In the never-ending Hawaii travel news cycle, here’s’ the latest.
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304 thoughts on “Updated | Kauai Now Proposes 4 Day Quarantine – Will You Bite?”
In the never-ending Hawaii travel news cycle, here’s’ the latest.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
What are Kauai’s plans for visitors with completed vaccines and valid vaccine cards?
I was coming for a month but am opting for Mexico instead. I feel sorry for the owners of rental units, was going to buy one and am sure glad I dodged that bullet. Must be next to impossible to find tenants. No wonder real estate is plummeting there.
Thank you for the information. No, we would not do the 4 day quarantine. With the continued uncertainty, we are canceling our May 2021 trip to Kauai. Will be heading to Jamaica or Mexico. Would love to visit Kauai when things are better. I’ve also heard awful stories about how tourists are treated by locals. I don’t want my first visit to Hawaii tainted with locals telling me to go home. Good luck to this island without tourism dollars. Hoping for a better new year for all of us!
Love Kauai. We come over from Alaska 2 times a year. We will NOT come there and waste precious days under quarantine. Not 10, not 4, not 1.
We just enjoyed a beautiful 10 day trip to Maui. We had not been there in years (because we love Kauai so much). We will have to take our next trip to Maui too unless Kauai’s mayor gets it together and realizes what he is doing. So sad.
Hi Tyson,
The Kauai mayor and his team are keeping the island safe as possible during a pandemic while dealing with the incompetent governor who won’t let him implement more effective and safer incoming travel programs for Kauai. Also, the Kauai county council and the mayor’s previous mayoral challenger are all supportive of him in the efforts. In addition, his policy’s are more in-line with CDC travel recommendations as well as very similar to the plans that the Hawaii legislature’s committee on COVID-19. would like to see implemented. And oh yeah the governors one change to the current safe program that was implemented was adopted based upon a proposal from Kauai’s mayor. So I’d say Kauai’s Mayor has his shit together
Continue to go Maui, Tyson. It’s where Kauaian’s recommends sending our “special friends”. We are sorry Maui folks.
16,995 passengers arrived in Hawaii on Dec. 19, Safe Travels program is working and needs to be reimplemented on Kauai.
I’m not surprised with yet another change? So, this new plan discriminates against residents? How can these resorts be a “Bubble” if a new person is coming in and workers are coming and going every day? It would appear that the bubble would be popped.
If all traveller’s have a negative test before boarding there flight, there is no need for another test.
We’re not travelling to Hawaii till things are normal and if thats never, we’ll find another winter home where were welcome & appreciated.
Hi June B,
You are sorely uneducated about how airborne diseases are spread. A negative test captures a moment in time. Just because you test negative for COVID-19 up to 72 hours before your flight doesn’t mean that you won’t become positive because of exposures prior to take off or in the airport and that is why a second test with a short quarantine or an entire quarantine is needed.
It’s probably for the best you find a new winter home, what makes Hawaii such a special place is how the community takes care of each other and from your above comment, you come across as quite self-centered.
Thank you for asking. Any kind of quarantine is a no go for us.
Schedule and travel to a trusted Safe Travel partner. Then hope that the result is there before the flight. Risky on all counts.
Spend an hour on a shuttle bus,two hours in an airport,6 hours in a plane, then more time in an airport. Again, risky.
Spend time and money on a hotel with over priced food.. foolish. Hope that there are post travel tests available and still test negative.. risky. Timeshare resort is currently closed, hope that they reopen because they have enough travelers. Risky.
Canceling 3 week stay.
We have been booked a two week condo stay in poipu where we stayed previously. Not interested in staying elsewhere for four days first, and probably not interested in being locked in our condo here either. We changed our dates from Jan to early Feb, but will just cancel if things don’t change. We are fine with taking a covid test four (not three) days before we come and retaking a test on the island, but that’s it. Hate to miss out on coming this year:( being careful is smart, fourteen days is a message to stay home
Hawaii, like every other state, has every right to set and enforce any policy they want. Actions have consequences. Unfortunately, tourism is your number one industry, and the current policy, at least on Kauai, has killed it. On the plus side, you have very few cases and only one death on the island, and that’s important. The proposed change is something I’d expect from a politician. It pretends to address a problem, but will accomplish nothing.
Few tourists will come, even with the change. There are no easy answers, and I wish you all luck with whatever course you take. I would encourage you to seek solutions that are not based on politics, but, hey, it’s 2020, so that may be impossible.
I would disagree, there are a lot of visitors on the island judging by the amount of rental cars I see. Went to the north shore yesterday and every third car I passed was a rental. Found out that these are people who actually did the ten day quarantine and stayed because their home state is so infected and have lock downs imposed, so after the quarantine they have much more freedom here. I had both couples I talked to tell me they would have loved a 4 day quarantine!
A poster on another travel site who lives on Maui had this to say:
“Here’s a problem—since Kawakami says they don’t have to use the trusted partners, how many people will land on Oahu first with the WRONG test? Lots, I bet. There aren’t that many nonstops to Kaua’i”
From my understanding currently that would land you in quarantine on Oahu, right?
There always seems to be more questions then answers when there’s a new proposal on the table.
Nice reward for the chosen hotels that write re- election campaign checks while leaving all of us vacation rental property owners to slide further into financial ruin!
Hawaii should have followed Mayor Kawakami’s proposal from the beginning maybe we wouldn’t have this spike. Dr. Green is not an infectious disease specialist…
Agree with you a 100%, Julie. Thanks for dropping much needed truth in this comment section.
I’m so fed up with Lt Gov Dr Green and his sketchy medical advice!
I can’t imagine why someone would submit to such nonsense in order to be in Kauai for a few days. Quarantine for “only” four days, stay in only certain special expensive hotels that you have to scramble to get into, forfeit yor ability to rent your own rental car, sit on pins and needles knowing that the governor or mayor could again on a whim dream up new rules and hoops to jump through. No thanks! I just cancelled my reservation to stay five days at a condo in Kauai yesterday, and changed my destination to Maui. I’m very glad I did. By the way, the mayor of Kauai, the governor of Hawaii, along with any resident of Kauai are free to travel to my home state of Arizona without any restrictions or hoops to jump through. Aloha.
Those new quarantine rules sound great if approved. I believe the reason that Kauai was allowed separate rules from the other islands is just based on its limited ability to accommodate sick people during a Pandemic(9 icu beds/14 ventilators). I walk on Poipu beach daily, & (I don’t know why), but in the last few days, our visitors have increased dramatically!! Maybe everyone’s quarantine is over? Anyway, Mele Kalikimaka to everyone & a Hauoli Makahiki Hou!
“I walk on Poipu beach daily, & (I don’t know why), but in the last few days, our visitors have increased dramatically!!”
We’ve had exactly the opposite up on north shore. We walk the far north shore beach most days (when not raining) from the HCR to the county beach park. About a 1.5 mile stretch of liquid concrete sand, including “Tunnels”. Today, Christmas Eve, and maybe ten people total. Maybe. Plus, one sleeping monk seal. Empty as a pocket. Just like during the flood days.
I hope they gonna approve it cause we are going this coming January and I think we cannot cancelled our reservation in Airbnb so if it’s only 4days we are happy for that and we can stay our rental house in Kauai
By the way, more news. Since the break in over tourism has been great for Kauai (the turtles are returning to Poipu, fish are now abundant at Ke’e, etc) the County Council is looking at that and has passed a preliminary bill authorizing the county Department of Parks and Recreation to initiate a study to potentially institute a county-beach-park parking-fee structure. The fee would charge visitors and not residents in order to address overcrowding at county beach parks. It will be tied to your rental car. I think that you will be seeing more and more of this now that Kauai has seen what over tourism has done to the island, and how the break in visitors has helped the island wildlife to recover from it’s over use.
Thank you so much for your updates…. I have not been able to find anywhere that we could go to a friend’s or family’s home and quarantine? if you could find the answer it would be greatly appreciated thank you..Mary
Hi Mary.
No you cannot. The 4th day out of quarantine is set to apply only to those who have stayed at a quarantine hotel.
Aloha.
If that is the final version of this rule, which has yet to be officially announced, returning residents or PT residents with homes here will not bother to do pre or post travel tests, since does them no good. I have low expectations of Kawakami, but even he – or someone on his staff should be able to figure that out.
Maybe the commenters suggesting the mayor is getting some sort of kick-back from the bubble hotels are on to something??
Not just any quarantine resort. But a “bubble resort”. Banyan harbor in Lihue is an approved quarantine resort but under this proposed guideline is not permitted BC it doesn’t cost a fortune. Must be a bubble.
Aloha, unfortunately you will likely have to pay between $500 and $1000 a night at 1 of only 6 allowed quarantine hotels on the island licked down until you can somehow then make your way to a testing center (I only know if one that is in Poi Pu) to be tested before you can even rent a car on this island.
once you spend your first four to five days completing these tasks, then and only then will you be allowed to move on to your short-term vacation rental for the remainder of your stay.
Unless your stay happens to be for 3 weeks or longer, my guess is you’d be better off traveling to another island along with every single other traveler to Hawaii since it’s obvious that travel to Kauai is not only highly discouraged, but also not very welcome by several locals, as you can see by their comments on this article.
Please don’t forget that the mayor has instructed the military / National Guard to come check on you twice a day. Imagine that…. vacation to Hawaii to be accompanied by 2 daily knocks on your door by 2 guys in uniform with guns.
Kauai is no longer visitor friendly.
Mahalo
“by 2 guys in uniform with guns.”
they don’t carry guns, and are very polite, nice people who do a thankless job.
Agree. Just returned from a visit to Kauai. The uniformed military person knew the road I was on and did a slight grammatical correction on my intake form. Can’t buy that kind of accuracy and care. It’s not purely economics on Kauai, or for Hawaii.
Of course they carry guns. Good grief. I can personally attest to this fact. And come in a Hummer.
No guns and no knocks on the door twice a day. But the plan is ridiculous. The temporary opting out of the Safe Travels was to be temporary; this new ”plan” will not create economic recovery for Kauai. Mayor’s only plan is to ”let me govern, and if I fail, then I will acknowledge it” and Federal bailout dollars. Kawakami you have failed miserably. Time to enter back to Safe Travels and no quarantine. How many businesses have to close?
That should be illegal and if not illegal it is definitely discriminatory to the ones that cannot afford it. The gall for them to even propose it. $$$!! For sure. There are plenty of “ approved” quarantine resorts that do not count as a bubble and do not cost a fortune but these don’t count. You must be inna bubble from the mayors list. Ridiculous. Taking advantage of residents and owners.
I have family I would love to see on Kauai so I could do a 4 day quarantine. I would prefer to be able to stay wherever I wanted for the quarantine though.
The reason for the bubble resorts instead of staying where you want to is for tracking purposes; the bubble resorts have the tracking bracelet system so we can stop having the National Guard check up on you daily. The tracking bracelets are purchased by the bubble resort and track you on the resort property only.
Yeah, I get it. Good and hard!
Didn’t know that. Makes good sense.
I have been to three of the other islands. I thought Kauai would have been my fourth. I had a trip planned to end the year. Of course that got cancelled. I have rescheduled this trip till mid May. I do not wish to quarantine for one day. What’s the point in going. It there is not chances in May. Will eat the cost of the Air BnB. I’m keeping my fingers crossed things will be less restrictive in the future
Who pays for the 4 day stay at the designated hotel? Dont’s think Hawaii will pay!
Also, visitors would probably pay for the covid test, on top of paying for the pretravel covid test!
Guess we’ll be cancelling our 14 day trip!
We understand the concern the Gov. has for Kauai. However, we can’t afford the loss of additional money and time. We save to be able to pay for airfare and cost of our vacation. This is no cost or time effective to us. We visit Hawaii at least every 3 or 4 yrs and stay 2 weeks. We cannot afford the additional time or money, not to say anything for the disconvenience.
🙁
We have to decide on where to go for our summer vacation by January or we lose our flight money from last year on Alaska. We are debating going to Oahu. As much as I love Kauai, I am not ready to quarantine for 4 out of the 7 days we will be there.
Thank you for the update. What about if you want to go to your house? Can you quarantine there for 3 or 4 days? Thanks again, Gary
Hi Gary.
That isn’t what is being proposed, but we’ll have to see how it shakes out.
Aloha.
It’s not worth the money if I am unable to be free to see the island with a mask of course for half of my trip
Thanks. As a former Kauai resident, I counted on my vacation rental for income,as many do. I think verified vacation rentals should be included, in addition to hotels, for the 4-day quarantine.
Hi Andrea D,
If you are willing to install the Resort Bubble monitoring system for your guests at your own cost, you’d likely be able to apply to be a bubble property. That’s how it quarantine resort bubbles work, it’s the ability to ensure compliance with the quarantine at minimal cost to the county.
We have rescheduled our house hunting trip to Kauai twice. As I have explained to my real estate agent (and he agrees with me), it makes no common sense for us to research properties on line while quarantining in a “Covid hotel”. We can and have been doing this from our home – for free. Further, it makes no financial sense to pay for a hotel room in addition to the paid in full rental fee for a legal condo.
So long story story- short answer. No we wouldn’t be open to quarantining especially when other islands seem to have a much more workable solution.
Judi H,
Since you aren’t willing to be subjective to the measures that are working decently to keep Kauai as Covid-19 free/safe as possible…. Maybe don’t buy a house on Kauai and maybe that will help a local family get into a home at more affordable price.
Just a thought 🤷🏻♀️….
I visited Kauai this fall when it reopened. I originally planned on visiting the first part of December, but I felt, based on my following the TGI newspaper I rescheduled my plans for earlier. I have plans to return March 2nd if Kauai opens, but then I have to worry if the plane tickets I bought will start to fly again
There is absolutely no reason to head to Kauai now, or in the foreseeable future. We’ve had a timeshare there for many years and have had to pay enormous yearly fees. We paid for last year and received nothing; no reduction and no use. They are asking for an increase this year and we refuse to pay,,,,, period! No use, no pay.
They mayor is flatly anit-visitor in his actions. No he get’s to pay the price for his actions.
Hi Bruce,
The Mayor isn’t anti visitor, he pro not having community members sick with Covid-19.. As a traveler, both resident and visitor, you are able to travel to Kauai but must follow the current travel restrictions.
Also, don’t blame the Mayor for your Timeshare fees and lack of refunds for usage. Take that up the multi-national corporation who bought timeshare from not the mayor… It ain’t the Mayors fault those companies are greedy
Close it down forever!! Testing is a must. We dont want our island covid problem like the mainland. People say its a cold, 99% recovery rate.. oh well, we still dont want it on da islands. Growing the tourist industry on Kauai was not that big.. All these Hotels that popped up aint owned by the locals. If it closes, we loose our job oh well, we can adjust. like most States on the mainland that don’t have a tourist based economy they make it work, Farming, fishing, hospitals, Assisted living, online economy. and choke more. It won’t happen over night but it’s possible. We are not the problem. we live on a little dot in this entire world yet they all like come here.
Merry 🎄 eve. We are a party of 14 coming in June 2021. We will not get the vaccine. We will not quarantine. We don’t want to wear a mask but will to accommodate others. We will be sad if we are forced to spend our money elsewhere due to the constantly changing rules. Let the businesses open. Let the people be free to make their own decisions. This is America. Land of the Free.
It’s ok. We want to be safe. Please stay in another place and have a wonderful holiday
Go ahead and take your money elsewhere. We don’t need you endangering our kupuna, keiki, and our aina. This mentality is the antithesis of the aloha spirit. Do you see us bringing disease and danger into your home? You’re right we are America now which means we function on a set of rules and laws and if this passes rest assured KPD will be enforcing.
Hi Jessica,
The business on Kauai are open but require you have a mask on for admittance and since Kauai was extremely early and aggressive in implementing the mask restrictions they will likely be around for a long long time. And since, I want you to have the best pandemic vacation possible, I’d suggest not coming to Kauai. Many of the Covid-19 restrictions will still likely be in place and since you are traveling in such a large group the may present many challenges for you. Based upon the information you shared about your personal beliefs, the current pro COVID-19 safety measure climate on Kauai isn’t the best fit for your traveling party. You may be okay on Oahu or one of the other island but I’d suggest Mexico who has not travel restrictions for Mainland US travelers.
Unfortunately our planned vacation next month will be cancelled and we will be going elsewhere. As a seasoned traveler, if I like the new destination more we will likely go there yearly from now on. I feel sad for the businesses, residents and the economy in Kauai which will likely be devastated by these policies for generations to come!
No thanks. Already cancelled Kauai trips twice. Will be going to Maui in February.
We had been really excited to return to the beautiful island of Kauai. We rescheduled our 10 day trip from Oct 2020 to Feb 2021. We are going to have cancel our Feb plans and will plan to go somewhere else. Is this really what the people of Kauai want or is the mayor just continuing to play games in hopes to gain some kind of political advantage? Either way, it’s pretty clear Kauai doesn’t want visitors so we will not go where we aren’t welcomed.
this is what we want, we support our Mayor.
Thank you malia but that is willfully ignorant
Kauai strong.
Kauai healthy.
We will grow and expand our economic base beyond the unsustainable tourism.
Mele Kalikimaka!
We have rescheduled our trip three times now. I don’t want to spend 3, 4 or 14 days in quarantine, hang around people not wearing masks, and/or putting anyone at risk. I love Kaua’i and I’m willing to wait. Now scheduled for 17 days in September. Hope to keep that one. I love the people of Kaua’i. Keep safe all. Cindy
Mahalo for you caring and kind Aunderstanding!
We look forward to visitors like you.
Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka!
With healthcare workers, and the most at risk (elderly) vaccinated within the next 30 days, covid truly becomes similar to the flu in severity for the rest of the population. At that point, a reasonable approach would be a proof of a negative test. Beyond that will not based on data or science. Ive rebooked my Kauai trip once. I’m close to canceling completely (and forever) because of the changing and confusing policies. I love Kauai, but I want to go where I feel welcome. If anything, the sentiment in Kauai seems hostile to tourists.
No thanks. I will not spend thousands of dollars to quarantine even one day.
Aloha.
We own in Kauai and will not return until we can go directly to our home. Owners should not be subject to quarantine in a resort bubble.
You can quarantine in your own home… I’m doing it right now and have already done it several times! I don’t understand why Kauai can’t do a test on arrival like the Big Island and Maui!
Aloha Jason, I assume you are doing the ten days soft time because Kauai is not participating in the Safe Travels program. The current discussion is regarding a rumored proposed change to said program that would only apply to Kauai county. There is always the 10 days at home, which requires no tests, pre or post travel. The alleged proposal is that you can avoid the full ten days by doing pre/post tests, and the question is whether the 3-4 day post arrival quarantine until the post test (“on the 4th day”) can be served at home, just like the 10 days can be served at home.
Hi David B of many names.
Thanks again for almost 200 comments! The answer to your question, which we received from the County today, is no. Residents will be subject to a 10 day quarantine. That is, we presume unless residents would like to first have a stay at one of the quarantine hotels.
Aloha.
“The answer to your question, which we received from the County today, is no. Residents will be subject to a 10 day quarantine.”
I’d say that’s mighty unfair to residents, and will result in few if any returning residents bothering to do any pre or post travel testing. But, Kawakami knows this, and so is part of his intention. This too will no doubt change. Maybe when the Cadaver-In-Chief takes over Jan 17, there were be a nationwide moratorium on air travel, or some sort of federal level testing-vaccine requirements that moot this Hawaii stuff. We’ll see.
By the way, we had dinner at Kalypso yesterday. They actually had a pretty good (approaching full) crowd at 6 pm. Some were tourists who got in before Dec 2, and decided to hang out indefinitely, but also plenty of locals. Nui was closed, so that helped. The North Shore Grill looked empty from the parking lot. The only other open place was the Gourmet, but looked pretty empty from out front. (Maybe Dolphin opened, IDK we didn’t get that far down the road).
We were joking with the Kalypso bartender that restaurants on Kauai are playing Highlander. As each one closes, the remaining ones get stronger. But, ultimately, there can only be one.
Bistro in Kilauea has their prime rib special tonight for Xmas eve. It will be packed. Matt’s strategy of keeping tourists <2 weeks has paid off, since he created a lot of locals loyalty, and now there aren't any tourists <2 weeks, so everyone can attend.
Sorry for so many comments. I need a new hobby.
Which is so wrong. If your infected at a bubble you are still infected. You are dealing with waitstaff that go home on a daily basis. Go to Walmart. Go to Costco. Have family gatherings. Tourists as a group are shall family’s mostly. Keeping to them selves. Hiking beaching touring. Not spreading COVID. Safer at. TVR them a resort. At a bubble they can catch COVID from anyone. This is a last ditch effort from the mayor to make $$. On and for the bubble high end resorts.
Having already canceled a vacation to Kauai due to the changing requirements, I’m done with relying on the Mayor to make consistant decisions. Even with the new airline rules, you only get a voucher, so you’re out of the money. Having visited Kauai for the last twenty years on a yearly basis I’m staying away until the musical chairs stop. Hopefully the Mayor hasn’t killed the Islands economy by then
No testing! No quarantine! No vaccines! You are destroying your state with communist like rules.
Nope. Not even 3 hours. Never would I agree to a quarantine of “any” kind. Go ahead a ruin your economy and keep the island to yourselves. I’ve wondered about those new housing developments in Poipu we visited this past March. Guess they are at a standstill too? Carry on and keep being afraid of a virus that has a 99%+ recovery rate..even before a vaccine! Not only No but hell No to a quarantine.
You know what’s funny? The common theme in this comment section is “no, thanks I’ll take my thousands elsewhere!” It’s not like your money directly helps the local economy anyways. This isn’t Alaska where there’s a tourism tax that goes back to pave our roads or funds our schools. The tourism tax that you pay at your resorts you all stay at go to…*DING DING DING* you guessed it right! Your local friendly neighborhood corporation. Most of which employ transplants anyways (besides the people the shove in front to say aloha to you). So before you think you are helping our economy when you go to Safeway [or insert corporation here] think again.
There are 9 ICU beds and three ventilators.
Aloha NT,
Please note that not all condo rentals are big corporations. My property employs 9 full time locals and we hire all local contractors to do work on the property. We purchase all of our supplies locally. Larger amounts of TAT and GE taxes are collected and go to the State to fund the schools, roads, etc. So, not all tourist dollars go to corporations off island. Mele Kalikimaka.
Scott,
That is wonderful to hear. I hope that folks traveling to our island are able to find and stay at your local condominiums.
Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou
While not the topic of this article, the bigger problem for those of us who live in the Mid-West or East Coast is the 72 hour limit on pre travel testing. When you add the time difference and the need to change flights on the West Coast 72 hours is impossible to make.
Exactly. Well said. I agree 100%.
Our extended family of 10 has reservations for May 2021 in Maui.
Probably will cancel unless proof of vaccine is accepted. Not gonna take a chance of the test results coming back in 72 hours. We live in Illinois and connect on the west coast.