I come back to Honolulu each year to see my mother staying 3 plus weeks. This year is of great importance because she’s 89, and although healthy, I am coming to see if its time for me to stay with her to care for her. I’m scheduling covid pretravel test next week three days before 22nd, my arrival day. I’ll take second test if needed hoping its within 24 hours of arrival…please.
Aloha!!! We fly out Sunday to Maui for 5 nites to check out some property to purchase. We ordered the Vault saliva test and it arrived today. Praying for a negative test to send off on Thursday & upload on Saturday. Thank you BOH readers who suggested to mark all test packaging with “STAT Hawaii”. Thank you BOH for keeping us updated in a timely, comprehensive (as best you can when you have a moving target:), logical fashion. We look forward to stepping off the plane on Sunday and dipping our toes into the magical waters of Maui….fyi- two of our local Hawaiian friends just came back from 10 days in Maui visiting their families- they had no problems…no on asked to see negative test prior to boarding Hawaiian Air- they only had to show digital proof upon landing in Maui. They had used former testing partner CVS with no problems. After reading through lots of BOH posts we decided to use Vault. Mahalo Again and thanks for all the updates BOH!!!
What a crazy time…..eventually this will all be in our rearview mirrors and how sweet will that be when that time comes! The reality is though, Hawaii, while one of the most vulnerable to the outbreak, and by that I mean we have limited resources and are very isolated, which in turn makes help further out of reach for us then mainland states.
We are further complicated by the fact that we are so dependent on tourism. Which means we are hurting now, but tourism and the local businesses would have been hurt even more had we suffered numbers like many mainland states and in particular those that opened prematurely. For example I recall someone on here touting Las Vegas’s approach. Nevada currently leads the nation in cases per capita and are setting up make shift hospitals in parking garages. Had we gone down that route Hawaii would have been devastated, far more then we are now.
Bottom line is, despite some obvious missteps and political infighting, we are the safest state in the union, we have limited tourism which is working so far and while many business are suffering, many many deaths have been avoided. Also, there are businesses coping in many creative ways and will come out of this in position to greatly prosper when tourism returns full force. There is a lot of pent up demand for Hawaii.
I feel for businesses that are suffering, but there has been a fair amount of aid and it’s looking like under the new administration there will be more as well as some very competent people are being recruited to move the country in a positive direction as we finally are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. A vaccine created by the best scientists in the world unaffected by politics and focused on their job are the heroes here as well as the front line Doctors and Nurses.
Finally, the haters directing their wrath at the States approach and promise they will never come here? There will be plenty of others with a different perspective, you won’t be missed.
You make some good points but I think we have finally learned how to treat this disease. When the covid cases peaked in August, I was working at a hospital on Oahu. We never reached capacity…but we were close. We are nowhere near those numbers and safe travel has been implemented since October. If deaths are all you are concerned about, there are more deaths from suicides than from covid.
We have plunked down a solid 5 figures for airfare and lodging, lined up our testing for 5 of us, and now HI is going to change the rules again?!! We have gone in December for a decade and the thought of having to possibly cancel this year is heartbreaking but we are not willing to isolate/quarantine for 7-10 days of our only vacation/time off. From the above comment on Tahiti, that is sounding very appealing at this point.
Thank you for the updates! Does Governor Ige have any press conferences scheduled this week? We are supposed to fly out to Maui on Sunday and want to stay tuned in!
The costs for taking a second test is going to keep people away; especially if they have to pay for the first one. You can travel to places just as lovely as Hawaii at a lot less hassle and expense. I will not risk spending money on a vacation when I may have to quarantine for any amount of time.
It is a waste of money to sit in your room during your vacation.
Hawaii is going to destroy its economy and people will find nicer and more accommodating vacation options elsewhere. They are cutting off their noses despite their face.
This is terrible news. Especially the expect changes this week part. We are scheduled to leave next Monday and I think we are risking getting stuck in a huge mess if we don’t cancel. We are already running into all kinds of problems getting testing on the mainland. Thanks for the info and keep it coming but it doesn’t look good. So sad.
Our local Walgreens announced tonight they are not giving tests past Wednesday and we need it on Friday! I’m afraid it’s too late to order a mail kit from anywhere else and it just sounds like the Hawaii Governor is about to make changes again. We’ve decided we can’t wait longer to make a decision and have cancelled our trip as of tonight. If you go, good luck!
A second rapid antigen test after arrival simply trades one problem for a different problem. Antigen tests are not designed, tested, or approved for asymptomatic screening. The rates of false positives and negatives is unacceptably high in this population. Now you are having people who feel fine, tested negative, quarantine until a pcr test is completed, or running around being stupid because they tested negative twice. There are no good answers, a perfect just doesn’t exist.
The economy of Hawaii depends on tourists coming to the islands and spending money. They will not come to the islands if there is no constant Covid policy. Several years ago, during our 6 week vacation on Kauai, I remember reading that tourism is a 94 Billion dollar impact on the economy of the islands. If the Governors of the islands are elected officials, please vote them out of office. Stop using committees for advice that can’t change policy. We have ~ 18 months more of Covid ahead of us. Are you willing to give up 150 Billion dollars more of revenue? There will be thousands of unemployed Hawaiians.
Create a policy, stick to it, and train people to test for Covid.
How many people will accept a three day quarantine locked in a room to start out their trip? Maybe some? OK. Remember, no car, so add couple of taxis and cost of second test on top of the other quarantine costs that have been described in recent comments, such as limited and expensive food. OK, some people will do that. How many will believe it will only be 3 days, and not turn into 4 or 5? For those who think will just be 3, I have some swampy land to sell.
For returning residents, if quarantine reduced to 7 days, and if second test days ends up being 4 or 5, why take any tests, pre or post, since that adds lots of stress, time and cost, even if Hawaii picks up the cost of the second test.
Unfortunately, all of this has turned us completely Off as far as planning a visit any time soon. We just banked our timeshare weeks and will reconsider again in 2023. No trip should be this difficult. Just not worth the stress. All of this roller coaster decision making does not bode well for Hawaii. BOH, I don’t know how you keep your focus! It’s enough to drive someone bonkers! Take care and thanks for the updates.
We plan to fly to Maui from LAX on January 2nd. We hooe to take our Covid PCR test at the local CVS Pharmacy on December 30th. CVS has stated test results could take 3-4 days so seek another test facility if you are planning to go to Hawaii. Our hotel in Kihei costs $200 per night. We have to cancel by December 30th to get a refund for our room. Flying to Hawaii isn’t cheap and requires missing a week of work. It might be smart to cancel our Hawaiian plans and fly to a Mexican Coastal resort. Don’t tell me that the economic shut down isn’t driving depression rates and suicide up like the mainland and Japan. I heard Hawaii has a lot of homeless people prior to Covid 19 pandemic.
We came on Oct. 31 and had a negative test and used the safe travel form. It went very smoothly. I would not come again if I had to have another test. If everyone is negative when boarding, why do you have to have another test? Doesn’t make sense. The islanders are the ones getting sick. Make them get a test every month. Coming into Maui the visitors are very responsible.
I cannot keep all the possibilities straight, however I will say this. A f/u post travel test makes great sense. and I think most visitors would be willing to pay. After all, it is not just about protecting ourselves, it is a small safeguard that may protect everyone. It also protects Hawaii so travel can continue.What a great alternative to be shut out completely. And for the island businesses to have shut down. No quarantine! Unless a test is positive of course.I’m hoping to make a trip in January if this can be resolved.
I cannot keep all the possibilities straight, however I will say this. A f/u post travel test makes great sense. and I think most visitors would be willing to pay. After all, it is not just about protecting ourselves, it is a small safeguard that may protect everyone. It also protects Hawaii so travel can continue.What a great alternative to be shut out completely. And for the island businesses to have shut down. No quarantine! Unless a test is positive of course.I’m hoping to make a trip in January if this can be resolved.
I had my first experience of friends arriving while their tests were delayed from Hawaii approved testing providers. It is totally unfair to quarantine visitors for 14 days, because the legitimate, approved testing locations by the state of Hawaii are proving to be delinquent in providing test results promptly for one to travel. It appears the state of Hawaii believes everyone coming here is positive. They need to wake up and realize there are many healthy people that want to come to Hawaii, and spend lots of $$$$. No one is going to come and spend in excess of $1500 to sit in a hotel room and do nothing. Hawaii is losing dedicated travelers by the thousands who come and spend several thousands of $$$$$.
An amazing analysis! I do hope the powers-that-be in the State and the different counties read your articles and use your insights and compilations of reader comments to make the next set of decisions!
Thank you BOH for keeping us informed with the every changing climate daily!
My family travels in a week……maybe?
This morning on the local news, State of Hawaii was advertising free airfare if workers that work from home would spend 30 days in Hawaii helping to stimulate the economy. Such a contradiction going on in the islands.
This has always been our home away from home, but is is slowly falling out of favor for my family and we may decide having a condo no longer is desirable.
From an economic point of view. California has just implemented a stay home rule which is already resulting in many many holiday cancelations. Implementing any form of quarantine when people have got the negative test as required will result in wholesale cancelations and big hotels will close again like Kaua’i. The Governor is on dangerous ground and he knows it. Maybe some voters will say yes, stop all the visitors hoorah but when the unemployment runs out and the state has no budget he will lose those votes. What is damaging the state the most and that will stay for years is there is no leadership. Other states are not changing the rules weekly. They implement a policy for a fixed period and stick with it. It is called leadership and good government. Then the second test. First who is going to pay for it? large family groups will struggle to add it to their budget so Hawaiian businesses will get no benefit from them as all their extras cash will be gone after two sets of tests. Then what about the tests themselves? Where are they going to get the extras and who is going to have the capacity to carry them out, who is going to enforce it? Surely the first demand for testing should be on those with symptoms and may require hospitalization. Look at Kaua’i and what do we see? The residents returning are the problem and they will be leaving California in droves. They are not going to pay for second tests or stay off work for quarantine. The sensible thing is to keep the pre flight negative test, keep the requirement to check in daily and offer a voluntary second test at guest’s expense. Rather than trying to punish travelers, more effort should be put on enforcement of distancing, wearing masks correctly and following the other rules designed to cut transmission. May be a 2 person limit on hotel rooms would cut infection spread too,
From what I read in the Garden Island News the travel related cases seem to be people who took the COVID Test but did not have the results before they got on the plane. That fix is easy either you can’t get on the airplane without the test results or if you are allowed to travel then you go into isolation until you get the results and then get tested 3-5 days later.
I am a proponent of the post arrival testing even if I have to pay for it. If you have a negative test on arrival then you go into quarantine at wherever you are staying. Quarantine is different than isolation. At least you can get a rental car and do a little grocery shopping. You just need to mask, wash your hands, distance, avoid any groups, remain at the resort and self monitor for any symptoms however slight. This is consistent with CDC guidelines.
Three to five days into the quarantine you have to take another test. Then you are free to move about the island. From what I understand from the latest CDC guidance the longer you go without symptoms within the 14 day quarantine you odds of having been infected drop significantly.
No matter what the Mayors, Governor, or Legislators do they are going to impact the island economy that is tourist based. It is a delicate dance between saving the islands economies and the health of the residents and the tourists that are on island.
Of course the variable is the voluntary compliance of those in quarantine to follow the “rules.” I feel we all need to pull together to stem this pandemic. I am doing my part and hope others will too!
We are arriving in March for five weeks. My hope is that I will be able to get a negative test prior to arrival and an instant test as I deplane!!!!
Quarantine is isolation. You don’t leave your room for any reason except for medical emergencies. You can’t rent cars and drive around. You don’t go out for a few groceries. You don’t go to the beach.
Actual Hawaii Residents should not have to pay for any tests to be able to come home. We live, work, and pay State Income Tax. The State needs to take care of its residents. Nothing is being done for the residents. Everything is for the tourists. Residents should be able to leave their home island and return without paying for testing.
Umm, the state can’t even take care of it’s fiscal responsibility, let alone it’s citizens, and this is the United States of America. Hawaii Residents will have no special privledges that other US citizens do not receive. You want to get special treatment? Cecede, and pay for your own failure. I also pay Hawaii state property taxes, as well as DMV fees, because I live here part time, and if I’m paying federal taxes and the feds are bailing your incompetent state government out, then you sure as heck better Not get special privledges over me! 🤦♂️
Another important consideration of a second test solution is the prevalence of false positives. The proposal to use antigen tests, while less expensive and not taking from healthcare supply, is problematic in this regard. The false positive rate for antigen tests is much higher than for PCR tests. In fact, reporting on the island of Hawaii’s post arrival testing program shared that 82% of the positives they detected were actually false positives.
If travelers are worried about being forced to quarantine due to a false positive COVID test, I suspect many will decide to vacation elsewhere. Especially as Hawaii is a family destination, if any one member of your family gets a false positive, that ruins the entire vacation.
There is no great solution here.
-Without post arrival testing, there will be too much opportunity for someone to have caught COVID between when they took the test and when they arrived.
-Forcing quarantine on arrival will deter travelers
-Using antigen tests has a high false positive rate, which will deter travelers
-Using PCR tests are both more expensive and take from the medical supply.
The CDC issued guidance around the risk of false positives for antigen testing when prevalence is low. With everyone getting negative test results in order to board the plane (an idea which I’m supportive of), this will create exactly the scenario described below with 90%+ of positive results simply being false positives.
“As disease prevalence decreases, the percent of test results that are false positives increase. For example, a test with 98% specificity would have a PPV of just over 80% in a population with 10% prevalence, meaning 20 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.
The same test would only have a PPV of approximately 30% in a population with 1% prevalence, meaning 70 out of 100 positive results would be false positives. This means that, in a population with 1% prevalence, only 30% of individuals with positive test results actually have the disease.
At 0.1% prevalence, the PPV would only be 4%, meaning that 96 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.”
Not really, responsible people will quarantine (or self isolate) at home, after their pre-flight test, and before they leave, while waiting for a negative result. This should ensure a negative result of a second test on arrival, so they aren’t forced to quarantine. If they do that, and test positive on a second test, only one of two outcomes are possible. They had a false positive on the second test or the pre-flight test was a false negative.
That’s what I did, but most people are Not going to pay for a second test, nor do a required quarantine. It just makes no sense to waste your vacation in a hotel room, no matter how nice the view is.
A second COVID test at any point during one’s Hawaiian vacation will be a non-starter for any party other than singles and couples. Zero families will support this. There are simply other vacationing options out there (though none are ideal at the moment). Whoever came up with a mid-vacation testing requirement should be fired…yesterday…
We are booked for our second 5 month stay on the Big Island on January 5th.
We set up and will pay for our pre Test 72 hours in advance.
How will we know what the rules for January will be?
The pre testing sites in Seattle changed as well.
After changing our reservations so many times, we are likely to lose the money we paid for tickets for our March 2020 trip, November 2020 trip and now our March 2021 trip. We truly want to see our kids there but the constantly changing policies are just too much. What happens to all of this if we are vaccinated prior to our trip- what is Gov. Ige’s plan for that? I suspect he doesn’t have one. Hawaiian Airlines will cancel without penalty until Dec. 18th. Think I’ll sadly take them up on their offer. Thanks BOH for keeping us up to date on this.
Evidently things can and have gotten worse for travelers. No one wants to quarantine for 7 days on top of a negative test. It particularly hurts timeshare owners who in my case have paid $3,000 in fees in two years with no hopes of securing a vacation. There is no refund for us.
Has there been any update on how long Kauai’s 14 day quarantine might last? Is it based on any data? They are still in “Tier 4” of their toothless system.
Quarantining for a minimum of 4 days(allowing for results from a second test after 3 days) will kill almost all travel.
We recently went to Tahiti. Tahiti has reopened since July – they require a pre-travel Covid test (molecular, not the inaccurate Rapid tests) within 72 hours, followed by a second test 4 days after arrival (self administered, they give you the package at the airport and you drop it off at your hotel 4 days after arrival). I have to say, it was absolutely flawless. First of all , it’s comforting to know that everyone on the plane had to have had a PCR-RT test. Second, it was incredible well organized. You get a QR code before departure, they scan it on arrival, hand you your second test, and of you go. The whole process was professionally organized and the whole airport arrival procedure took no more than 5 mins. They have stated that only 0.26% of tourists have tested positive 4 days after arrival, that includes the possibility of exposure between arrival and the time of the test (4 days). Tahiti is even more isolated than Hawaii and yet – they have it all working flawlessly. Recently, due to the success of the program, they reduced the min age required for testing from 6 to 11. And then we have Hawaii – who is nothing but a minefield. I love Hawaii and I respect their want to isolate, but they simply are clueless on how to strike a proper balance.
Nope, and why should I have to quarantine if 99.74% of all second tests come back negative. See, Hawaii doesn’t want any visitors, ever is designed to keep tourists out.
Just FYI – There are “rapid” tests that are NAAT tests. A PCR test is not the only one acceptable in Hawaii – it is not the only that tests at the molecular lever.
My point is – Hawaii allows untested folks on a plane who could potentially spread it. And they allow rapid tests which has a relatively high error rate. If you really care about your population you wouldn’t allow either. How is it that Tahiti has successfully reopened for 5 months now and Hawaii is clueless.
Tom, you said, “First of all , it’s comforting to know that everyone on the plane had to have had a PCR-RT test.”
Since the FAA regulates airline rules in the USA, and airlines don’t have the authority to require test results, What airline forced you to show test results before boarding?
Plus, with no accountability, what’s to keep people honest, and submit a test that they had someone else in the family swabbed, if the weren’t feeling well? Wee there staffing at hotels qualified to watch you administer to self-test?
And, like Barbara said PCR is one of a few NAAT molecular tests, which is required to enter Hawaii also, but airlines can’t force you to prove you have tested.
This is like watching a hamster trying to get out of the spinning wheel. The only people that are making any money are the testing companies and big Pharma making the test kits. You want us to test before we leave, this again 3 to 4 after we arrive, what happens if we are there for only 2 days? Just make a fair plan for all and stick to it. Don’t change the rules in the middle of the game!!!
I agree with you, Mark. We were set to leave two days before Thanksgiving, (planned after moving it 3x since early March) 3 days before departure, test was planned at Kaiser.(Weeks ahead appointment was made) 4 days before departure,Governor Ige “finally” responds to Mayor Kawakami’s plea made 8 days before our departure, to make post-test with 3 day quaratine mandatory. (Which we were prepared to do so as not to have to cancel everything with spotty refunds, if any!) You see where this is going?….. we were already falling down the rabbit hole with changes daily and a lot of uncertainty. After doing everything right with Safe Travels and crossing our fingers, we were sitting in the parking lot of airport with bags ready to check when no results came, (95hrs it took!) and we were forced to cancel 1 hour before flight. Even with moving our flight out 6 hrs! We were so disappointed, exhausted, stressed, despondent and in shock. Some things were refunded and some things were not, and for not fault of our own! I love Kauai and will always go back and I am all about supporting keeping Hawaii Folks safe, But please…make a fair plan and stick to it. Don’t change horses in the middle of the stream!!
I meant to add that the Govenor’s response on 11/20 demanded instead of post flight 2nd test, a 14 day quarantine if results were not uploaded prior to flight to Hawaii which started on our day of flight. 11/24.
This seems to get worse by the day. I guess I will just cancel my January trip and get a refund. One would have thought they would have lifted or at least eased all the testing requirements by now and the quarantine as well. But it seems exactly the opposite is taking place. They are more determined than ever to destroy what’s left of their economy, permanently alienate tourists, and create even longer food lines over what has been proven to be less deadly to Hawaii than the annual flu. The tourists are the ones taking the biggest risks by flying, not the residents. They should have been grateful that anyone would take the risk in the first place. Instead they want to continue to further their draconian policies, effectively shutting back down many businesses that barely reopened and are hanging on by a thread from permanently closing. I don’t think the vaccines will change anything. I believe these politicians are sadists that enjoy all the harm they are doing.
Everyone needs to have a negative test result before being allowed on a flight. Otherwise they could infect others in the flight as well. Alaska has implemented that policy as of yesterday.
“Everyone needs to have a negative test result before being allowed on a flight. Otherwise they could infect others in the flight as well. Alaska has implemented that policy as of yesterday.”
I don’t believe this is true. Anyone can board a flight to HI without a negative test result as long as they quarantine upon arrival. Federal law prevents an airline from requiring a negative test. If you disagree, please provide a link to the this new Alaska policy.
I can live with that. One test for everyone before flying. But not all the additional requirements that they now want to impose. Up until now they don’t require everyone to be tested. Just required the ones not tested into quarantine. So travelers were really the ones taking the biggest risk.
Not again, please. Josh Green seems to be the only one who can put two and two together. Test before departure and do another test at the airport upon arrival. There are rapid tests available to get quick and quite accurate results. Airports in Germany offer those for free. Everything else will kill tourism again and stop what has started well. We spent almost 5 weeks on Maui. It was wonderful and no one had a reason to complain, neither the locals nor the visitors. We talked to a lot of locals, some employed again, some selfemployed, who just reopened their shops. They all were happy to see visitors again, but all were frightenend of another shutdown.
Agree,Josh Green is a leader who can balance economic/health concerns-My friends in Rome say the same thing,a rapid test at the airport,Italy dealt with covid snd moved on—I feel both anger and sadness with Hawaii’s leadership,and also the fear and unexpected rude behavior from many Hawaii residents. I always thought that Hawaii was welcoming,a melting pot,and perhaps Oahu still is/but it saddens me to experience the insular behavior of many(of course not all,) Kauai residents. -My concern,hasn’t been addressed-how does this change inter island travel?
Thank you Beat of Hawaii-my sincere hope is that Hawaii will retain its openness and diversity.
Thank you for the up-to-date information and for helping make sense of all he islands rules/guidelines/safety measures. Still confusing as it’s kind of a work in progress. But, your blog is helpful.
I guess as my flight out of SFO is ‘scheduled’ to fly me to Kona 12/23, I ask the crystal ball – will I be able to fly to the Big Island in just over 2 weeks, or should I begin to reschedule my hotel OR request a refund outright (hotel paid 1 month ago in full).
The overall consensus is that Safe Travels is working. It is hard to think that the state will implement the 7-day quarantine one of the committees has requested. We should know more in the next day or two.
Do not forget the stay at home order in California. At the moment it is the South and Central Valley but I believe the city of San Francisco has implemented it and there is talk of state wide. A friend of mine today told me the airlines are cutting flights from Californian cities accordingly.
Rich, I think you have a complete misunderstanding of what California’s stay at home order really is/means. You seriously need some better, more educated informants from the Golden State.
It’s not literal, and it definitely does NOT have any authority to hinder travel (especially airline travel), if you want to leave the state. No law enforcement agency has the manpower/ability to enforce it, nor have they…even during the original “stay at home order” in the beginning of this (not really by definition) pandemic.
Comrade Newsom also recently issued a curfew that isn’t being enforced, by nearly all the 58 counties. That clown has lost his mind, and frankly, people are starting to ignore his political antics, especially Sheriff Departments, because the Sheriffs are elected officials, and they typically want to keep their jobs.
Also, you telling (or inferring) people from another state that they need to stay at home, because you heard from second (maybe third) hand news “their governor said so”, without understanding the true dynamics, and what is legally being challenged or legally binding in their state, is irresponsibly inappropriate.
Thanks, BOH! So, the Gov “expressed concerns about making changes to the (Safe Travels) program.” Maybe because he’s already made changes then changes to those changes. Whenever the next change is implemented, who in their right minds will believe that something new wont be proposed weeks later? Almost 11 mos into this and the cat is still chading its tail …
We already are paying $200 to $250 for a pretravel test. Now maybe having to pay for another after travel??? Pretty expensive especially if bringing your kids on the trip.
It’s pretty much a mess right now. Where I live there are no trusted partners and I already had 1 “sale” air fare canceled by Alaska Airlines and marked up triple. I am just gonna wait till things settle down before I book again
So one question I have for all the leaders of Hawaii right now is “so how does it feel to just make decisions by the way the political winds blow”. Because in my opinion, that is all that is happening here. The political winds blew one way, and the Mayors obliged and agreed to a plan. Now the winds are blowing another way because of doctors who are getting press for their non-peer-reviewed studies to which the Legislature is giving credence.
Just like in the movie “Ferris Bueler’s Day Off” the teacher (representing the people of Hawaii who would like to get back to work) are asking the class (full of these politicians who are feckless) instead of saying “Bueller? Bueller?”, you have the person in the front of the room saying “leadership? leadership?”.
And to think these are the same people that are supposed to come up with a plan to distribute the vaccine when it comes out.
IMO, it is not the price of the after arrival test but the assurance that the second test is administered. We tried this offer a reward for those coming in for the after arrival test and got a 2% response. Any plan based on voluntary compliance is doomed to fail.
I would like to say yest to a second test. But not on condition that I have to isolate in my hotel room until then. No thanks.
Hi Beverly,
Thanks for being willing to do a second test.
What is your plan for making the mandatory test happen if people aren’t forced to quarantined?
Just looking for suggestions beyond that one because people will show up that is how they are released from quarantined.
I come back to Honolulu each year to see my mother staying 3 plus weeks. This year is of great importance because she’s 89, and although healthy, I am coming to see if its time for me to stay with her to care for her. I’m scheduling covid pretravel test next week three days before 22nd, my arrival day. I’ll take second test if needed hoping its within 24 hours of arrival…please.
Aloha!!! We fly out Sunday to Maui for 5 nites to check out some property to purchase. We ordered the Vault saliva test and it arrived today. Praying for a negative test to send off on Thursday & upload on Saturday. Thank you BOH readers who suggested to mark all test packaging with “STAT Hawaii”. Thank you BOH for keeping us updated in a timely, comprehensive (as best you can when you have a moving target:), logical fashion. We look forward to stepping off the plane on Sunday and dipping our toes into the magical waters of Maui….fyi- two of our local Hawaiian friends just came back from 10 days in Maui visiting their families- they had no problems…no on asked to see negative test prior to boarding Hawaiian Air- they only had to show digital proof upon landing in Maui. They had used former testing partner CVS with no problems. After reading through lots of BOH posts we decided to use Vault. Mahalo Again and thanks for all the updates BOH!!!
Hi Nita.
Thanks. Have a great time and please let us know how it all goes.
Aloha.
What a crazy time…..eventually this will all be in our rearview mirrors and how sweet will that be when that time comes! The reality is though, Hawaii, while one of the most vulnerable to the outbreak, and by that I mean we have limited resources and are very isolated, which in turn makes help further out of reach for us then mainland states.
We are further complicated by the fact that we are so dependent on tourism. Which means we are hurting now, but tourism and the local businesses would have been hurt even more had we suffered numbers like many mainland states and in particular those that opened prematurely. For example I recall someone on here touting Las Vegas’s approach. Nevada currently leads the nation in cases per capita and are setting up make shift hospitals in parking garages. Had we gone down that route Hawaii would have been devastated, far more then we are now.
Bottom line is, despite some obvious missteps and political infighting, we are the safest state in the union, we have limited tourism which is working so far and while many business are suffering, many many deaths have been avoided. Also, there are businesses coping in many creative ways and will come out of this in position to greatly prosper when tourism returns full force. There is a lot of pent up demand for Hawaii.
I feel for businesses that are suffering, but there has been a fair amount of aid and it’s looking like under the new administration there will be more as well as some very competent people are being recruited to move the country in a positive direction as we finally are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. A vaccine created by the best scientists in the world unaffected by politics and focused on their job are the heroes here as well as the front line Doctors and Nurses.
Finally, the haters directing their wrath at the States approach and promise they will never come here? There will be plenty of others with a different perspective, you won’t be missed.
Right on, right on, right on, on all counts. Mahalo!
My comment was in reply to John W
Well said John. As residents of Maui we totally agree with your last paragraph.
Mahalo for the well thought out post.
Joni W
You make some good points but I think we have finally learned how to treat this disease. When the covid cases peaked in August, I was working at a hospital on Oahu. We never reached capacity…but we were close. We are nowhere near those numbers and safe travel has been implemented since October. If deaths are all you are concerned about, there are more deaths from suicides than from covid.
Trying to get emotional people to change their emoting based on facts is like trying to teach a pig to read. It wastes your time, and annoys the pig.
Hi. We’ve planned to spend 3 months in Hawaii, visiting all of the islands. Looks like we may be the most tested people on the planet!
We have plunked down a solid 5 figures for airfare and lodging, lined up our testing for 5 of us, and now HI is going to change the rules again?!! We have gone in December for a decade and the thought of having to possibly cancel this year is heartbreaking but we are not willing to isolate/quarantine for 7-10 days of our only vacation/time off. From the above comment on Tahiti, that is sounding very appealing at this point.
Thank you for the updates! Does Governor Ige have any press conferences scheduled this week? We are supposed to fly out to Maui on Sunday and want to stay tuned in!
Thanks so much.
Hi Caitlin.
Not that we see. Sometimes there is very little advance notice, so that doesn’t mean anything.
Aloha.
The costs for taking a second test is going to keep people away; especially if they have to pay for the first one. You can travel to places just as lovely as Hawaii at a lot less hassle and expense. I will not risk spending money on a vacation when I may have to quarantine for any amount of time.
It is a waste of money to sit in your room during your vacation.
Hawaii is going to destroy its economy and people will find nicer and more accommodating vacation options elsewhere. They are cutting off their noses despite their face.
This is terrible news. Especially the expect changes this week part. We are scheduled to leave next Monday and I think we are risking getting stuck in a huge mess if we don’t cancel. We are already running into all kinds of problems getting testing on the mainland. Thanks for the info and keep it coming but it doesn’t look good. So sad.
Hi Denise.
Hope it all works out for you. We’ll update as soon as we learn more.
Thanks.
We are also supposed to leave Monday. 🙁
Our local Walgreens announced tonight they are not giving tests past Wednesday and we need it on Friday! I’m afraid it’s too late to order a mail kit from anywhere else and it just sounds like the Hawaii Governor is about to make changes again. We’ve decided we can’t wait longer to make a decision and have cancelled our trip as of tonight. If you go, good luck!
A second rapid antigen test after arrival simply trades one problem for a different problem. Antigen tests are not designed, tested, or approved for asymptomatic screening. The rates of false positives and negatives is unacceptably high in this population. Now you are having people who feel fine, tested negative, quarantine until a pcr test is completed, or running around being stupid because they tested negative twice. There are no good answers, a perfect just doesn’t exist.
The economy of Hawaii depends on tourists coming to the islands and spending money. They will not come to the islands if there is no constant Covid policy. Several years ago, during our 6 week vacation on Kauai, I remember reading that tourism is a 94 Billion dollar impact on the economy of the islands. If the Governors of the islands are elected officials, please vote them out of office. Stop using committees for advice that can’t change policy. We have ~ 18 months more of Covid ahead of us. Are you willing to give up 150 Billion dollars more of revenue? There will be thousands of unemployed Hawaiians.
Create a policy, stick to it, and train people to test for Covid.
“Second Tests Or Hawaii Travel Shutdown?”
Why not both!?
How many people will accept a three day quarantine locked in a room to start out their trip? Maybe some? OK. Remember, no car, so add couple of taxis and cost of second test on top of the other quarantine costs that have been described in recent comments, such as limited and expensive food. OK, some people will do that. How many will believe it will only be 3 days, and not turn into 4 or 5? For those who think will just be 3, I have some swampy land to sell.
For returning residents, if quarantine reduced to 7 days, and if second test days ends up being 4 or 5, why take any tests, pre or post, since that adds lots of stress, time and cost, even if Hawaii picks up the cost of the second test.
We will cancel our flights and air bnb if there is any kind of quarentine.
Unfortunately, all of this has turned us completely Off as far as planning a visit any time soon. We just banked our timeshare weeks and will reconsider again in 2023. No trip should be this difficult. Just not worth the stress. All of this roller coaster decision making does not bode well for Hawaii. BOH, I don’t know how you keep your focus! It’s enough to drive someone bonkers! Take care and thanks for the updates.
Hi Colleen.
You guys please come back soon! Best to you.
Aloha. R/J
We plan to fly to Maui from LAX on January 2nd. We hooe to take our Covid PCR test at the local CVS Pharmacy on December 30th. CVS has stated test results could take 3-4 days so seek another test facility if you are planning to go to Hawaii. Our hotel in Kihei costs $200 per night. We have to cancel by December 30th to get a refund for our room. Flying to Hawaii isn’t cheap and requires missing a week of work. It might be smart to cancel our Hawaiian plans and fly to a Mexican Coastal resort. Don’t tell me that the economic shut down isn’t driving depression rates and suicide up like the mainland and Japan. I heard Hawaii has a lot of homeless people prior to Covid 19 pandemic.
As Arnold would say “We’ll be Bach!” When? – is the big question. Take care.
We came on Oct. 31 and had a negative test and used the safe travel form. It went very smoothly. I would not come again if I had to have another test. If everyone is negative when boarding, why do you have to have another test? Doesn’t make sense. The islanders are the ones getting sick. Make them get a test every month. Coming into Maui the visitors are very responsible.
I cannot keep all the possibilities straight, however I will say this. A f/u post travel test makes great sense. and I think most visitors would be willing to pay. After all, it is not just about protecting ourselves, it is a small safeguard that may protect everyone. It also protects Hawaii so travel can continue.What a great alternative to be shut out completely. And for the island businesses to have shut down. No quarantine! Unless a test is positive of course.I’m hoping to make a trip in January if this can be resolved.
I cannot keep all the possibilities straight, however I will say this. A f/u post travel test makes great sense. and I think most visitors would be willing to pay. After all, it is not just about protecting ourselves, it is a small safeguard that may protect everyone. It also protects Hawaii so travel can continue.What a great alternative to be shut out completely. And for the island businesses to have shut down. No quarantine! Unless a test is positive of course.I’m hoping to make a trip in January if this can be resolved.
Here in Canada, we will be starting vaccinations this month. How is Hawaii going to process visitors who have been vaccinated?
I had my first experience of friends arriving while their tests were delayed from Hawaii approved testing providers. It is totally unfair to quarantine visitors for 14 days, because the legitimate, approved testing locations by the state of Hawaii are proving to be delinquent in providing test results promptly for one to travel. It appears the state of Hawaii believes everyone coming here is positive. They need to wake up and realize there are many healthy people that want to come to Hawaii, and spend lots of $$$$. No one is going to come and spend in excess of $1500 to sit in a hotel room and do nothing. Hawaii is losing dedicated travelers by the thousands who come and spend several thousands of $$$$$.
An amazing analysis! I do hope the powers-that-be in the State and the different counties read your articles and use your insights and compilations of reader comments to make the next set of decisions!
Hi Margaret.
Thanks so much for saying that. Yes, stakeholders in Hawaii are aware of BOH.
Aloha.
Thank you BOH for keeping us informed with the every changing climate daily!
My family travels in a week……maybe?
This morning on the local news, State of Hawaii was advertising free airfare if workers that work from home would spend 30 days in Hawaii helping to stimulate the economy. Such a contradiction going on in the islands.
This has always been our home away from home, but is is slowly falling out of favor for my family and we may decide having a condo no longer is desirable.
Hi Mich.
Thanks. We hope that your travel plans work out for you.
Aloha.
From an economic point of view. California has just implemented a stay home rule which is already resulting in many many holiday cancelations. Implementing any form of quarantine when people have got the negative test as required will result in wholesale cancelations and big hotels will close again like Kaua’i. The Governor is on dangerous ground and he knows it. Maybe some voters will say yes, stop all the visitors hoorah but when the unemployment runs out and the state has no budget he will lose those votes. What is damaging the state the most and that will stay for years is there is no leadership. Other states are not changing the rules weekly. They implement a policy for a fixed period and stick with it. It is called leadership and good government. Then the second test. First who is going to pay for it? large family groups will struggle to add it to their budget so Hawaiian businesses will get no benefit from them as all their extras cash will be gone after two sets of tests. Then what about the tests themselves? Where are they going to get the extras and who is going to have the capacity to carry them out, who is going to enforce it? Surely the first demand for testing should be on those with symptoms and may require hospitalization. Look at Kaua’i and what do we see? The residents returning are the problem and they will be leaving California in droves. They are not going to pay for second tests or stay off work for quarantine. The sensible thing is to keep the pre flight negative test, keep the requirement to check in daily and offer a voluntary second test at guest’s expense. Rather than trying to punish travelers, more effort should be put on enforcement of distancing, wearing masks correctly and following the other rules designed to cut transmission. May be a 2 person limit on hotel rooms would cut infection spread too,
From what I read in the Garden Island News the travel related cases seem to be people who took the COVID Test but did not have the results before they got on the plane. That fix is easy either you can’t get on the airplane without the test results or if you are allowed to travel then you go into isolation until you get the results and then get tested 3-5 days later.
I am a proponent of the post arrival testing even if I have to pay for it. If you have a negative test on arrival then you go into quarantine at wherever you are staying. Quarantine is different than isolation. At least you can get a rental car and do a little grocery shopping. You just need to mask, wash your hands, distance, avoid any groups, remain at the resort and self monitor for any symptoms however slight. This is consistent with CDC guidelines.
Three to five days into the quarantine you have to take another test. Then you are free to move about the island. From what I understand from the latest CDC guidance the longer you go without symptoms within the 14 day quarantine you odds of having been infected drop significantly.
No matter what the Mayors, Governor, or Legislators do they are going to impact the island economy that is tourist based. It is a delicate dance between saving the islands economies and the health of the residents and the tourists that are on island.
Of course the variable is the voluntary compliance of those in quarantine to follow the “rules.” I feel we all need to pull together to stem this pandemic. I am doing my part and hope others will too!
We are arriving in March for five weeks. My hope is that I will be able to get a negative test prior to arrival and an instant test as I deplane!!!!
They want you to quarantine until the second test at 3-7 days is received. Based on your post I’m not sure you saw that.
Quarantine is isolation. You don’t leave your room for any reason except for medical emergencies. You can’t rent cars and drive around. You don’t go out for a few groceries. You don’t go to the beach.
Actual Hawaii Residents should not have to pay for any tests to be able to come home. We live, work, and pay State Income Tax. The State needs to take care of its residents. Nothing is being done for the residents. Everything is for the tourists. Residents should be able to leave their home island and return without paying for testing.
Umm, the state can’t even take care of it’s fiscal responsibility, let alone it’s citizens, and this is the United States of America. Hawaii Residents will have no special privledges that other US citizens do not receive. You want to get special treatment? Cecede, and pay for your own failure. I also pay Hawaii state property taxes, as well as DMV fees, because I live here part time, and if I’m paying federal taxes and the feds are bailing your incompetent state government out, then you sure as heck better Not get special privledges over me! 🤦♂️
Exactly how I feel Jim!
Yeah, no thanks on Any quarantine. I only have a week of vacay
Another important consideration of a second test solution is the prevalence of false positives. The proposal to use antigen tests, while less expensive and not taking from healthcare supply, is problematic in this regard. The false positive rate for antigen tests is much higher than for PCR tests. In fact, reporting on the island of Hawaii’s post arrival testing program shared that 82% of the positives they detected were actually false positives.
If travelers are worried about being forced to quarantine due to a false positive COVID test, I suspect many will decide to vacation elsewhere. Especially as Hawaii is a family destination, if any one member of your family gets a false positive, that ruins the entire vacation.
There is no great solution here.
-Without post arrival testing, there will be too much opportunity for someone to have caught COVID between when they took the test and when they arrived.
-Forcing quarantine on arrival will deter travelers
-Using antigen tests has a high false positive rate, which will deter travelers
-Using PCR tests are both more expensive and take from the medical supply.
The CDC issued guidance around the risk of false positives for antigen testing when prevalence is low. With everyone getting negative test results in order to board the plane (an idea which I’m supportive of), this will create exactly the scenario described below with 90%+ of positive results simply being false positives.
fda.gov/medical-devices/letters-health-care-providers/potential-false-positive-results-antigen-tests-rapid-detection-sars-cov-2-letter-clinical-laboratory
“As disease prevalence decreases, the percent of test results that are false positives increase. For example, a test with 98% specificity would have a PPV of just over 80% in a population with 10% prevalence, meaning 20 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.
The same test would only have a PPV of approximately 30% in a population with 1% prevalence, meaning 70 out of 100 positive results would be false positives. This means that, in a population with 1% prevalence, only 30% of individuals with positive test results actually have the disease.
At 0.1% prevalence, the PPV would only be 4%, meaning that 96 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.”
Not really, responsible people will quarantine (or self isolate) at home, after their pre-flight test, and before they leave, while waiting for a negative result. This should ensure a negative result of a second test on arrival, so they aren’t forced to quarantine. If they do that, and test positive on a second test, only one of two outcomes are possible. They had a false positive on the second test or the pre-flight test was a false negative.
That’s what I did, but most people are Not going to pay for a second test, nor do a required quarantine. It just makes no sense to waste your vacation in a hotel room, no matter how nice the view is.
A second COVID test at any point during one’s Hawaiian vacation will be a non-starter for any party other than singles and couples. Zero families will support this. There are simply other vacationing options out there (though none are ideal at the moment). Whoever came up with a mid-vacation testing requirement should be fired…yesterday…
SoCal Matt
We are booked for our second 5 month stay on the Big Island on January 5th.
We set up and will pay for our pre Test 72 hours in advance.
How will we know what the rules for January will be?
The pre testing sites in Seattle changed as well.
Thank you.
Karen
Hi Karen.
We are in a world of change at the moment. Stay tuned for more updates about what will be happening in January.
Aloha.
After changing our reservations so many times, we are likely to lose the money we paid for tickets for our March 2020 trip, November 2020 trip and now our March 2021 trip. We truly want to see our kids there but the constantly changing policies are just too much. What happens to all of this if we are vaccinated prior to our trip- what is Gov. Ige’s plan for that? I suspect he doesn’t have one. Hawaiian Airlines will cancel without penalty until Dec. 18th. Think I’ll sadly take them up on their offer. Thanks BOH for keeping us up to date on this.
Hi Lee.
Thanks. We appreciate your nearly 50 comments and hope it works out for you to return in March.
Aloha.
Evidently things can and have gotten worse for travelers. No one wants to quarantine for 7 days on top of a negative test. It particularly hurts timeshare owners who in my case have paid $3,000 in fees in two years with no hopes of securing a vacation. There is no refund for us.
Aloha Guys-
Has there been any update on how long Kauai’s 14 day quarantine might last? Is it based on any data? They are still in “Tier 4” of their toothless system.
Quarantining for a minimum of 4 days(allowing for results from a second test after 3 days) will kill almost all travel.
thanks
Hi Jon.
No, there has been no word thus far.
Aloha.
We recently went to Tahiti. Tahiti has reopened since July – they require a pre-travel Covid test (molecular, not the inaccurate Rapid tests) within 72 hours, followed by a second test 4 days after arrival (self administered, they give you the package at the airport and you drop it off at your hotel 4 days after arrival). I have to say, it was absolutely flawless. First of all , it’s comforting to know that everyone on the plane had to have had a PCR-RT test. Second, it was incredible well organized. You get a QR code before departure, they scan it on arrival, hand you your second test, and of you go. The whole process was professionally organized and the whole airport arrival procedure took no more than 5 mins. They have stated that only 0.26% of tourists have tested positive 4 days after arrival, that includes the possibility of exposure between arrival and the time of the test (4 days). Tahiti is even more isolated than Hawaii and yet – they have it all working flawlessly. Recently, due to the success of the program, they reduced the min age required for testing from 6 to 11. And then we have Hawaii – who is nothing but a minefield. I love Hawaii and I respect their want to isolate, but they simply are clueless on how to strike a proper balance.
Did yuo have to quarantine until the second test results were obtained?
Nope, and why should I have to quarantine if 99.74% of all second tests come back negative. See, Hawaii doesn’t want any visitors, ever is designed to keep tourists out.
TOM K…
Just FYI – There are “rapid” tests that are NAAT tests. A PCR test is not the only one acceptable in Hawaii – it is not the only that tests at the molecular lever.
My point is – Hawaii allows untested folks on a plane who could potentially spread it. And they allow rapid tests which has a relatively high error rate. If you really care about your population you wouldn’t allow either. How is it that Tahiti has successfully reopened for 5 months now and Hawaii is clueless.
Tom, you said, “First of all , it’s comforting to know that everyone on the plane had to have had a PCR-RT test.”
Since the FAA regulates airline rules in the USA, and airlines don’t have the authority to require test results, What airline forced you to show test results before boarding?
Plus, with no accountability, what’s to keep people honest, and submit a test that they had someone else in the family swabbed, if the weren’t feeling well? Wee there staffing at hotels qualified to watch you administer to self-test?
And, like Barbara said PCR is one of a few NAAT molecular tests, which is required to enter Hawaii also, but airlines can’t force you to prove you have tested.
This is like watching a hamster trying to get out of the spinning wheel. The only people that are making any money are the testing companies and big Pharma making the test kits. You want us to test before we leave, this again 3 to 4 after we arrive, what happens if we are there for only 2 days? Just make a fair plan for all and stick to it. Don’t change the rules in the middle of the game!!!
Mahalo
I agree with you, Mark. We were set to leave two days before Thanksgiving, (planned after moving it 3x since early March) 3 days before departure, test was planned at Kaiser.(Weeks ahead appointment was made) 4 days before departure,Governor Ige “finally” responds to Mayor Kawakami’s plea made 8 days before our departure, to make post-test with 3 day quaratine mandatory. (Which we were prepared to do so as not to have to cancel everything with spotty refunds, if any!) You see where this is going?….. we were already falling down the rabbit hole with changes daily and a lot of uncertainty. After doing everything right with Safe Travels and crossing our fingers, we were sitting in the parking lot of airport with bags ready to check when no results came, (95hrs it took!) and we were forced to cancel 1 hour before flight. Even with moving our flight out 6 hrs! We were so disappointed, exhausted, stressed, despondent and in shock. Some things were refunded and some things were not, and for not fault of our own! I love Kauai and will always go back and I am all about supporting keeping Hawaii Folks safe, But please…make a fair plan and stick to it. Don’t change horses in the middle of the stream!!
I meant to add that the Govenor’s response on 11/20 demanded instead of post flight 2nd test, a 14 day quarantine if results were not uploaded prior to flight to Hawaii which started on our day of flight. 11/24.
This seems to get worse by the day. I guess I will just cancel my January trip and get a refund. One would have thought they would have lifted or at least eased all the testing requirements by now and the quarantine as well. But it seems exactly the opposite is taking place. They are more determined than ever to destroy what’s left of their economy, permanently alienate tourists, and create even longer food lines over what has been proven to be less deadly to Hawaii than the annual flu. The tourists are the ones taking the biggest risks by flying, not the residents. They should have been grateful that anyone would take the risk in the first place. Instead they want to continue to further their draconian policies, effectively shutting back down many businesses that barely reopened and are hanging on by a thread from permanently closing. I don’t think the vaccines will change anything. I believe these politicians are sadists that enjoy all the harm they are doing.
Everyone needs to have a negative test result before being allowed on a flight. Otherwise they could infect others in the flight as well. Alaska has implemented that policy as of yesterday.
Mahalo
“Everyone needs to have a negative test result before being allowed on a flight. Otherwise they could infect others in the flight as well. Alaska has implemented that policy as of yesterday.”
I don’t believe this is true. Anyone can board a flight to HI without a negative test result as long as they quarantine upon arrival. Federal law prevents an airline from requiring a negative test. If you disagree, please provide a link to the this new Alaska policy.
What Evelyn Said… Alaska Air has no authority to force people to show test results before boarding.
I can live with that. One test for everyone before flying. But not all the additional requirements that they now want to impose. Up until now they don’t require everyone to be tested. Just required the ones not tested into quarantine. So travelers were really the ones taking the biggest risk.
Mahalo
Not again, please. Josh Green seems to be the only one who can put two and two together. Test before departure and do another test at the airport upon arrival. There are rapid tests available to get quick and quite accurate results. Airports in Germany offer those for free. Everything else will kill tourism again and stop what has started well. We spent almost 5 weeks on Maui. It was wonderful and no one had a reason to complain, neither the locals nor the visitors. We talked to a lot of locals, some employed again, some selfemployed, who just reopened their shops. They all were happy to see visitors again, but all were frightenend of another shutdown.
Agree,Josh Green is a leader who can balance economic/health concerns-My friends in Rome say the same thing,a rapid test at the airport,Italy dealt with covid snd moved on—I feel both anger and sadness with Hawaii’s leadership,and also the fear and unexpected rude behavior from many Hawaii residents. I always thought that Hawaii was welcoming,a melting pot,and perhaps Oahu still is/but it saddens me to experience the insular behavior of many(of course not all,) Kauai residents. -My concern,hasn’t been addressed-how does this change inter island travel?
Thank you Beat of Hawaii-my sincere hope is that Hawaii will retain its openness and diversity.
Hi Jeanne.
Thanks. Concur that interisland will also need to be re-addressed.
Aloha.
Aloha,
Thank you for the up-to-date information and for helping make sense of all he islands rules/guidelines/safety measures. Still confusing as it’s kind of a work in progress. But, your blog is helpful.
I guess as my flight out of SFO is ‘scheduled’ to fly me to Kona 12/23, I ask the crystal ball – will I be able to fly to the Big Island in just over 2 weeks, or should I begin to reschedule my hotel OR request a refund outright (hotel paid 1 month ago in full).
Thoughts?
Mahalo!
Hi Valerie.
The overall consensus is that Safe Travels is working. It is hard to think that the state will implement the 7-day quarantine one of the committees has requested. We should know more in the next day or two.
Aloha.
Do not forget the stay at home order in California. At the moment it is the South and Central Valley but I believe the city of San Francisco has implemented it and there is talk of state wide. A friend of mine today told me the airlines are cutting flights from Californian cities accordingly.
Rich, I think you have a complete misunderstanding of what California’s stay at home order really is/means. You seriously need some better, more educated informants from the Golden State.
It’s not literal, and it definitely does NOT have any authority to hinder travel (especially airline travel), if you want to leave the state. No law enforcement agency has the manpower/ability to enforce it, nor have they…even during the original “stay at home order” in the beginning of this (not really by definition) pandemic.
Comrade Newsom also recently issued a curfew that isn’t being enforced, by nearly all the 58 counties. That clown has lost his mind, and frankly, people are starting to ignore his political antics, especially Sheriff Departments, because the Sheriffs are elected officials, and they typically want to keep their jobs.
Also, you telling (or inferring) people from another state that they need to stay at home, because you heard from second (maybe third) hand news “their governor said so”, without understanding the true dynamics, and what is legally being challenged or legally binding in their state, is irresponsibly inappropriate.
Thanks, BOH! So, the Gov “expressed concerns about making changes to the (Safe Travels) program.” Maybe because he’s already made changes then changes to those changes. Whenever the next change is implemented, who in their right minds will believe that something new wont be proposed weeks later? Almost 11 mos into this and the cat is still chading its tail …
*chasing its tail
Hi Tracy.
True. True. Thanks.
Aloha.
We already are paying $200 to $250 for a pretravel test. Now maybe having to pay for another after travel??? Pretty expensive especially if bringing your kids on the trip.
You are traveling during a pandemic so what what if it’s a costly endeavor if you have to pay for a second test to help keep people safe and healthy.
If the cost of travel is turning your off it’s pretty simple: Don’t travel. At this point be grateful the option is there to travel 🙄
It’s pretty much a mess right now. Where I live there are no trusted partners and I already had 1 “sale” air fare canceled by Alaska Airlines and marked up triple. I am just gonna wait till things settle down before I book again
Thanks for the great info. Those of us planning to travel.soon appreciate the timely heads up on what is happening.
Hi Stephen.
Thanks. Stay tuned for more and good luck in your planning. Let us know how it goes.
Aloha.
So one question I have for all the leaders of Hawaii right now is “so how does it feel to just make decisions by the way the political winds blow”. Because in my opinion, that is all that is happening here. The political winds blew one way, and the Mayors obliged and agreed to a plan. Now the winds are blowing another way because of doctors who are getting press for their non-peer-reviewed studies to which the Legislature is giving credence.
Just like in the movie “Ferris Bueler’s Day Off” the teacher (representing the people of Hawaii who would like to get back to work) are asking the class (full of these politicians who are feckless) instead of saying “Bueller? Bueller?”, you have the person in the front of the room saying “leadership? leadership?”.
And to think these are the same people that are supposed to come up with a plan to distribute the vaccine when it comes out.
IMO, it is not the price of the after arrival test but the assurance that the second test is administered. We tried this offer a reward for those coming in for the after arrival test and got a 2% response. Any plan based on voluntary compliance is doomed to fail.