As we indicated Monday, Kauai will now respond to its highest COVID case count ever with additional restrictions. If and how that could impact visitors isn’t completely worked out yet, what we have learned and what may be upcoming are below. Monday, the state reported 11 new cases on Maui as well as seven on Kauai. Kauai now has the highest positivity rate in the state. The county also reported this week that on Kauai, 60% of the population have had at least one vaccination, while on Maui, 51% have.
Maui is also in the midst of implementing mandatory on-arrival 2nd test requirements. Details are below.
Kauai COVID changes are coming.
On Tuesday, Kauai’s mayor said he would roll back to a more restrictive COVID tier 3 starting this Thursday, due to the unprecedented increase in cases recently. The county will require approval from Hawaii’s governor for any changes to go into effect.
The recent cases are related to resident-based spread rather than to visitors. Also, two bars/restaurants and two large gatherings have been mentioned as being at the core of the problem. While the county may not have seen see this specific threat coming, we can tell you that others did.
Kauai tiers have been revamped with state approval now sought.
The island has fine-tuned its COVID tier system to restrict indoor activities rather than outdoor ones. As currently proposed, tier 3 will limit outdoor social gatherings to twenty-five persons. However, the county plans to limit indoor social gatherings to just five people to encourage them to move visits outdoors.
There are currently no hospitalizations on Kauai but it is still limited in terms of medical resources. The county is now trying to get ahead of the problem.
Mayor Kawakami said that it is “Important that the tier restrictions reflect where we are seeing transmission. Therefore, we are revising our tier chart to allow outdoor activities such as sports, while further limiting indoor group sizes. If you must gather with people outside of your home, stay outdoors and wear your mask.”
Restaurants are to limit seating to six persons in a group when indoors, or 25 outdoors.
Kauai Travel is not set to see any further restrictions.
The mayor said that there are no plans to put in place any impediments to visitors since the changes being established are to reduce community spread. So at this point, the only impact on visitors would be related to the new capacity limitations associated with indoor activities.
Maui’s mandatory post-arrival testing starts.
Yesterday, Maui began its no-cost to travelers, post-arrival testing program for those traveling from the mainland in what the county says was a “soft launch.” The formal implementation is expected next week. The county said that “Your rapid test results should be available to you within 15 to 20 minutes.” How that works with multiple flights arriving at the same time isn’t yet clear.
Maui vaccination exemption to post-arrival testing.
Those with proof of being fully vaccinated are exempt from the arrival testing program but must still pre-test within 72 hours of their mainland to Hawaii flight. Upon arrival, proof of vaccination will be confirmed. Proof consists of
“Presenting your original CDC vaccination card or certificate of vaccination downloaded from the CDC’s Vaccination Administration Management System (VAMS).” — Maui County website.
The only other option is the standard 10-day quarantine at the traveler’s expense, as is also required for anyone testing positive.
Maui wants to determine whether visitors are contributing to the recent spike of cases there. Industry stakeholders, however, are worried about it having a deleterious impact on travel.
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If I arrive on Oahu thru United airlines and will be traveling immediately to Maui on a different airline, southwest or Hawaiian what is required? And if I want to travel and stay a few days on the Big island what are their requirements? Do I have to take a pcr test for each island?
Does not sound legit. I receive the Kauai News Paper every day. The. Number of new cases yesterday was 1. And it was community spread. No hospitalizations. This is typical of the daily reports. The problem does not seem to be with travelers. Seems the local population has become lax in their behavior.
Any chance Hawaii will have a simple straight forward consistent unchanging mechanism to enter the state from the mainland by summer 2022? The eight ball says “not a chance.” It also appears that endless Covid restrictions are here to stay indefinitely (see articles on Oregon)…
You must not paying attention to oregon restrictions as they are being lifted and none of the counties went back into the highest lock down.
We don’t require covid tests to enter the state nor quarantines so how your equating oregon with Hawaii’s restrictions is beyond me. We actually shut down way less than most other states.
We are arriving on Kauai in May . We are scheduled for the
Rapid Diagnostic Test (ID NOW): The Rapid Point-of-Care (POC) – NAAT (ID NOW) test also detects genetic material of the virus. The test is performed on site with results available within 24 hours.
From Walgreens. Is this the correct test to get?
Any help would be much appreciated
Hi Paul.
The ID Now test is accepted. To validate answers to any questions directly, however, it is best to inquire with the state’s Safe Travels help desk at 855-599-0888 between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time.
Aloha
And out of north of 600 tests performed… Zero positives from even the less accurate quick test.
Way to start this up as the rest of the country is getting over it. What a waste of money and time.
I hope the gov will announce that people with the covid19 vaccine will be available to avoid the quarantine and testing when traveling from the mainland in June or July i am concerned that the gov hasn’t announced that yet only for inter island travel starting May 11
Do people have to upload their cdc card to the safe travels app or they can just bring it and show at Honolulu airport
Thank
You
I’ve noticed that starting today that Maui now has a rapid test at the airport. They claim an additional five minutes but, I bet it’s much longer.
Aloha Guys
They are flying interisland and not from the mainland. Any infection is interconnected. But mainland travelers now have more chance of catching Covid from residents then residents from travelers.
Since the large increases started only after we took away post testing and quarantine, calling the increases caused by community spread is deceiving. It is spreading through the community only because of infected people flying in to kauai. One thing leads to another.
Residents flying back into Kauai … not visitors. This has been confirmed . So community spread amongst the residents seems to be a pretty accurate statement.
The article says we can download vaccination certificates from the CDC’s VAMS, but we can find no place to register an email address and create a password to enter the system. How do we do this per your article?
I don’t understand. Maui arrivals from the mainland are still requiring visitors to a 72-hour pre-arrival covid-19 test from an approved provider even if they have proof of receiving the covid-19 vaccine?
St John USVI has the same requirement.
The situation was predicted in early 2020 by the Swedish epidemiologist Johan Giesecke:
“You’ve painted yourself into a corner. I’m watching with interest how are you … will climb out of the lockdown, because I don’t think any government that I know gave a minute’s thought about how they would get out of their different lockdowns. … A lockdown might delay severe cases for a while, but once restrictions are eased, cases will reappear. … A lockdown only pushes the severe cases into the future — it will not prevent them.”
We arrived in Maui from Kauai and you shouldn’t have any issues as long as you did your covid testing and loaded up to the safe travels site. There was quite a bit of a line and our flight was barely half full, so I could imagine if it was a full flight the wait would have been quite long. Just remember, to take a pre-travel covid test 72 hours or shorter before flying interisland. I heard they are changing those rules if you are fully vaxed but still TBD on the date. If you don’t take a pre-travel covid test, you will either need to quarenteen or fly to Oahu, get a rapid test and fly back to your island. We were on a flight from Maui to Kauai and there were probably a dozen people who had to do that as they didn’t take their pre-flight covid test 72 hours prior. Crazy times…….
Aloha, I’m not clear on something and hoping someone can clear it up for me. We’re going to Maui in June and understand we need to get a COVID test within 72 hours of our departure from the mainland to Maui. We’re spending seven days on Maui and then flying to Kauai. Do we need to get tested on Maui within 72 hours of our departure from Maui to Kauai or are we covered by the mainland test prior to heading over to Maui? The way I’m reading it on the Kauai website, it appears we need to get tested on Maui before heading to Kauai even though we’re getting tested on the mainland before heading to Maui. Mahalo
Hi Eric.
Yes, as of today’s rules, you need to be tested again within 72 hours of travel to Kauai.
Aloha.
I hope she did not know she was positive at the time she attended the events.
If she did know then she shoe should be arrested. The in jail no bail. Then a long prison sentence.
Aloha and thanks for the good info. I’m going to Maui, 5/13-5/17. We will have our proof of negative test prior to flying, and we will have to have the 2nd test upon arrival, correct? Worst case, if I test positive, do you happen to know if the airlines will allow us to return home? Or what are their rules? 10 days after a test? Any help is appreciated! Just trying to have a backup plan in place.
Hi Kelly.
The Maui County website states that if you test positive you will be required to quarantine at your expense for 10 days.
Aloha.
While we have no problem with Maui’s restrictions and new mandatory testing upon arrival we do want to know how the proof of vaccination will work for visitors arriving from Canada. We are hoping that by our return in November the county of Maui and state of Hawaii will recognize the Canadian proof of vaccination.
I read this newsletter carefully for information and try to follow your tips. Unfortunately I did not realize that the rules for people recovered from covid meant not just uploading your covid test and doctor letter to the Safe Travels site. The Apply for An Exemption link at the bottom of the page at ag.hawaii.gov is for visitors in my situation, not for workers or other cases. I found this out the hard way on Monday when I had to go into quarantine at nearly $700 for 2 nights at the Kauai Beach Resort. The police officer at airport clearance had to get on the phone when I was denied at 3 other options I called. It was a nightmare that had me in tears as I thought I had followed their rules and I have heard it all justified due to the increase in Kauai covid cases since reopening. It was always attributed to visitors, not residents as your newsletter indicates is actually the case. Luckily I got a very fast response and can go on to Princeville this morning. My husband had a negative test so he could get our car and take our friends with him to the resort. There is no room in the rules for any common sense since I have also been fully vaccinated and cannot get or give covid. Hopefully this will all be over soon as I am rethinking my October trip back here.
Thank you – very helpful
I’m glad they are taking extra precautions that doesn’t include bouncing back to leaving the safe travel program. Especially as summer approaches, its important to continue to restrict crowds. Hopefully we all can continue to push forward cautiously.
Why is Hawaii still going backwards rather than learning from past mistakes?
In ww2 they imprisoned japenese citizens there too. And before thet restricted lepers to an island.
The intolerance legacy continues and the aloha facade…
CF, you nailed it!
Aloha BoH! First, mahalo for keeping up with the ever changing information and news – that can’t be easy! My friends and I have our big 2 week trip planned for Feb 2022 (delayed from 2020!) and really look forward to it…
Now that we are fully vaccinated (hooray!) I’m thinking about coming over to Maui in mid-Sept for a week…I miss the islands so very much.
My question, in reviewing airfare from LAX to OGG it’s looking kind of high right now, which surprises me a bit…do you foresee and price wars coming up any time soon? I’d jump on a good fare. Also what are the chances that car rental issues will be smoothed out by Sept?
Mahalo in advance.
Hi Tea.
Thanks. Good to hear from you. Yes we expect all prices including airfare and car rentals to return to moderate this fall. And there will be fare sales. Watch for this by mid-summer.
Aloha.
Mahalo BoH! I’ll try to be patient!
I give mayor Kawakami a thumbs up. Visitors might think the worst of him, but I fully understand that he’s keeping the island people safe. I live in Calif., but my family and grandbabies live on Kauai. You go Kawakami and do what you gotta do. Stay safe Kauai. Aloha
The Kauai people don’t like it either. The County deletes the negative social media comments. The County knows Kawakami is a trust fund baby, who hasn’t worked a real day in his life.
I have two weeks scheduled for Kauai beginning on August 22nd to September 5th and two weeks scheduled for Maui from November 7th to November 21st. I don’t seem to have a problem with their restrictions but I would like to know if my original CDC vaccination card that is laminated to prevent damage is acceptable.
Thanks for all the information BOH gives us, my whole family has been vaccinated but where do we go to get the 72 hr per test after we get to Maui, do we have to go back to the airport??… Again thanks!!
Hi Jim.
Thanks. The second test happens immediately after arrival, before you leave the airport.
Aloha.
He was asking about the pretest
This is what I was talking about, copied this from today’s info. (Those with proof of being fully vaccinated are exempt from the arrival testing program but must still pre-test within 72 hours of their mainland to Hawaii flight. Upon arrival, proof of vaccination will be confirmed.)
People planning to visit Kauai also need to pay attention to the road problems on North Shore, and understand they need an advance reservation (in addition to fee paid) to visit/park at Ke’e or hike on Kalalau trail. Ke’e has become a total s%*t-show, especially on Sundays when the Hanalei Hill portion of the road is open (one lane at a time) all day.
On each of the last two Sundays, they turned away Seven Hundred (700) cars! Is that every rental on the island??
My Wainiha neighbors are again po’d at tourists in general. People yelling at each other on the double bridges because the visitors don’t “get” or follow the protocol. Link GIN story, in this case highly relevant:
thegardenisland.com/2021/05/04/hawaii-news/visitors-turned-away-at-haena/
You pay to park and you also pay for per person entry. Only certain times are available, don’t mess up on your time slot. The traffic made you arrive 10 minutes later than your time slot? Sorry, you’re screwed, turn around. Don’t forget everyone needs an id to prove it’s them so they don’t scam the system. One person in your group forgot their id? Sorry, you’re screwed, turn around. You didn’t make a reservation at Haena State Park because you heard parking doesn’t require reservations. Sorry, you’re screwed, turn around. You were thinking Haena Beach Park. Not just visitors, residents too. Kauai has created this mess with their lack of organized information, excessive state park entry requirements and fees. Quit complaining and enjoy the messy show!
You can say “quit complaining” to visitors. But suggest you don’t say that to someone who lives in our Wainiha-Haena neighborhood. They need to get the shuttle busses running again from Princeville. I suspect it will end up being only Kauai residents only can park there, and all visitors will need to take shuttle busses. As others have pointed out, see, e.g., Yosemite Valley.
BTW – the WSJ has an article today on how crazy the Kauai RE market is, including lot’s of sight unseen purchases. Great time for owners to dump their dry-rotted, termite and mold infested houses (we have an abundance of these in Wainiha) for tidy sums.
Cases are a red herring, not important. Deaths are the only relevant stat and the 7 day average is 1, yes one, and has been that way for 3 months. Seems like the state/islands are doing everything in their power to go backwards while the rest of the nation is moving forward. As much as we want to come back to Hawaii, there are many, many nice places to vacation that are not as restrictive. I am afraid of the mindset of the politicians there.
Know what Mike? Dont like the rules stop complaining and plan your vacation elsewhere.
Mouse? He’s at least not hiding.
Hiding? How so?
Don’t worry, lots of people are planning vacations elsewhere. I think that even more have crossed Hawaii off the list entirely.
Good! Anyone not willing to follow the rules and showing they feel they are entitled are welcome to go elsewhere.
Makes lots of room for those of us who want to visit the islands and willing to show her respect.
Is that mouse again?
Listen mouse.The ones that are acting entitled are the ones vaccinated. Have you even thought for 1 second that many cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons? The risk is too high with vaccination versus treatment. Stop thinking one-sided mouse. You have been stating your opinions over and over yet throw a hissy fit when others state their opinion. Grow up!
Lisa, your hilarious. Sure there are some due to health reasons that at least right now cannot take the vaccine. I get that but that is a very small percentage of people.
I’m not entitled I am responsible. I have many immune compromised people in my life and I don’t want anyt of them to get sick. Has nothing to do with entitlement. Has to do with being responsible. Your the one that needs to grow up amd not once have I thrown a hissy fit lmso. I for one am willing to do what it takes to get to Hawaii and won’t complain about it like you amd so many others. Grow up. Be responsible and get vaccinated. If you cannot stay home
Are you even planning a trip to Hawaii?
Don’t let the spin fool ya (like it has Anonymouse)… Travel to Hawaii is still down 50% or more. And also has the higher spending Japanese no where in sight.
While the mainland is booming, and will prosper for years, Hawaii will be in a severe depression for years.
yeah and? who cares. We are going and I know many planning to go who have never gone before so whate3ver.
I did. Hilton Head Island last week. Smoky Mountains in a few months. Plenty of time to ‘work’ remotely.
He could be asking about a third test (not the pre arrival pretest, not the immediate post arrival test, but a third test before flying to Kauai or Big Island).
Agreed but everyone is not going forwards……….Michigan is still living in 2020…grrrr. Now the state is being held hostage depending on the percentage of people that get vaccinated!! And 2 year olds are wearing masks..crazy times.
I feel your pain. I am a Michigander, too.
Trying to find out if the second Maui test is just for direct flight from mainland or for inter island flight as well.
I have a layover in HNL and just curious what to expect.
Thank you for any info
Hi Cammy.
It is just for direct flights from the mainland at this time.
Aloha.
Thank you. You guys are the best!
Hello, I’m flying in from WA and I’m having trouble finding an approved COVID testing site. Some have said Walgreens is an acceptable place to go and then I’ve been told it’s not. Also the airport is charging $200 for COVID testing at SeaTac, which is really expensive. Anyway I was hoping someone could help me out with telling me where to go for COVID testing. Thank you in advance!
Hi Marcella.
Lots of visitors are arriving via Seattle so hopefully others will lend a hand from their personal experience.
Aloha.
Walgreens is good. They have the Abbott ID Now rapid test that IS Hawaii approved. We had our results in 45 minutes.
Thank you for this update. Despite a 60% vaccination rate the increase in cases on Kauai does not come as a surprise to many of us, given the nature of this threat and the way it has been handled on the island. It is good to see that visitors are not automatically being blamed for the increase and hopefully the community spread can be minimized.
Have you heard if post-arrival second testing is still being done on the Big Island? Wasn’t this program due to expire on May 1 given the $1 million per month expense?
Hi Mike.
What set heard is that the BI is still doing testing through 5/10. After that we assume it will end but have not had confirmation of that.
Aloha.
Aloha,
We are arriving on the Big Island in 2 weeks and are wondering what & how long the process is after you’ve landed showing your proof of a negative Covid test. We’re flying on Hawaiian and using WorkSite Labs to test within the mandatory 72 hours preflight.
Also if anyone can share their experience getting their rental car at the Kona airport. Is it accurate that it can take 2-3 hours in line?
Mahalo to BoH for all your valuable information. It is tremendously appreciated!
Hi Mignon.
Thank you. Please see our response to Mike just now regarding the current 2nd tests on the BI. We look forward to and appreciate others sharing their recent arrival and car rental experiences at Kona to help.
Aloha.
Mignon B,
We fly from Maui to Kona on 4/10. My advice is to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible. We were on SWA and sat in the first few rows. It didn’t take long for us to show our test results and get our clearance. At this point I went to get the rental car shuttle and my husband stayed to get the luggage. The rental shuttle was full and I was about #8 in line when we got to the counter. The rental car process is very slow at the Kona airport. It took about 30 minutes for me to get to the counter. However when I left the car rental there were now about 30+ people in line so I’m sure it took some people 2 to 3 hours to get a car. We rented with Alamo and there were 3 car rental companies being handled by the same 3 staff so this contributes to how long it takes to get a rental car. If the line for your rental car is short you’ll be fine but if it’s long be prepared to wait. When we flew home we went out of Hilo and there was no line for rental cars in Hilo. Have fun on your vacation!
Hi Kim,
Thank you very much for the arriving in Kona info. I hope it goes as smoothly and quickly as your experience last month. Can’t wait to get back to the Big Island! 🙂
Thank you for the Covid updates. You are keeping us informed to keep everyone in the known before we visit. I continue to look for your updates along with the state websites so their isn’t any question what we need to do and what to expect. Thank you.
Hi Dolly.
Thank you. We look forward to your being able to visit and hope everything goes smoothly for you.
Aloha.
Thank you again for keeping us all up to date on the ever changing time.
Looking forward to seeing our Ohana at KBH. Few more weeks. Excited and blessed. ❤️🌺
this is a perfect example of how the virus is being transmitted by those being vaccinated, so now visitors need to keep their distance from residents until all vaccinations are completed and 2-4 weeks after.
It’s unfortunate that people were not educated on this imortant aspect
when they received the vaccine. At least once everyone that wants the vaccination has had it, after a few weeks of shedding, the transmission rate will start to decrease, thankfully.
With warmest aloha : )
“this is a perfect example of how the virus is being transmitted by those being vaccinated”
You are assuming facts not in evidence. Nowhere has it been reported as to whether any of the positive tests caught the virus from a vaccinated person. Perhaps and perhaps not.
Just to clarify this, I was told by my local family on Kauai that the surge was due to one local woman that was positive with covid attending all 3 events. They know her personally.
We leave for the Big Island tomorrow. Tests came back in 24 hours, uploaded and have vaccine cards in hand. So very excited. Thank you for all the updates a long the way, they really helped me plan. Aloha.
Hi Jo.
Enjoy your trip to the BI. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Aloha.
Question: If someone arrives on Maui from the mainland having had their second COVID shot three or four days before arrival, does that count as being “fully vaccinated”– and exempt from the on-arrival test requirement? Aloha and thanks, BOH!
Hi John.
Thanks. Fully vaccinated and exempted means 14 days after completion.
Aloha.
BOH, our kids and grandkids are traveling to Kauai on May 16. They have not been vaccinated but will be tested within 72 hours of travel and upload their results to SafeTravel. Will they be required to be retested on arrival? Any other restrictions? Mahalo.
Hi Rob.
Thanks. We’re happy to hear about your family visit. When traveling directly to Kauai, there is no additional requirement at this time.
Aloha.
Aloha and Mahalo for your always great information.
The vaccination card and proof information is all for the US CDC. How ill travelers coming from international countries and have proof with that countries Vaccination cards be handled.Is there any info on this?
Hi Mounque.
Thanks. We appreciate your many comments. There hasn’t been anything yet about vaccination proof for international arrivals. Hawaii is first trying to figure out domestic travel when vaccinated outside of Hawaii and they aren’t quite even there yet.
Aloha.
We are planning our annual girls trip to Maui later this month. If I am reading your article correctly since all 5 of us have received 2 doses of the vaccine more than 14 days ago, we are now exempt from the second test upon arrival as long as we show the appropriate proof? It was my understanding this exemption was just going to be for locals who had received their vaccine on Island. This is great news if it’s true!
Hawaii really needs to roll out the vaccine passport for those of us who are fully vaccinated.
Still have to pre-test $$$, get harassed for a mask…
Enjoy those vaccine perks