Travel-related cases rise on Kauai after failed pre-travel testing.
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Home » Blog » Hawaii Travel Tips » Kauai Moves Towards More Restrictions With Many New Active Cases
Guideline on Kauai are all political and unrealistic
Given that three positives resulted after the pre-flight negatives just what is the value or quality of pre-flight testing? Since everybody on the flight was supposed to be negative, then they must have been either false negatives or caught the bug after testing. We do plan to go to the Big Island in February and will certainly do the required testing, but to what end?
My understanding is that there’s no requirement to show negative test results before boarding, so it’s possible not everyone has tested negative before getting on the plane. That fact makes it all a bit pointless.
It still makes no sense to plan a trip to Hawaii. With the uncertainty of the Governor, the Lt Governor, and the island mayors all working without coordination, why risk air fare and hotels for an uncertainty of what can happen next week, let alone next month or two. I will make my plans after June 2021 and see how things are falling into place. But I’m not holding my breath Still have plans for Bahamas in January!
Aloha Beat of Hawaii.
I’m still trying to understand why this mess is still ongoing.
The testing in unreliable, at best, false negatives are off the charts as well as false positives.
The tourism industry is a majority of income for the islands, no matter what people want to believe.
I honestly feel that if the State wants to keep the islands closed, then the State has a responsibility to pay the people exactly what their income was before they were rendered unemployed.
Mahalo again for your hard work!
🌺
Hi Pam.
Thanks. We aren’t qualified to speak to the testing, or what the state has in mind. It all seems like a quickly moving target at the moment.
Aloha.
Funny, the Bahamas also require proof of a pre-travel negative PCR test, just like Hawaii. They also say that “things can change without notice”, etc. So I’m not sure what makes it easier/less risky to plan a trip there vs. Hawaii?
I have heard rumor of all islands aligning their quarantine/testing rules so everyone is following the same system to make things less confusing which would hopefully eliminate Kauai’s tier system. Have you heard anything about that? We have a trip booked for March but if there is a chance of having to quarantine for all of it we are definitely going to switch Islands.
Thanks for the update, my family of 4 are supposed to spend Christmas over there. I know we have to test 72hrs prior to arriving, are we getting tested again when we arrive? If so is it voluntary or mandatory? Thanks
Hi Darrell.
Testing after arrival may change, so we don’t want to give you the wrong information. Stay tuned for that. As far as we know right now, no additional testing requirement.
Aloha.
We are supposed to travel to kauai 12/20-1/4. I have until 11/20 to cancel my accommodations. How likely is it that kauai will move into a tier that will require visitors to quarantine for two weeks?
Me and the kids will have to cancel if we have to spend our entire trip inside our condo. We are prepared to act safely around the island. We are from SF a city that has been doing great with wearing mask and quarantine since April.
Hi Camille.
We can’t say – how can anyone? If you’re asking for a gut call, however, we’ll say you should be fine. But you’ll have to decide what to do for yourself.
Aloha.
I hear ya! 🤞🏽Thanks for keeping us update! 🤙🏽
Hi Camille,
Officials can change the rules anytime they need to, especially if there’s a covid spike. Just be prepared to be under quarantine for 14 days just so the family and kids don’t get disappointed if something changes on the last minute. Or you can always do a staycation and keep your family safe. We are all being advised here not to travel unless it’s absolutely essential.
Thank you for this information. If the second test is voluntary, and not free for visitors, there could be more cases than what are currently being counted.
Hi Lori.
We hear you.
Thanks.
Very sad to hear that three people tested positive after pre-travel negative tests. The most logical assumption is that they caught the virus on the airplane. I was hoping to bring the whole family to Hawaii for Christmas, but it sounds much to dangerous to fly now. Please, do you know if they have to quarantine for 14 days in Hawaii? Or are they forced to return to the mainland immediately? And who is responsible for additional hotel and airfare costs? So sad for Hawaii economy.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Hi Robert.
We must assume they pay their own quarantine expenses. Not sure if they must quarantine 14 days or just until they test negative again. Also, since we understand it can take many more days for the positive test result following exposure, it does not seem appropriate to assume they became positive on the plane. That is, from everything published, not likely at all.
Aloha.
“…three people tested positive after pre-travel negative tests. The most logical assumption is that they caught the virus on the airplane…”
Other possibilities:
– they caught it in the terminals en route, not the plane
– they caught it in the brief time between the test and the flight
– they caught it locally after arrival
– the pre-flight test was not sensitive enough
– the test taken on Kauai was too sensitive (e.g., too great a cycle count)
– the tests were simply different
More basically: how is it they were tested again and found to be positive? Did they present symptoms and go to seek medical attention? Or instead, were they sought out due to contact tracing or whatever? If so, then the questions of how the test was conducted are critical.
These aren’t just abstractions. Before crushing the economy and businesses, clear answers are needed and not just arbitrary counts to be triggers.
Good Morning! Thank you for staying on top of the ever changing covid rules! Can you clarify what constitutes “sports”??? Is this just organized sports or would solo running, swimming, paddling etc. also be restricted in a Tier 3? Aloha and stay well!
Hi Joan.
Great question. On checking, we did not see the answer to that. Perhaps someone else can give us a hand. Thanks.
Aloha.
This seems so fishy. Are the approved COVID tests not accurate? Visitors feel healthy, get a negative test result, and then get there and subsequently test positive?
Some came to the island while their results were pending and unfortunately had a positive. But others did not and were carrying the virus despite the negative test. That is why this virus is so contagious – people don’t know they have it but are able to spread it anyway. And hats off to Kauai for being so much on top of the virus in terms of contact tracing and isolation.
An amazingly insensitive comment. Perhaps best to wish those that do test positive, limited or no symptoms or a quick return to good health and gratitude for catching it before it spreads.
It’s easy, they must have come in contact with the disease sometime after they tested, and before they arrived. For example, let’s say I take my test 3 days before my flight. After I take my test, I go out to a bar, with no mask, and come in contact with someone who’s COVID positive. *bing* now I have it, but it takes a couple of days for symptoms to show up, and *poof* I test positive upon arrival in Hawaii. I’ve pointed out this hole in Hawaii’s plan before. Unless visitors quarantine after they take their pre-arrival test, there is NO guarantee that they don’t come in contact with the virus between when they are tested, and when they arrive in Hawaii.
The test is accurate the day/time you are tested. If you test positive, you should test positive the next day, etc. BUT you can test negative today and positive tomorrow, or the following day. That’s the challenge with this virus – from the time when you are exposed until the time when your body produces a positive test result. There’s no set reaction time. It can take up to 14 days before you test positive, with a median time of 4-5 days from exposure. That’s why I think this “pre-test” concept sounds good in concept, but is not a panacea.