171 thoughts on “Kauai Travel Set to Be Banned Longer?”

  1. This mayor has lost perspective as it relates to the mental anguish of the locals and the frustration of the hotel and restaurant world not to mention virtually all busines. His conclusions have zero merit and frankly I’m surprised he had not created a committee made up of all key elements that make up Kauai’s business sectors, people of Kauai and medical professionals. Its shameful!

    1. Does that mayor knows how to do that, if he cares about his island he’ll donate his paychecks to all the unemployed workers of Kauai.

    2. A very hard year and we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel in October when the 3 day testing program allowed visitors to return. Just when we had organized an all staff meeting to discuss expanding hours, putting on more shifts, bringing more employees back – then the mayor closed us once again. Maui got it right. Maui has our visitors and will continue to do so for a very long time. And perhaps half the residents of Kauai would support a permanent, greatly reduced number of visitors, to about half of previous numbers. Half would not support this at all. Kauai, the divided kingdom.

  2. Totally extreme; ,residents too are being held hostage.
    The other islands followed Safe Travels-why can’t Kauai?I am currently in Honolulu where tourism is slowly returning, I am extremely impressed with both visitors snd residents,the mutual respect. People are moving forward and living their lives,but continue to wear masks and social distance. For me,Kauai is a depressing place right now,and I’ve lived and worked there for almost 40 years
    Thank you

  3. I applaud Mayor Kawakami for articulating clear expectations for travel over the next 60 days. While no doubt difficult news for many businesses, residents, and visitors alike, knowing what to expect for the next two months puts the island in a better position for long-term success. Thanks, mayor, for taking the time to get this right.

    Of course, it’s easy to criticize decisions in hindsight, but Ige and Kawakami rightly prioritize health and safety–erroring on the side of caution as we navigate these uncertain waters.

    1. Wait. Ige and Kawakami are each prioritizing health and safety and erring on the side of caution? You realize each is following a different Covid19 travel strategy, right? Ige: open up with testing. Kawakami: shut it down. Vastly different responses that can’t both equal priortizing health and safety.

      1. I think so. Although requested by Kawakami, opting out of the Safe Travels program required Governor Ige’s approval. With limited medical infrastructure, Kauai’s risks differ significantly from the neighbor islands. Thankfully, both Ige and Kawakami recognized this and prioritized health and safety by enforcing the quarantine ban for all travels. That said, would I rather see Kawakami in the Governor’s office? Hopefully, one day :).

  4. We’ll that ought to put the fork in any remaining business that relies at least in part on tourists as customers.

    No doubt the new Cadaver-In-Chief will impose a nationwide travel ban, so Kawakami is just ahead of the curve.

    Money can just be printed, and China will keep making all our stuff for us, except that pesky food, so no big deal. In fact, the travel ban may become permanent with the much anticipated “Green Leap Forward.”

    1. You obviously dont own a business that is dying or are around family who’s businesses are dying…. the fall out from this and I mean deaths are going to farrrrrrrrr exceed the deaths from this virus……
      Sad sad time for the world right now. Lot of powerful people with no skin in the game making decisions that are devistating lives daily…. good job kauai mayor wow…..

      1. Aloha
        Maybe Kauai needs help
        A field hospital prepared in case of need
        Travel medical staff
        Other small towns and places throughout our nation have created options.
        I appreciate the challenges the leadership has to meet.
        A Christmas wish for all of Kauai is for peace, love and good health.
        Mele Kalikimaka
        Judy

      2. Brandon, completely agree! People dont seem to understand that it isn’t one or the other, lives over money. They are interdependent on all kinds of levels. No money for a business owner, or the employees that are subsequently laid off, is a catalyst to many life threatening issues that aren’t Covid. Food vulnerability, homelessness, mental health issues/stress lead to death too, it just isn’t a flashy headline when it happens. Unemployed workers cant afford cobra benefits and often skip routine doctors visits and try to avoid large medical bills even when sick. This too leads to more deaths. It is very short sighted to think that killing the economy is keeping people safe. The health issues from the “unintended consequences” will be far reaching.

        1. The consequences are not unintended. They are intended. Avoiding the possibility of another old and vulnerable person catching and dying from Covid is considered by Kawakami and his supporters to be worth the consequences.

        2. Yes Amy I think you have good solid points, people need to be allowed to earn enough to live on and tourists are a major consideration to the economy, agree or not it is fact. It is hard to shut down a business and wait it out. I would think in many cases it is just over. So time and restraint has to be thought out seriously and all the consequences need to be looked at closely. A fully open mind and vision is required here.

    2. Please consider the senior citizens that are not able to see their loved ones. People are not meant to be socially distant from each other, they are lonely and depressed. Alot are failing to thrive. I should know, I have not been able to fly and see my 90 year old mom in over a year

  5. Very sad for Kauai and the residents there. I wonder if they really don’t want visitors to ever return. There is a faction of people in Kauai that would like to see that and Covid is their opportunity to achieve that goal. I hope at sometime the people who live on Kauai realize the importance of tourism. It’s a beautiful island that has been and can continue to be shared with rest of the world.

    1. Wake up to reality and stop being so ignorant. Educate yourself and examine how New Zealand succeeded in controlling the virus.

  6. I may be completely missing something, but where does this actually extend the travel ban? Having read the original March 4 proclamation and the subsequent supplementary proclamations, this proclamation (which is identical to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th emergency proclamations) appears to only extend the mayor’s emergency powers, nothing more.

    As a separate issue, are the emergency rules are subject to the same automatic 60 day expiration? I can’t find anything to confirm this, but if it is the case, then the one opting out of the safe-travels program (emergency rule 23) will expire on 1/27/21. Does anyone have better information there?

    Update: A quick call to the Mayor Kawakami’s office confirms that this article is indeed incorrect. The 6th supplemental proclamation only serves to extend the mayor’s emergency powers, and does not have anything to do with opting out of safe travels or the mandatory quarantine. Unfortunately, no information was provided about when Kauai will opt back in to the safe travels program, or even a modified program. It would be nice to have both more information, and clearer information provided by the mayor.

  7. The saddest story in the mainstream news yesterday was the AP story of the poor soul on Kauai who died from Covid-19. The poor gentleman, may he rest in peace, was 84 years old and still working driving an airport shuttle. As an older male he was in the highest risk category. The government should have protected him with self-quarantine and food and income assistance. Instead he was exposed to all the airline employees on the shuttle he drove. It is malpractice of the highest degree to have him work and force young people who have almost no risk stay quarantined. Why is this allowed to happen?

    1. I agree it’s tragic that this gentleman passed. However were you aware that he was battling stage 4 lung cancer and was going through chemotherapy? Not saying that he would have passed if it weren’t for Covid, just presenting some more facts for context…

  8. Glad to see more and more BOH readers are aware of the political causes of this nightmare. As I have stated before, the politicians and government employees are still collecting 100% of their salary and benefits. Why should they collect an additional $600 each? The Biden-Harris plan called Building Back Better is designed to destroy the economy as we know it and put more power in the government and large corporations. The property of out-of-work Hawaiians is being grabbed by Zuckerberg and his friends and only the ultra wealthy will travel and own property. Those who remain on the islands will be virtual servants. Why does the government get to pick winners and losers? This is about much more than a week long vacation.

    1. “Why does the government get to pick winners and losers?”

      A. Because they can.
      B. Because big winners pay for campaigns and other stuff.
      C. Because that’s how you get rich in office.
      D. All of the above.

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