here in most of the mainland. We won’t even talk about what that would cost.
Hello and Aloha – what do my husband and myself need to fly to Honolulu from Kona round trip for my eye surgery. He is accompanying me. We are only there for three days then back to Kona where we live. Thank you
hearing more and more that inter island may open up soon….food for thought, Hawaiian uses local crews,
SWA inter island is staffed by crews from all over the mainland….SWA also is the only airline that does not require
wearing a mask to board….they are the most lax of all the majors.
I’m actually wondering if that’s the reason inter island hasn’t opened up already, any thoughts out there?
Seems to me they could just require SWA to provide testing for their crews before flying here?
Actually they finally did say that on the 11th but the rest of the story is……..
Southwest Airlines has told flight crews not to stop passengers from boarding if they refuse to wear a mask, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN.
“We will not deny boarding solely based on a Customer’s refusal to wear a face covering,” the memo reads.
This seems to be a more lax policy than some of the other airlines.
The leadership in Hawaii is a joke. As the author has stated many times, tourism is necessary for nearly half the islands’ jobs. Yet nothing is addressed and terrible PR response to tourists is ongoing.
Its Extremely sad for me to see this happen for in 2020 being a former resident of Hawaii I feel that I should expect more from the govt of Hawaii.
My family (6 people) have been booked since right before everything closed down. Travel date to Kona is July 28. $10k is going to evaporate for HI economy in about 3 weeks. And that’s just one family. They really should figure this out.
The situation is Unacceptable in Hawaii. These laws are against the us constitution and Hawaii is a us state and need not take away peoples rights and discriminate against tourists. I expected Hawaii to continue to welcomed tourists and keep thier economy going with distancing and mask recommendations maybe. But it has instead done the wrong thing and become like China or a police state.
Other states have taken very similar measures during the Pan demic. And the US Supreme Court has ruled (1965) that the right to interstate travel is not absolute and can be restricted in times of emergency, quar antine, etc. So the situation in Hawai’i is neither unique nor unconstitutional. And there’s no discrimination against tourist because the quarantine applies to ALL incoming passengers, including returning residents. It’s interesting that so many posters are outraged because their plans were disrupted, rather than because people are out of work. We had to cancel our planned trip of a lifetime for this month; Hawai’i will still be there next year, and God willing so will we. Then we will go.
Dave R,
You and I are on the same wavelength here. Cancelling Hawai’i vacations isn’t fun, but it’s the right thing to do, and without whining. People need to look at the bigger picture.
Malama pono.
I agree. Hawaii is not the only state with a 14 day quar antine. Alaska requires this as well. If I lived on HI, I would want to take a safe approach to re-opening as well.
Let’s be thankful for what we do have and what good health we do enjoy where we are now.
As a travel agent here on a Oahu, working in a industry that has been hit incredibly hard I am providing you a link to try understand that you would only be safe with the testing. Once the normal 30000 people from all over the world begin to come in daily you and your family will be exposed to the vi rus. Hawaii is extremely limited in its capacity to handle this if the numbers began to rise and come close to even half of where many states are. You could not go home, you not have a hospital bed, no ventilator. Be patient. I would love to take my family to Disneyland, but I am not going to be so foolish as to plan that. Safety first. For the gentlemen that keep providing these articles, please read this link. The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Fox News have all tried to educate public on this.
My heart breaks for the businesses of Hawai’i that are suffering, but I understand the need to protect people from getting this horrible vi rus. We have had reservations for our all-family vacation to Kaua’i in the latter half of July, as we have immediate family who live in Anahola, but we were going to stay in Kapa’a. ‘Ohana from Maui and O’ahu were going to come over, too. After much thought and discussion, we all cancelled our vacation out of respect for the people of Kaua’i who are trying to keep their island safe. This is not a normal year and we will go back another time. Hawai’i’s cases are low and we don’t want to accidentally contribute to an increase in the number of sick people.
I think an important factor is when is testing required? If you leave it too late, you may not have results. If you do it too early, a negative person could theoretically test positive. If you are denied refunds if you test positive that is problematic. Also the specificity and sensitivity of current tests are horrible with 30% failure rates in most cases. I’m not sure if this plan has been thought out or if public health officials have been consulted.
I wonder if they have an idea as to how far in advance of travel they will want the test completed. Example, within 30 days of travel , or perhaps having results within 15 days of departure to the islands etc. My family definitely would be open to testing. Any updates you receive, please, continue to share with us!
I find this continued quar antine to be unrealistic, especially if flying from California. We’ve been sheltered at home since 3/19/20. And to require testing which is ludicrous. testing only tells you that you’re negative/positive right now. You could be positive later that day or the next. I’d be more included to have testing prior to flying with safer at home options when landing on the islands.
Hi there, we were scheduled to fly to the Big Island this month as we have done every year for the past 20 years. We postponed until September and I wish they would make a decision soon going forward as we stand to lose our airfare which we booked last October! United is only allowing free cancellations and changes through May at this point. We are retired so that would be a blow.
Counties are being left to make their own decisions, either out of lack of direction from the state, or for their own reasons, including political ones. So for example, the June 30 extension of mandatory isolation date was first called by Kauai, then followed by Honolulu, and only later by the governor.
Aloha – thx so much for keeps us all informed as you have done so well always. All may be well and good perhaps if you are an American, but what about being Canadian. First borders would require to be reopened. However, we fly out of Vancouver to Seattle, Seattle to Lihue and we clear customs prior to boarding in Vancouver. Just adds another huge complication to the mix. A lot of Canadians may have had their last trip to Hawaii for quite some time…and we make up a good %age of dollars spent on lodging, food etc. and we Canadians also tend to stay longer, not going for more than a few days to a week, but for weeks instead. It will be interesting times moving forward.
True…I understand their reluctance to reopen, but their economy is scraping bottom of barrel. I say test at airport, then give contact info (ph# and where you are staying & how long). If by chance it comes back positive, then quaranteen is a necessity. If negative, let visitors enjoy.
Maybe it would create jobs having peeps tested! And put people back to work. They could run the tests to labs. Or do onsite
I am all about testing but who pays for it? How will you get a quick test before leaving?
Are there Hawaiian stores that ship to the mainland that we can purchase from to help them earn some revenue during the travel bans?
Shelli,
Yes, there are many! You can Google Hawaiian Shopping or on whatever items you are looking for. We live in Oregon now, but I wanted to get a few more Hawaiian print face masks for our family, so that’s what I Googled and I found several local vendors. Once you start to look, you’ll be surprised at what you find.
Na Mea Hawai’i is a lovely store in Honolulu that sells beautiful Hawaiian products and books, and they will ship.
Kapaia Stichery in Lihue is one of my favorite stores! I can’t sew a stitch, but they have gorgeous items and the women there are so friendly.
Maui Quilt Shop in Kihei has great Hawaiian items. It’s a small place, but the women are very nice.
If you start looking around, you will find many local places that would probably be glad to have your business. I like to buy from local people myself. Good luck to you!
Shelli G, that’s a good example of spreading Aloha on the mainland, Mahalo Nui Loa!
You get it! All of the safeguards being talked about is simply meant to keep Hawaii the special place it is. We did great throughout this, which is amazing when you consider all the travelers we get from all over the world. Have to give the local government a lot of credit for that and their quick and effective response.
I think some credit has to go to Hawaiian Airlines. They seemed to be involved in the early press conferences
and I’m guessing were instrumental in the decision making process. As Hawaii’s flagship carrier they had a big stake in this deal.
My take anyway….and when we reopen I’m planning on using them and supporting the local jobs they create.
It’s going to be an interesting rebuild, but in my opinion the Hawaii that comes back from this will be a very special place indeed!
Do you think Oahu will be open for overseas visitors in November this year
Every time I read about what the local politicians are doing to Hawaii with their stringent lockdown over this, I want to laugh. However, I also know the extreme financial burden it lays upon the people of Hawaii and it then makes me sad. However (yes, another flipflop, on a rollercoaster of emotion), I know that the people of Hawaii elected these politicians, so they are reaping the crop they sowed, so I feel indifferent.
I could not help but consider the similarities here to that of the story about Roman Emperor Nero watching his city burn. Since it has been a long time since I read anything on Nero, I started with the trusty google search engine. With it I found an interesting short story about debunking the myth that Nero fiddled while the city burned. However, the story they do relay is strikingly similar to Hawaii’s situation.
Go to history.com, search there for “Nero’s Rome Burns”. The similarities of Hawaii and that recalling of history are striking. It is a short read of only four paragraphs. It is the last paragraph where you can draw the parallels.
So the question begs: Will Hawaii’s politicians be judged in history to be similar to Nero?
For us to be tested here in Utah you have to go through a whole questionnaire, and if you have no symptoms they say congratulations! Stay home!
Looks like a positive step. Need to get Walgreens and CVS lined up to give the tests. Might make sense for airlines to contract them to give the 20 minute tests from pop ups at the airport. With the reduction in flights, a gate could be turned over to a testing center, What needs to exist is clarity, How long do the tests say current? If I fly to the mainland for a weekend trip do I need two tests or is one valid for a week? Certainly better than 14 day quar antine and enables jobs to return to the islands whilst reducing risk of infection.
Unfortunately there are always those who think life should fit around them and anything that inconveniences them is unacceptable.
Testing should be done on air crews and military (done by the military) as well. No point in testing all the pax if a flight atendant or pilot is carrying infection asymptomatically.
I find this all very Interesting, I work in a Dental Office as a Certified Dental Assistant, We now PRESCREEN our Patients over the Phone,and as they Enter the Office we ask them to WEAR a mask,they are then REQUIRED to rinse with a Medicated MouthWASH,Cleanse their hands with Sanitizer or WASH with Soap and water, lastly WE check their Temperatures before Start Treatment. Our Costs of doing Business have gone Up as Well, Where as a box of S3 masks 50 count was $8.99 prior to this COVID19, Now it is $ 50.00.Saftey People, Common Sense.
So, for me with Travel, I would gladly have a TEST before getting on a Plane.
Aloha. Thanks as always for your information. I thought I would put my 2 cents in here about our situation.
We are very fragile here on Maui. Also Kauai. Our health care system cannot even handle day to day illness (2 months to see a doc for a friend with serious issues.). No flying to Oahu to get care without serious hoop jumping if at all. another friend just had a heart attack. They flew him to Oahu but his wife could not go to help him. he had to fly alone both ways.
Ok so they test people who want to visit. a negative test. Great. What about if they get exposed and become contagious before they fly? whole plane exposed. Not to mention all the false testing, both positive and negative. On Maui 1 sick person came to work at Maui Memorial Hospital. That created 50 known cases of both patients and staff. We don’t even really know who they exposed in the community. Then there is the fact that people are NOT following the quar antine. Some are caught but others are not. It is just a really really delicate balance of economy vs health. We love and need tourists and also have to be very slow and careful. I appreciate that they are opening local community and then maybe inter island first to see how that goes. it is going to be a slow process and I think we all have to surrender to that.
Hawaii of all places knows this issue. Remember Captain Cook……
Hi Ane.
Yes related medical issues are complicated here, and everywhere. Where there is no visitation, and here where for anything serious air travel is required.
Thanks for all your comments!
Aloha. R/J.
I think it is important to set expectations. Testing is not a panacea. THe silver bullet will come with an effective vac cination and strict rules to make people have it. No use if a large portion of society says it is against their politicis or religion.
As to effectiveness. A test may not show infections only recently acquired and yet to replicate in large numbers. A test will not show infections after the test. A test can give false negatives where vi rus reolication is only starting and false positives from other vir uses.
However 14 day quar antine is only effective for a) those who show symptoms up til 14 days. for some it takes 21 days. Some who are asymptomatic or woth light symptoms could go out after 14 days and still be infectious.
So nothing is absolutely safe. My view would be preflight test 2-3 days before flight, certificate to airline on check in. Test at gate and positives given second test if both positive refused boarding. Quar antine for 3 days and then test at home pack. If negative, call clinic arrange full test and certificate goes to Helaht Department.
Also as they become reliable test for antigens to prove immunity. Currently these are better but still not reliable. In an ideal world, the higher the rate of people who have had this and been cured the better. However those who have had it the worst seem to have the most antibodies, so asymptomatic infections may not deliver sufficient antigens to prevent re-infection.
Summary. Nothing is perfect. Use testing, quarantine and any other means to reduce risk but balance it with giving people jobs and providing the state with the revemue to pay for schools, roads, social welfare, police, fire etc.
What we do not see comments on is the need to be smart. GO to the beach and have fun with your family but repsect others, keep your distance, do not leave potentially infected items behind, be particularly respectful to Kupuna and do not forget this disease can kill Keikei as well and has done.
Maybe Hawaii offers rapid test upon arrival to Hawaii. Cant the results be read in 15 mins?
And the false negatives? Not to mention, if you have a plane of 200 passengers, and it the time it takes to take the test, 15 minutes for results each passenger, it’ll take over 3000 minutes to test one plane of 200 passengers. Then, you have a 15% rate of false negatives. Out of 100 people, you’ll have 15 who are actually infected and walking around, infecting people without a clue.
(A NY University study found as high as a 40% failure rate on the 15 minute Abbott test. They suspended it’s use in their system until further study.)
Also, you cannot force a person to get a test. The idea has been floated that passengers who refuse to test would have to agree with quar antine for 14 days. But we have the 14 day quar antine now for arrivals- that’s not being enforced. (Article in the local news yesterday about a local family returning home and required to do the 14 days. No one ever checked up on them.) All the violators have been caught because locals have reported them- not because the authorities were doing their job, for them.
Most of the ones caught were caught because they posted photos on social media showing what idiots they were. We are not talking about the sharpest tools in the toolbox here.
What states in the U.S. have rapid testing at cvs / walgreens currenty?
In theory I think rapid testing before travel to Hawaii would
work keeping tourists and residents safe however we are probably a minimum of 6 months away from that kind of testing being available in the U.S. I think Hawaii is in big trouble if other tourist destinations allow travel without these stringent requirements and Hawaii doesn’t
soften its stance. Can The Hawaiian economy survive another 6 months with little or no tourism ?
Agree
Yay. The threat, that the Hawai’i economy can’t survive without exploitation and neo-colonialism! Gotta get back to mass, uncontrolled tourism- STAT!
In 2008, we got hit bad by the crash. It took 4 years for the economy to start to bounce back. A huge amount of talk about diversifying our economy, more sustainable, less dependent on mass, uncontrolled tourism. Unfortunately, it was just talk.
People really want change here. You read in in local FB pages, you read it in the op-eds. But the government is in a rush to go back to same old, same old.
Going back, because “we can’t survive without tourism! Eek!” will be the end of us. Have you ever heard about being loved to death? That’s what’s happening here- the environment is being loved to death. We need to change the way we do tourism. Eco tourism, agri tourism, more culturally sensitive. We need to control the destination, not tourism controlling the destination. Quality over quantity. We can do it, if there’s enough political will. Nepal has very controlled tourism. They control the amount, they control lodging, tours, activity. They make a lot of money off tourism, on THEIR terms. We need to take a lesson from them.
I would think the airlines want to test before boarding to guarantee safe passage for staff and guests. That should be mandatory regardless of decrease seating density.
I had read that XpresSpa (located in the airports) has now converted over to XpresCheck (they are even advertising jobs) for the sole purpose of giving rapid-result covid-testing. Not sure all the details…but I had read JFK (which has a direct flight to HNL) is the first testing location. I have seen job ads for Atlanta and a few other airports.
Hello,
Is the 14 day Quar antine till June 30 in affect on the island of Maui as well? I thought I read till May 31 then it would be decided. Just wondering. Thank you so much
Hi Steffani.
It is statewide through June 30.
Aloha.
I’m wondering how the 14-day quar antine works I live in Washington State and have a vacation home on the Big Island, where I usually go for a month at a time, several times each year. Since there are no longer any nonstop flights from the mainland to Hilo or Kona, is it possible to fly from Seattle to the Big Island and quar antine at my house, or would I need to rent a hotel room in Honolulu for 2 weeks before flying on to Hilo, and then need to quarantine for another 2 weeks at my home in lower Puna?
Also wondering how to get from the airport to my lodging?
Thanks for any information you can provide.
Hi Tim.
You can go to your endpoint via inter-island flight prior to enter the 14 day period. As far as we know you will not be able to rent a car, so will need to find another way to get to where you are staying. And no shopping trips are permitted either.
Aloha.
Get your testing …. “ Just head to CVS or Walmart says Hawaii State Rep. Gene Ward.” What kind of fantasy land is this guy living in? There are sick people in many parts of the country who struggle to get tests not to mention first responders. This might be the testing situation in Hawaii but it is not like that here in most of the mainland. We won’t even talk about what that would cost.
I read if you are staying longer then 6 days. They want you to be tested again. That could get really expensive.
Hello and Aloha – what do my husband and myself need to fly to Honolulu from Kona round trip for my eye surgery. He is accompanying me. We are only there for three days then back to Kona where we live. Thank you
Hi Anne.
As indicated, we are hearing that interisland 14 day isolation will end soon. Otherwise it to be impossible as far as we know.
Aloha.
hearing more and more that inter island may open up soon….food for thought, Hawaiian uses local crews,
SWA inter island is staffed by crews from all over the mainland….SWA also is the only airline that does not require
wearing a mask to board….they are the most lax of all the majors.
I’m actually wondering if that’s the reason inter island hasn’t opened up already, any thoughts out there?
Seems to me they could just require SWA to provide testing for their crews before flying here?
As of May 11, 2020, Southwest does require mask/ face covering to fly.
Actually they finally did say that on the 11th but the rest of the story is……..
Southwest Airlines has told flight crews not to stop passengers from boarding if they refuse to wear a mask, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN.
“We will not deny boarding solely based on a Customer’s refusal to wear a face covering,” the memo reads.
This seems to be a more lax policy than some of the other airlines.
Why does Kauai have a 9PM curfew? Do they think the Co vid knows what time it is?
The leadership in Hawaii is a joke. As the author has stated many times, tourism is necessary for nearly half the islands’ jobs. Yet nothing is addressed and terrible PR response to tourists is ongoing.
Its Extremely sad for me to see this happen for in 2020 being a former resident of Hawaii I feel that I should expect more from the govt of Hawaii.
My family (6 people) have been booked since right before everything closed down. Travel date to Kona is July 28. $10k is going to evaporate for HI economy in about 3 weeks. And that’s just one family. They really should figure this out.
The situation is Unacceptable in Hawaii. These laws are against the us constitution and Hawaii is a us state and need not take away peoples rights and discriminate against tourists. I expected Hawaii to continue to welcomed tourists and keep thier economy going with distancing and mask recommendations maybe. But it has instead done the wrong thing and become like China or a police state.
Other states have taken very similar measures during the Pan demic. And the US Supreme Court has ruled (1965) that the right to interstate travel is not absolute and can be restricted in times of emergency, quar antine, etc. So the situation in Hawai’i is neither unique nor unconstitutional. And there’s no discrimination against tourist because the quarantine applies to ALL incoming passengers, including returning residents. It’s interesting that so many posters are outraged because their plans were disrupted, rather than because people are out of work. We had to cancel our planned trip of a lifetime for this month; Hawai’i will still be there next year, and God willing so will we. Then we will go.
Dave R,
You and I are on the same wavelength here. Cancelling Hawai’i vacations isn’t fun, but it’s the right thing to do, and without whining. People need to look at the bigger picture.
Malama pono.
I agree. Hawaii is not the only state with a 14 day quar antine. Alaska requires this as well. If I lived on HI, I would want to take a safe approach to re-opening as well.
Let’s be thankful for what we do have and what good health we do enjoy where we are now.
As a travel agent here on a Oahu, working in a industry that has been hit incredibly hard I am providing you a link to try understand that you would only be safe with the testing. Once the normal 30000 people from all over the world begin to come in daily you and your family will be exposed to the vi rus. Hawaii is extremely limited in its capacity to handle this if the numbers began to rise and come close to even half of where many states are. You could not go home, you not have a hospital bed, no ventilator. Be patient. I would love to take my family to Disneyland, but I am not going to be so foolish as to plan that. Safety first. For the gentlemen that keep providing these articles, please read this link. The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Fox News have all tried to educate public on this.
Yep. Calling to cancel my September trip. Second cancelled trip to Hawaii this year. I’m heading to Aruba. Hawaii can be safe.
My heart breaks for the businesses of Hawai’i that are suffering, but I understand the need to protect people from getting this horrible vi rus. We have had reservations for our all-family vacation to Kaua’i in the latter half of July, as we have immediate family who live in Anahola, but we were going to stay in Kapa’a. ‘Ohana from Maui and O’ahu were going to come over, too. After much thought and discussion, we all cancelled our vacation out of respect for the people of Kaua’i who are trying to keep their island safe. This is not a normal year and we will go back another time. Hawai’i’s cases are low and we don’t want to accidentally contribute to an increase in the number of sick people.
Sounds like you had planned a wonderful reunion. You made the right decision. If only everyone had your wise and compassionate attitude!
Mahalo, Dave.
We will miss seeing our grandchildren, but risking the health of thousands of other people isn’t worth it.
I think an important factor is when is testing required? If you leave it too late, you may not have results. If you do it too early, a negative person could theoretically test positive. If you are denied refunds if you test positive that is problematic. Also the specificity and sensitivity of current tests are horrible with 30% failure rates in most cases. I’m not sure if this plan has been thought out or if public health officials have been consulted.
I wonder if they have an idea as to how far in advance of travel they will want the test completed. Example, within 30 days of travel , or perhaps having results within 15 days of departure to the islands etc. My family definitely would be open to testing. Any updates you receive, please, continue to share with us!
Hi Trina.
We have heard different answers to when testing would need to occur. We’ll update as soon as we know more.
Aloha.
I find this continued quar antine to be unrealistic, especially if flying from California. We’ve been sheltered at home since 3/19/20. And to require testing which is ludicrous. testing only tells you that you’re negative/positive right now. You could be positive later that day or the next. I’d be more included to have testing prior to flying with safer at home options when landing on the islands.
Hi there, we were scheduled to fly to the Big Island this month as we have done every year for the past 20 years. We postponed until September and I wish they would make a decision soon going forward as we stand to lose our airfare which we booked last October! United is only allowing free cancellations and changes through May at this point. We are retired so that would be a blow.
ust head to CVS or Walmart says Hawaii State Rep. Gene Ward.
He envisions passengers will “Go to CVS, go to Walgreens, get your test, give it to the airline, you’re in great shape.”
How far in advance of your flight to Hawaii?
1,2,3 weeks/
Counties are being left to make their own decisions, either out of lack of direction from the state, or for their own reasons, including political ones. So for example, the June 30 extension of mandatory isolation date was first called by Kauai, then followed by Honolulu, and only later by the governor.
Once again – Ige is “leading” from behind.
Aloha – thx so much for keeps us all informed as you have done so well always. All may be well and good perhaps if you are an American, but what about being Canadian. First borders would require to be reopened. However, we fly out of Vancouver to Seattle, Seattle to Lihue and we clear customs prior to boarding in Vancouver. Just adds another huge complication to the mix. A lot of Canadians may have had their last trip to Hawaii for quite some time…and we make up a good %age of dollars spent on lodging, food etc. and we Canadians also tend to stay longer, not going for more than a few days to a week, but for weeks instead. It will be interesting times moving forward.
Hi Lyn.
Thanks. Yes that is very troubling both for our Canadian snowbirds and for Hawaii.
Aloha.