Starting April 5, Kauai will rejoin the Hawaii Safe Travels Program. That will end the 10-day quarantine, or 3-night resort bubble, for those who have a negative test within 72 hours of the transpacific flight from an approved partner. Many of you are asking what happens during the process of our rules transitioning. Here is what we are being told to expect.
For those arriving in the gap period.
Let’s say you arrive April 3 or 4 on Kauai and go to a resort bubble or start a 10-day quarantine. It would seem that you could qualify for the new rules on April 5 and be released. That makes sense “if” you already complied with the testing requirement before leaving for Hawaii. We say “if” because Kauai’s current rules do not require that you test at a Trusted Partner before leaving. You still need a test, but it’s up to you where to go. Confusing enough yet? One of our visitors, Eddie, asked, and here’s what the mayor’s office told him:
“Thank you for your email to the Office of the Mayor. Kauai is rejoining the State’s Safe Travels program (hawaiicovid19.com/travel) starting April 5 – where you can take a COVID test from an approved Trusted Testing Partner (hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners) and avoid quarantine if you test negative before landing on Kauai.
If you plan to travel any time before April 5, you will be subject to the rules currently in place. That means if you are a trans-pacific traveler, you can only avoid a 10-day quarantine on Kauai by staying on another island for 3 days first or staying in a Resort Bubble and testing out of quarantine after 3 days. More info on our current rules is stated on our website kauai.gov/covid-19. Further, if you are at any time in quarantine on Kauai, you will not be allowed to stay at a Transient Vacation rental such as an AirBnB or VRBO.”
What happened?
When Kauai opted out of the Hawaii Safe Travels program back in December, it likely did not plan how to reintegrate with the program, which is about to occur. And now it will not be possible for Kauai County to sort out on April 5 who tested at a trusted partner and who did not, among other issues.
Recommendation.
To avoid this complication, we recommend against arriving on Kauai during the gap period if you possibly can.
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Is there anything open? I’d like to eat if I can get there
Hawaii has been failing at the logistics around COVID since the start. For example, why is a pre-travel test required when traveling from Kauai (which has had near-zero COVID from the start) to Maui or Big Island? Certainly restricting travel from Oahu made sense a few months back, but why from Kauai?
The answer is that it’s too difficult for them, with their systems, to screen passengers based on their departure point instead of their arrival point. So they apply the same rules to everyone that arrives in any given place just to make it easier.
Hello, do minors have to have a negative test result before traveling to HI?
Yes, if 5 and over
Hello there.
I’m reading your headline about Alaska airlines but don’t see the info below in your written article. Am I missing it. Wouldn’t be the first time 🤣
Thank you
Melissa
Hi Melissa.
There were two articles published and distributed today. The one you are referring to is this one: https://beatofhawaii.com/alaska-trims-hawaii-flights-as-hawaiian-starts-3-new-routes/.
Aloha.
Good thing I chose NOT to visit Kauai this trip.
Mahalo for staying on top of this. With the constant updates and changing requirements, everything is very confusing. We all want to get back to the islands, but we must respect and protect those who are there. We’re looking at traveling in the near future, as they reopen. It is a frustrating time for all and it will continue to do so until we are “back to normal”. I hope the folks in Kauai get the help they need, it’s been a rough time for that island.
Hi Jon.
Thanks for all your comments. We hope you can return soon.
Aloha.
I can’t believe the stupidity of these so called leaders. They are more interested in destroying the island rather than helping the businesses etc. They need to be thrown out of town and never be allowed on the island again.
The problem I see with counting on one specific date is that the only constant is change.
Today it’s April 5th.
Who knows what it’s going to be next week.
Mahalo guys for your excellent coverage of these constantly changing updates!
Hi Pam.
Thanks. Based on the recent near revolt by Kauai businesses to the current opt-out situation, it seems unlikely that the date will change. But who knows.
Aloha.
Following
We have suffered through the Kauai 3 day quarantine at our Bubble Resort. It wasn’t fun but at least it was Kauai. If we would have had our reservation beginning April 3 we would have kept our arrival for the 3rd. To delay until an April 5th arrival would have been just like a quarantine at home in the snow.
Thanks for the great updates , they really help us keep informed , I think I will enter your travel blog , although it’s not a movie , in the academy awards for best screenplay and best director .
Hi Tim.
LOL. Thanks.
Aloha.
Thank you for all the updates! I planned our trip to Kauai for May in November before they opted out of the safe travel program. I did it because several other trips I planned ended up being cancelled, and at the time Dr. Fauci was saying that everyone will be able to be vaccinated by April. It looks like we will be vaccinated before we go, maybe they will allow those of us who are vaccinated to opt out of testing? One can only hope….
Dear Laura, Hawaii is working on vaccine passport but the official date has yet to be announced. Once the vaccine passport will be official there will not be a requirement for a negative covid test. But for people who don’t want to be vaccinated testing will remain an option for them. I’m planning my life long dream vacation trip to Oahu next year & I’m very excited!!♡♡ I’m a teacher in daycare so I’m vaccinated so I can’t wait for the vaccine passport to be official:)
I can’t quite tell if this is a very complex issue to plan through or that leadership isn’t proactively planning for all the various scenarios that could come along.
…or merely making the health and safety of the residents the primary concern. This seems like the easiest, most cost effective way to change the rules.
My guess is that Kauai did not see it as a priority to solve this question and get the Safe Travels people to handle it well in their systems. The number of people that will arrive pre-April 5 and quarantine until the magic date is miniscule. People will just wait until April 5 anyway.
Mahalo… this is exactly what I was looking for. Just in case, we had moved our arrival from April 4 to April 5. Looks like that was the right choice.
Hi Michael.
Yes, great move!
Aloha.