Hawaii Governor and Lt. Governor spar about when Safe Travels can be modified to eliminate Covid testing.
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Hawaii Governor and Lt. Governor spar about when Safe Travels can be modified to eliminate Covid testing.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
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Let me just say, we are on a flight now from SFO to Honolulu. There are still people who don’t know about the safe travels program and are confused I tried to help them out. I’ve been traveling a lot during the pandemic and the state of Hawaii has changed their minds continually. The fact that Ige is blaming this on Dr. Green shows just how immature he is. He’s a control freak and I doubt he’ll let go of that power. We are not in a “State of emergency” and that should be removed immediately!
Sure was nice being in Nevada and Florida without having a mask on!
well let me just say for me there was NO confusion because I called hawaiian airlines, I called the safe travels people I even called the air port to be sure what we needed. If people really investigate and dont just rely on someone else doing their research for them its really not that hard. And well worth the effort I must say
I can only imagine these same people traveling over seas. Questions do i really need a passport? LOL
Paul,
Just how many hours did your phone calls take??? Many people have had NO luck with the States phone contact, and Hawaiian air, we’ve been on hold from 2 – 41/2 hours. If the rules quit changing, people wouldn’t get confused.
well I did spend an hour trying to get ahold of Hawaiian air. Then I realized they had a text option. I was able to completely rebook my trip in about 15 minutes.
Safe Travels I waited and called right after they opened. I was the first call they took. They emailed me all the instructions I needed.
I have heard all the horror stories maybe I was just lucky. Of course right now they could be totally overwhelmed
Paul,
Thanks for your truthful reply. Having to call 3 different places takes time and the fact that you had to be the first caller to get through makes sense with other peoples experience. My bets are on the governor continuing to move the goal posts like he has been doing. His indecisiveness is ridiculous in my view.
James B –
Florida has administered 84% of the 24.6 million doses distributed.
Hawaii has administered 86% of the 1.9 million doses distributed.
Oregon has administered 79% of the 5.6 million doses administered.
83.2% of people 65+ in Florida are fully vaccinated.
88.2% of people 65+ in Hawaii are fully vaccinated.
87.7% of people 65+ in Oregon are fully vaccinated.
46.8% of people 18 – 64 in Florida are fully vaccinated.
54.9% of people 18 – 64 in Hawaii are fully vaccinated.
57.7% of people 18 – 64 in Oregon are fully vaccinated.
These are figures from the Mayo Clinic compiled from CDC data.
This is simple, the information is out there for people to get from the source, i.e. Safe Travels. Getting the vaccine isn’t just about keeping you safe, it’s about keeping others, who perhaps can’t get the vaccine safe. Take a look at what happened in Florida. The unvaccinated were hospitalized and some died, the vaccinated were fine. this should be a lesson for anyone who thinks that they don’t need to get vaccinated.
cnn.com/2021/06/22/us/florida-manatee-county-coronavirus-outbreak/index.html
You are completely delusional! Not all unvaccinated people end up in the hospital. I am from Florida and many people I know are not vaccinated and none of my co-workers, friends, family or acquaintances are ill or ended up in the hospital. You should do more research before printing things that you know nothing about.
You are correct. Being unvaccinated does not mean you will end up in the hospital. My sister and brother-in-law are currently recovering from Covid-19 and they are unvaccinated. They never went to the doctor, much less hospitalized. Getting Covid-19 is not a death sentence for the vast majority of people.
However, of the more than 800 people currently hospitalized in my state (NOT Florida), 99% are unvaccinated.
Aloha.
Aloha! Ah, Florida — God’s Waiting Room. Just because YOU OR I don’t personally know someone who is ill or has died from Covid doesn’t mean it’s not deadly (as families of 600k people in the US can attest). I’d stay clear of anyone not vaccinated at this point. Please.
Mary, why would you need to stay clear of unvaccinated people if you are indeed vaccinated? Makes no sense! Isn’t that the reason approximately half the population got vaccinated; to protect themselves? To protect those who can’t get vaccinated due to special circumstances? To lessen their chances of being hospitalized? Hmmmm
Aloha Lisa. Please understand that vaccines do not protect 100%. You can still get covid from those unvaccinated petri dishes. In fact, for the J&J vaccine (which I had), the overall efficacy rate is 66% for mild-to-moderate Covid, and 76% for severe Covid, and 100% for hospitalization. I’ve had Covid and it was brutal. I do not want it again. So, please, if you are not vaccinated, do humanity a favor and get it.
Mary, did you just say, “Do humanity a favor and get it?” When a physician tells a person like myself that the risks are too high and the experimental vaccine could kill me, I listen. Not to you, but to all of my team of physicians. I am more apt to recover from COVID-19 than from the vaccine. I will take that chance. You do not walk in my shoes. I am not being inconsiderate of humanity but am putting my health and my family’s wishes first. Shame on you!
My Travel agent lives in Fl. We were talking yesterday about travel, deSantis’ ban on vaccine passports and the cruise industry. I was shocked when she disclosed that her daughter, daughter in law and son in law had all contracted the CV. Her daughter not only lost sense of taste and smell, but that when some sense of smell returned, everything smelled like rotting flesh! First I had ever heard.
Naturally I asked if she had been vaccinated. Amazingly, she said her husband made her. As for vaccinations in general, she was non committal. I left the conversation wondering whether this was the common attitude when their Governor through his actions actually encouraged his constituents to ignore the pandemic and his actions that discouraged vaccination.
The shorter answer to your question is that breakthrough infections are possible. The safer path is to either avoid or practice pandemic behavior around those who choose to put themselves and possibly others at risk.
Funny you should mention Florida where there are outbreaks of COVID among the unvaccinated. Right now, it would appear that nearly everyone who’s getting sick and/or dying is unvaccinated.
newsweek.com/unvaccinated-florida-port-staff-covid-deadly-outbreak-manatee-county-1603462
stop with the insults. It is true not all who get covid get ill and die vaccinated or not. But are you REALLY willing to take that chance? I am personally not. I know a number of people who have had it got better but have long covid. Only one I know fully recovered. Several still after almost a year cant taste or smell properly. I have 8 friends all but one who were healthy no underlying conditions etc that died. So please do try and take this seriously and stop insulting people Notice I did not insult you.
If 600,000 citizens had died on an airline and it kept happening would you jump on a plane? I know I wouldnt
No.1 Everyone in the states that I know isn’t wanting to come 2 Hawaii because of most of it’s shut down(limits on dining & recreational events) to name a few!!! Almost the whole world is opened up but not Hawaii. #WHATAREUREALLYWAITINGON? Places will close that haven’t already so wake up!!!
Have you EVER been to Hawaii? Do you realize its a bunch of islands literally in the middle of the pacific ocean?
uh we were there 6-4 to 14 and a TON of people were there. Now as we left massive amounts of people were arriving. So do continue about having to get vaccinated or tested. I don’t care if you or many who are whining about this NEVER go to Hawaii again.
What’s really going on? Google Earth your location then zoom to Hawaii. Maybe then you would understand WHY. Also the entire world has most certainly NOT opened up.
I still have to use my ticket by the end of this year. I already took the shots so I may fly back home. I’m planning g a November trip. Would like to know your thoughts. Thank you
Hi Joyce.
We are still hopeful that the state will open to vaccinated travelers quite soon. We’ll update you with anything more we learn.
Aloha.
The standard for reopening the state should be tied to the number of available slots at vaccination clinics, not to the percentage of Hawaiian citizens that are vaccinated. If there are a large number of available vaccination slots, that tells me that people are choosing the risk of catching COVID over the risk of getting the vaccine.
Maybe a more reasonable thing to track would be the rate at which Hawaiian citizens are being vaccinated. I would say if the percent increase in vaccinated individuals is less than 1% per week, then it’s time to fully reopen.
Aloha Guys
Nothing whatsoever has changed about Ige’s behaviour in the last year.
We recently vacationed in Oahu for 10 days. The airline kept us fully informed and there were zero issues nor confusion for those who paid attention.
This lt governor is not the governor and is the one in my opinion spreading the confusion in hopes it will get him elected
I have a trip in less than 2 weeks and not once had the airline (Hawaiian) informed us of anything. Any covid rules for travel we have had to rely on Google.
Well then you need to get in touch with Hawaiian air. They let us know where we could be tested (right at the PDX airport) they were in touch via email and text once I set that up. Maybe reach out and tell them you would like the same communication?
Its really not up to them to inform you but they were very helpful to the four of us who went!
Cher do you have the Hawaiian airlines app? If you dont get it. Thats how we were constantly informed of what was going on, where to go to get tested etc. pre clearance as well.
This governor has to go. Only people vaccinated in Hawaii can travel without testing. What about people vaccinated in other states? NO says Ige who apparently doesn’t follow the CDC.
Just follow CDC guidelines and reward those of us who are smart enough to get vaccinated. Your governor is so
uninformed and does not listen to or follow medical personnel.
I am a returning Hawaii resident who has been fully vaccinated. I am visiting my ill mother in Austria where I just needed to show I was fully vaccinated.But because of your follies, I am gonna do quarantine which is absurd but I refuse to pay for a second test just to return to Hawaii bc you won’t accept an international PCR test (which is NAAT)!
I love Hawaii and my husband and I have a home on the Big Island. We plan to retire there next year from California. We have traveled to the islands for the last many years and even quarantined in our home during the pandemic. We have seen the Aloha Spirit change over the course of this whole mess. It saddens me. What I saw was the governor instilling so much fear in the people of Hawaii. When we finally were able to be free of quarantine, we were looked upon with suspicion and distrust. This is not the Hawaii we love so much. It is slowly changing, but it was an unnecessary fear. I am still looking forward to retiring on the beautiful Island of Hawaii. I love the people and the culture. I respect the land and the creatures and will care for it just as I have cared for my desert home. The fear mongering will hopefully end soon.
wow seriously. We were just there. No one looked at us any differently than I would expect. 5/0 was super friendly even to idiots clearly breaking the rules. Want to sell your place? Hit me up.
PS the reason Hawaiis infection rates stayed so low was Governor Iges hard work to manage this virus.
Aloha! As someone here right now (waving to the BOH boys) I could care less if they want to continue testing, just open restaurants to full capacity, hire more people and get rid of the dang masks like CA. Make testing easier. I think those that wanted to be vaccinated did. Thanks BOH.
Hi Joan.
We hope you’re having a fabulous time! Thanks.
Aloha.
Everything you just said!! I am also here now and completely agree, all of these restaurants struggling at limited capacity and ALL of these people here is so ridiculous! You are at full capacity for travelers but not restaurants, it is insane.
Funny while we were there sure there were some lines but we had NO more issue that any busy time getting seated fed and great drinks. The whining continues.
It’s funny that the Lt Gov is concerned about confusion, when he’s the one causing the confusion. I agree with Ige on that point.
The travel rules aren’t hard. If people can’t read or follow basic instructions, that’s on them.
exactly. He is using the virus and governors shut down rules to further his political career. I am betting this lt gov idiot would have opened up way too soon and Hawaii would have been devastated by the virus.
Aloha BOH Bro’s
As I committed on a previous BOH thread it’s going to be difficult to reach 60 percent and 70 percent vaccination rates for the following reasons.
The majority of unvaccinated are healthy under 50’s who feel that they are not at risk of dying from contracting covid, so why get vaccinated?
We hosted our 2 year old grandson’s birthday party last weekend. It was attended by 6 couples with their 2 and 3 year olds. All parents under 40 none vaccinated none planning to get themselves or kids vaccinated.
These are college educated professionals that feel they are more at risk of future unknown complications from getting vaccinated versus contracting covid.
This isn’t just a Hawaii issue it’s an issue that most states are dealing with.
It cuts across political views it was about a 50/50 split of conservative and liberal couples. The one thing they all had was a distrust of government when came to vaccine information.
They scoffed at recent vaccine lottery’s held in our state of California it only re-enforced their distrust of government.
Hi Richard.
Thanks for sharing that. And all of your comments!
Aloha.
Aloha. Unfortunately, Richard’s “justifications list” for not getting the vaccine is exactly why Hawaii will require testing for the foreseeable future. Hosting super-spreader parties is irresponsible.
Here’s what’s going to happen. EVERYONE will eventually get the virus. EVERYONE — either through a vaccine or by contracting Covid. It’s just a matter of time. And ONE of these options is deadly (evidence? 600k dead in US). And the Delta variant is stronger and more aggressive.
Please, everyone, get vaccinated so we can resume travel. Thank you.
I agree on the person you mentioned however MNRA vaccines do NOT have the virus in them. Only JANDj DOES.
I am of the opinion that if you refuse to get vaccinated refuse to vaccinate your kids you should have to sign off on any medical treatment you might receive or need if you do get covid. Funny stuff schools and colleges have many vaccinations you have to get before attending and the covid vaccines will be included. So they can say all they want they wont vax their kids. Also they cannot be that well educated if they do not believe in Science. And just because you are healthy and below any certain age. I know people ranging from early 20s to my age 57 that have gotten it gotten very ill and many of them died. Sad people who think they are so well educated do not believe in Science.
The lottery was to give incentive. Let them Scoff all they want!
Thank you Governor Ige for his attempts to prevent the spread of the virus and holding people accountable. We enjoy traveling to Maui from AZ for our anniversaries. What a beautiful place with beautiful people. We want everyone to be safe so we can continue to enjoy Maui. We plan on celebrating our 31st there in the next week no matter what it takes. Than you!
Aloha!
I love Hawaii and I love the “Beat of Hawaii”. You guys do an amazing job and I very much appreciate you. With regard to Ige, he was not a great governor BEFORE the pandemic so it isn’t surprising that he is back peddling now. I am coming to Hawaii mid-July and I have never seriously thought he would end all the rules. With that being said, I am not confused so much as confounded. Let’s be clear, Ige is NOT concerned about the virus. His decisions are based on control with the virus being an excuse. If he really wanted to help Hawaii he would stop paying people to stay home. Clearly, there are jobs in abundance, but mark my words he will drag that out until the last second. There are a portion of residents that do NOT want visitors and they are very clear about it. I believe Ige is listening to them and trying to slow this process down. I have family there and I’ve seen the struggles. If it were not for the family issue then I would not be going. Hawaii is not as friendly as it used to be nor is it as safe as it used to be. That is a fact and it will not take long before word of mouth gets around and the travel agents start advising against going there. Lets be real, there ARE other places that are just as beautiful as Hawaii. It just breaks my heart that this is happening, but it is. I don’t want to go somewhere that I am not wanted and that message is loud and clear. Anyone reading this that disagrees with me is totally free to their opinion just as I am, but we have to face the truth. The whole state is cloaked in mis-management and corruption. It makes me angry because it doesn’t have to be that way. There is a way to manage the state of Hawaii without inciting fear among the residents and hiding behind a virus to control the outside world. Hawaii needs to find leadership that can stop the corruption, balance the resident/visitor ratio, fix the roads, and clean up the state. Its a hot mess and I fear its at a boiling point.
Hi Amy.
Thank you. We appreciate your comment and all of the prior ones too.
Aloha.
Well said!
Amy,
You realize that Hawaii is currently enjoying levels of visitors that haven’t been seen since before COVID, right? All of this doom and gloom about the imminent demise of Hawaii’s tourist industry has been going on for too long. Sure, times were rough for a while there, that’s because there was a pandemic going on. But now, things are opening up, and tourism to Hawaii is on the rise. As a matter of fact, it seems to have come back faster than the islands are ready for. Note the difficulties in getting a reservation at a restaurant, or getting a rental car, or even a hotel room! Finally, I can’t blame some folks who live in Hawaii for being tired of the crowds, and the rude tourists now that they are back. I get that BOH is aimed at promoting tourism to Hawai, and I think that they have done an admirable job most of the time balancing that with getting information out that help keep people safe. I think that THIS article might be a little slanted, but that’s OK. 🙂
A vaccination is a vaccination. It shouldn’t matter if you got it in Hawaii or another state. Use this as an opportunity to reward those who got vaccinated and let them in with little hassle.
Hawaii was way behind California in offering vaccinations to 70 year olds. Got mine in California. Came home and still wasn’t eligible in Hawaii. Now what? Those shots weren’t good enough? Only going to trust shots given in Hawaii. If that’s the case, set up a system and implement it. Quit screwing around with visitors and locals and end the confusion. Why are we penalizing visitors when new infections seem to be community spread?
I’m in same boat. I got vaccine in CA since Hawaii was taking too long to vaccine those in their 60s.how can a governor not follow the science? When corruption reigns.
I personally can’t wait for the 22 election when Ige can be voted out and Green voted in. In my opinion I don’t see how the current governor could be exercising a more incompetent response to Covid, so I guess we have no where else to go but up. Go Green in 22!
once again you are proving the LT Gov to be totally playing this for his own political gain.
According to your last post, visitors are pouring in. However, there does not seem to be enough staff to work and serve tourism, and there is a severe problem with a shortage of rental cars. Plus, people got used to quiet beaches and less traffic last year. Hmmm I wonder if vaccinations will stay low. I wonder if the Gov. might be wondering if there will be a deluge of tourists if he lifts the covid testing protocol for vaccinated people?
Your comments presents a cogent,reasoned summary. In fact the lack of resources to receive a surge of visitors might prove to be the very threat to future tourism that you detailed.
Yes visitors are pouring in I was just there a week and a half ago. Everywhere we went restaurant’s stores even gift shops fully staffed never heard or saw an issue anywhere we went.
Rental cars was because the industry moved a great deal of the cars off the islands as they were not being rented.
There is already a deluge of of tourists there. Maybe go and find out instead of complaining about what you seem not to know.
Aloha all – while I understand the general concept of “open the state, every other state is open!” We all really need to understand that Hawaii is a group of islands, with few medical facilities to cope with any severe outbreak – of any kind.
We all need to be patient, follow required protocol if we’re going there, and keep the islands as healthy as possible.
Yes, I’m putting my money where my mouth is. I have 2 trips planned, one in September (Maui) and another in February (Maui and Big Island). We’re fully vaccinated but if we need to test prior to going, we’ll test.
We’re not so forgiving on the rental car issue – this really does feel like price gauging –
Tea, you are the type of visitors we love having to visit us. You are aware of our state’s limitations, especially on the neighbor island. I like to read BOH but at times they are like our Lt. Gov. in wanting to open our economy unlike our Gov. who has put a realistic number before doing so. I have begun traveling and have had to do all the steps in returning safely to Hawaii. It does take time and extra expense but it is worth it to keep our community as safe as possible.
Mahalo
So where’s the science proving that it’s x times more dangerous at 57% vs 60%? The original lie er excuse was have to look down bc if we don’t hospitals will be over loaded. The key point igé never got was you nearly single handedly destroyed the hi economy, which Dr. Green restored and wants to stay healthy by having a good summer season with as many tourist that want to come can come.
lovely time to censor BOH. My comment where insightful and did not harm anyone. Only pointing out that Hawaii has lost importance of the one sure way to bring in revenue…Tourism. Guess you don’t like that. Oh wait you are getting paid to encourage travel. Time to lighten up BOH your days as relevant are just as numbered as Ige.
Hi Tony.
We approve all comments manually as time permits. Nothing was censored. Having said that, we take offense to your comment, which was inappropriate.
Aloha.
Well Tony,
Feel free to move on, and find another blog site that provides as close to the amount of pertinent information as Beat of Hawaii produces. If not for them, several thousand people would not have been able to navigate the hot mess Governor Ige (and his government cronies) created, since this entire fiasco begin well over a year ago.
As long as I have known Jeff and Rob they may have their opinions, but they always present a far more fair and objective article/story than any source I have seen…especially compared to those in MSM, who clearly have an agenda.
You should be grateful that they let people like you vent (appropriately), without completely deleting your posts. If it were me, I would have not only kicked your useless comment, but I would have booted and banned you from the site for your inappropriate false claim, and your unnecessarily rude bashing.
If anything, they showed the rest of us (who actually understand their reporting is effective and important), that you proved yourself 100% wrong.
Thank you BoH for sharing your wealth of knowledge and experience, and know that his kind of response does not reflect how I (or frankly the vast majority of readers) feel. Keep doing what you’re doing, knowing that it has and will continue to have a huge impact on those of us who appreciate you as a trustworthy news source.♥️🤍💙🤙
Hi Jim.
You are so very kind! Thank you. We appreciate you and your well over 200 comments to date.
Aloha. R/J
You bet Rob and Jeff. You definitely don’t deserve that kind of inappropriate and inaccurate bashing. Personally, I’m looking forward to the time when we can put this crap behind us, and solely focus again on the travel aspect and the beauty of these islands that people need to see and live for the short time they are here…talk to you soon!
This is really a great source of information. Unfortunately for your economy I won’t be travelling to Hawaii until the State comes to it’s senses regarding fully vaccinated people.
I’m with the Gov. on this one. the one sowing confusion is the Lt. Gov. The Gov was CLEAR as heck, the metric is 60%, period. It’s the Lt. Gov who continues to say things that aren’t the official position of the Gov. It’s pretty simple, testing will continue until that 60% mark is reached. At the current rate of vaccination, that mark will not be reached by July 4th. Anyone who listed to the Lt. Gov is, of course, confused. So my suggestion is to stop listening to anyone BUT the Gov. and just check the Safe Travel’s website and/or call them if in dount. But right now, nothing has changed from what it’s been for MONTHS. It also doesn’t help when BOH says things like “Do keep in mind that Governor Ige was the one who had set July 4 as the target date to eliminate testing for fully vaccinated travelers.” I think that’s confusing to people because it was a TARGET DATE when Hawaii MIGHT reach and WANTS to reach 60%, not a HARD date as the Lt. Gov. wants us all to believe. As I said above, it’s really simple. Nothing changes until they reach 60%, and then they will let us all know. Till then, keep your testing plans, like the article headline says.
This is so ridiculous. I’m traveling on July 6 with my grandson and two friends to our condos in Maui. And now California has a state database with everyone that’s been vaccinated. You can register on the site and get a QR code to prove that you’re vaccinated. Why is that less valid than being vaccinated in the state of Hawaii? This should illuminate the governors concern that people will forge their vaccination card. All of us are fully vaccinated. Why should we need to spend $360 to get tested. In Orange County we only had 19 cases reported today out of almost 3 1/2 million people. Is the governor even looking at the probability of a fully protected traveler infecting a fully protected Hawaiian. I doubt if there’s even one case in Hawaii where somebody that is fully protect has infected somebody that’s also fully protected. If you want to calculate the probability based on the percentage of breakthrough cases, I think you will find that it’s somewhere between 100,000,000 to 1 and 1,000,000,000 to 1. Let’s face it, there is a higher probability that you will get bitten/eaten by a shark in Hawaii then contracting the coronavirus from a fully protected traveler.
Inge needs to open the state fully. Hawaii needs the tourism dollars to support small family run businesses. The tourists are over there in droves but the restaurants are still at partial capacity. A majority of restaurants are outdoors as well but the restaurants are forced to keep some tables closed due to the governors covid rules. Look at the science and don’t limit the residents of Hawaii from making money for their families……
It makes zero logical or scientific sense to require a Covid test on a fully vaccinated person. The only way this makes any sense is economically for the state and its “Trusted Partner Lab” scam.
Let people spend their money in the private/tourism Hawaiian economy and not on an over priced and needless Covid test.
I tend to agree with Ed and also question whether or not Gov. Ige will lift the travel restrictions even if Hawaii reaches 60%.
He is certainly not offering any incentives to people to get vaccinated and get to that necessary 3% either.
The PCR tests are unreliable and can be manipulated depending how many cycles they use. Even the developer of the test said it shouldn’t be used for testing of Covid. It’s a stressor to hopefully get the results in time and it adds to the cost of the trip. Plus, if one member of a family of four has a false positive, the whole family’s trip is ruined. This nonsense needs to stop. People have to stop living in fear, including the Governor. Maybe he is one of those who drives with a mask on in his car with the windows closed. Always a head shaker.
Aloha Kawika.
Please read the comment below. Bash Ige or any pol. I don’t care. But misplaced irritation is not the answer to a deadly pandemic that has killed 600K real American people. Have you checked the visitor numbers lately? It’s like 2020 never happened, and should we follow your lead, visitors will be here with no car, no place to eat and crowded everything
The challenge is that Hawaii is isolated from the rest of the world. It’s easy to open up the mainland as there are cities/states that can take overflow patients. In Hawaii, what would you do? The finally implemented systems and processes that are in place are working spectacularly well. Tourists are arriving in record numbers and cases are way down. A win win in my book. If you had asked me a couple of months back, my story would have been different. Have made two round trips in the last month and it’s been easy/peasy.
Hawaii a leader in unemployment, a good testing plan when it was needed now needs to open up. I have been traveling to Hawaii since it was opened up. Took all the pre tests, arrival tests, log into safe travels and hey got a vaccine. Time for Hawaii to enter into the USA again and open up. Let people travel and get the state back to work and a recovery. I know tourism is a four letter word for many but reality is it does a lot of good along with bringing a few problems. Hawaii is only hurting itself and no one else by not opening up.
Thank you for this update. It sure would be nice if these two politicians would get their stories straight before making announcements. Our family is traveling to Maui on Saturday, and we had hoped to avoid the testing requirement, based on last week’s news.
The Governor sure seems to be moving slowly. I’d like to keep residents in Hawaii safe from infections, but I’d also like to see consistent and accurate news from the state government. Isn’t the Lt. Governor a physician? Shouldn’t the Governor be utilizing his medical expertise in this decision-making process? The dysfunction is very public, and it’s not a good look.
Oh well. We went for testing at Walgreens today, which was easy. We’re fully vaccinated, and we feel great. This confusion just added a little anxiety to our week as we prepare to travel.
I love Hawaii and heartbroken that I have not been there in almost two years. I appreciate the need to be careful on the islands and will wait to visit once everything returns to normal. It is the only way to fully enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. Thank you and please be safe.
With all the reports circulating around the recent changes and speculations being thrown in the mix it can be very confusing. I’m happy to have you guys staying on top of these travel issues for all us!
As a reminder, the vaccination exemption program is allowed and in affect for travelers vaccinated in Hawaii. However, there are issues going on that will not allow you to upload your vaccination card to Safetravels portal. Those people who are eligible and are trying to use this exception are instructed to carry their card with them and will be dealt with at the Hawaii airports upon arrival (per yesterday’s DOH Covid-19 State of Hawaii portal. The airlines aren’t real clear on what’s going on with these issues either as the agents at Hawaiian air in San Jose Ca. told us on Monday to bring our vaccination cards with us and deal with it at HNL this coming Sunday when we arrive. (We were both vaccinated in Honolulu when we were here in March.) See you soon, I hope!
Thanks again for your BOH updates!
Hi Bob.
Thank you. Have a great time. We hope your travels go without a hitch.
Aloha.
And again… another reason I’m still avoiding travel to Hawai’i at all for the foreseeable future. It’s just refreshing flying around the mainland and landing in all these fully opened cities. Life is getting back to normal on the other 49 states.
Travelers need advance notice to order test kits such as Vault health for example. Sometimes the actual flight dates need to be set at times that allow the 72 hour requirement to be satisfied. Therefore it would be better to pick a date certain such as August 1 whereby you can be reasonably sure that the 60 percent requirement will be reached, rather than a last minute change the moment the 60 percent level is met. This will allow travelers to make reasonable plans in advance without worrying about the vaccination rates. Also it is not helpful to keep getting mixed messages from the Governor and lieutenant governor only confusing matters further.
the governor is an idiot. Practically everywhere else in the country is open. Hawaii, like it or not, is dependent on tourism dollars. Travel restrictions need to be lifted otherwise the local economy will continue to suffer.
Completely agree with you Andy! I’m on the Big Island vacationing and it’s residents are scared sheep. They are outside with masks on and they obviously listen to their government here and not and scientific recommendations. I’m from Florida and yes we have a high rate of Covid but travel is booming back home. I guess Hawaii wants the federal government to bail them out and they don’t want their people working. They should just open things up and stop pushing tourists away. They may never get to 70% vaccinated. Not everyone believes they should get the shot!
Tracy Y,
In case you haven’t read the news, Hawaii is currently back to near pre-COVID levels of tourism, and it’s even causing shortages. So please stop with the “it will destroy Hawaii’s economy” stuff. It’s just not true, and personally, I’m tired of hearing it.
At the risk of sounding insensitive, any traveller not following the Safe Travels protocols (ie. pre- travel testing) because “i read that it was ending on july 4th,” does so at their own fault/risk. Any traveller with common sense has been following BOH news and/or other Hawaii news/info sources, so no reason to be uninformed; confused, maybe … but thats another issue …
If the governor thinks visitors are aware of the rules, all he needs to do is read BOH and see the constant stream of questions from people who don’t understand or even know of the rules.
Mahalo BOH!
Hi Ed.
Thanks. Good point. We’ll add that to today’s post.
Aloha.
If travellers dont know the rules, thats not the Gov fault. i just returned from Maui and have been following BOH since Hawaii shut down. Is the Gov and his crew a bunch of circus clowns? YES. but the rules to travel to Hawaii are clear. And, the Safe Travels protocols are not preventing travel to HI. BOH (i think) reported record numbers of incoming travellers these last few weeks … Safe Travels is not stopping folks from travelling to HI.
What’s causing confusion is the Lt. Gov. if he would just stop running for Gov for one second, and let the government of Hawaii speak with one voice, there would be a lot less confusion. Also, if people don’t know by now that they need to be tested before they travel to Hawaii, well, let’s just say that they have had plenty of time to figure it out and I suspect that they just aren’t listening to the right “people”.
Gov Ige should follow the science. Open up the state. Even California is opening. I think he should listen to the medical professionals. Lt Gov Green would be one of them!!!!
The Gov is just trying to protect the people of Hawaii. It’s pretty clear that we are all in a position now where it’s only the unvaccinated that are at risk of serious illness and/or death. Herd immunity is reached when you exceed 60% of the population being vaccinated, so that’s why the Gov set a 60% level before he allows untested people into the state. It’s a reasonable thing that follows the science, not the political rush to open up.
And here we have Ige and the rest, still figuring out how to.implement a vaccine app that will be obsolete by the time it ever becomes usable.
Mayor Kawakami inadvertently said today that ” Kauai has enough tourists, we don’t need anymore. So no need to open before 60 or 70% is achieved.”
That is paraphrasing, but is a true indication of how these mandates are now being used. Tourist count control, not for safety.
I’ve said it many times… Just wait until the foreclosure and renter moratoriums end… count out roughlyb12 months and watch the crap hot the fan out here.
My neighborhood is already looking more like 2011. Nobody watering their grass, weeds everywhere. Community park area is looking more derelict.
Thanks for the update! I’m not sure where confusion would come from, I had understood from the announcement about the July 4th date that it was contingent upon hitting the 60% vaccination threshold.
It’s a shame that the vaccination rate has slowed down so much but unfortunately that seems to be the case throughout most of the U.S. A double shame that this increases the likelihood that mutations proliferate and the danger that this could lead to variants that endanger even those who are vaccinated (and be much more dangerous for those who legitimately can’t get the vaccine.)
Hope that those who are eligible but haven’t yet received the vaccine will do so soon!
Hi Carolyn.
Just to clarify, when Ige announced July 4, it was not in relation to any percentage of vaccination being achieved. Those percentage targets came later.
Aloha.