Don’t plan to leave for Hawaii until you are aware of this.
129 thoughts on “Important Changes to Hawaii Quarantine Rules Amid Political Infighting”
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Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel Tips » Important Changes to Hawaii Quarantine Rules Amid Political Infighting
No worries we won’t be coming with all your lunacy
Thank you Beat of Hawaii for always keeping us updated. I was on the state website yesterday and of course they haven’t updated it based on these new rules even though people have flights for next week and have tests already lined up (with partners that may not turnaround the results in time!). My son is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday (the day after the rule changes) and I am now fearful he won’t get his results back. We are using Vault but since UPS doesn’t ship on Sundays, we only have 24 hours to get the results back in time. I’ve used Vault in the past and their turnaround was quick. But I think they are overwhelmed right now. I waited an hour for my zoom appt yesterday (last time there was no wait). I also need to fix a registration issue and they will not respond to calls and emails (it’s been 5 days!). My daughter has an appointment today with AFC and they called to tell us they ran out of tests! So if you’re traveling soon, you may need a backup plan based on the new changes. It will be really difficult with the increased demand to get your results back in time. BUT Kauai is great and everyone has been very nice and friendly as long as you wear your mask and respect the island! I was there in Oct and did not feel any negativity from locals.
Hi Macie.
Thanks. Yes, it is challenging given the problem with testing availability. This is the first time someone has mentioned a Zoom appt. delay.
Aloha.
We did 3 tests yesterday with Zoom. One person waited 10 minutes, one person waited 30 and one person waited 60 minutes. Just a heads up that you will want to allow extra time to drive the test to UPS before they close!
Ok, it’s early, and morning cup hasn’t yet kicked-in, so please feel free to correct me if my ‘rithmetic is flawed. Isn’t 16 out of 10,000 = .16%. If yes, is that not equivalent to an “acceptability” rate of 99.84?
I suppose we’re all entitled to our own definition of a Perfect World….
I have no problem with this policy – if, and only if, the “trusted testing partners” can guarantee your test results in a timely fashion. Can you imagine taking several flights to get to the west coast (as we have to do from the majority of locations in the country) and then not have your results before boarding your flight over the ocean? Now what? It’s too late to change any types of reservations you have (hotel, time share, car rental, etc.) much less jump through hoops to even think about what would be needed to do regarding airline reservations! In theory, I believe this new rule is a step in the right direction – but the State of Hawaii needs to exert some pressure on their “trusted partners” to fulfill their obligation to their customers (the travelers)!
Politicians can do whatever they want. The virus will do what the virus wants to do. The virus doesn’t listen to politicians or read tweets. Only a vaccine can stop it.
We have been visiting Maui for 30 years and are kind and respectful. We live in Montana where we also rely on the tourist industry. We need the visitors but sometimes we wish they weren’t here. So we understand their desire to protect their people and environment. Stay healthy. Aloha
I have no issue with individuals having their test results prior to arrival in Hawaii but the trusted partners need to improve their performance. CVS and Walgreens can not be counted on to provide test results in 72 hours and they need to be either removed from the list or improve their performance. Unfortunately they are some of the few partners which do not charge for the test. This will ultimately increase the price of a trip to Hawaii and be a further disincentive to travel to the islands.
“CVS and Walgreens can not be counted on to provide test results in 72 hours and they need to be either removed from the list or improve their performance. Unfortunately they are some of the few partners which do not charge for the test.”
Get what you pay for??
And do be careful with CVS and Walgreens. When you attempt to schedule an appointment, you may get “time unavailable” over and over. I finally did some “in the car visiting CVS and Walgreens” research only to find that the “time unavailable” actually meant they don’t test in my state! We had been in another state recently and had occassion to see what a CVS test facility looked like (signage, etc) and sure enough, none of our CVS locations had that facility! For us, they are the only “Trusted Partners” that don’t require mail in testing! (And BTW – even though Vault was our choice, when we attempted to order a kit we found out that they aren’t licensed to test in our state – so try to order a kit just to make sure they test in yours!)
Vault says they are licensed in every state.
This is precisely why we cancelled our annual Feb. trip to the Big Island. Twice in the same week the rules have changed. There are no guarantees that test results will be returned in time especially since testing facilities are bound to be extremely busy due to the recent increase in cases on the mainland. Add in an unhealthy dose of political posturing and the level of uncertainty increases well beyond what we are willing to risk. What a great way to kill remaining tourism based businesses.
94% of people have been able to get their tests in time. I had no issue scheduling an appt 3days before my Dec flight. People just have to be organized. It is frustating so if people don’t want to worry about all the extra rules than they will cancel.
If the State of Hawaii taught us anything, It’s what not to do.
Aloha! Does anyone know if the trusted partner testing sites will test children under 12? Or is it only adults that must be tested for Covid prior to flying?
Mahalo!
Hi Jen.
Tests are needed for ages 5 and above. Many partners test children.
Aloha.
As the other person stated, 5yrs and above and it depends on the trusted partner. They state in their description who they will test. Most will, but make sure you check becuase there are some that won’t test under 12 without illness cause.