This morning we heard from an irate reader, Latonia. Here’s what she said:
“I just returned from Hawaii on a wasted vacation 8/26- 8/27 and should have been there until 8/31. My party which consisted of 1 adult, 3 minors ages 6-10 all took Covid tests on the same day at the same location from “trusted partner” Walgreens within the timeframe. All but 1 result came back before the departure date. We leave for Hawaii to get to the airport, we’re told we had to quarantine until the last result came in. No problem. When results came in later that evening, was told we still had to quarantine.”
“Apparently, people at the airport and the state of Hawaii have 2 totally different understandings of the rules. Was told there are 2 websites with info safe travels and travelcovid19.com (or something close to that).”
“Long story short…flew back home the next; day trip over. Heard another story on my flight back from a couple with all their paperwork being required to quarantine. Hawaii is making up the rules as they go…so disappointing. They won’t get my money ever again and I will discourage any of my clients from going to Hawaii unless they are dead set on going. AND they are still sending me text messages for daily check-ins and phone calls!”
(Vulgarity) Hawaii!
So what’s your take?
What we see is that some people, albeit not that many, seem to be incapable of following the rules. It couldn’t be that difficult given the tens of thousands of visitors who arrive in the islands each day, use the same (testing or vaccination) protocol.
Asking “someone” whether it be an airline or anyone else about traveling without proof of test results is foolish to say it nicely. The state’s Hawaii Safe Travels website (https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel) is abundantly clear that you cannot arrive without test results (or proof of vaccination) and subsequently avoid the 10-day quarantine. Period.
Is Hawaii making up the rules on the fly, as Latonia proferred? Definitely not.
Previous issues with those not following the Hawaii Safe Travels Rules
You’ll recall we mentioned a series of unusual videos on TikTok by a couple of young women who also discovered firsthand what happens for not following Hawaii COVID protocol. In the end, they did make it to Hawaii and were quarantine-free. But that didn’t happen without tremendous difficulty and additional expense. Below is what transpired, followed by their videos (caution: swearing).
In a third incident, a quarantined Hawaii wedding couple said of their island experience, “It’s like being in prison.” They came to Hawaii for their honeymoon, and the couple was both fully vaccinated and had obtained negative test results. They claimed that the airline told them their tests would exempt them from quarantine, so they boarded and flew off to the islands. That’s when the trouble began. On arrival, they were told that the test they took was not accepted as it was a rapid antigen test instead of a PCR/NAAT type test. The Hawaii-approved pharmacy said that it is up to the customer to determine the correct test. In the end, they were miserable here, and unable to do anything to dissuade the state regarding their mandatory quarantine.
And lastly, in yet another bizarre Hawaii COVID travel story, we learned about a couple who flew to Hawaii to be married. Unfortunately, they also did not have the right test from a Hawaii trusted partner. And, as a result, they ended up in quarantine. Rather than return to the mainland for testing as these two TikTok women did, this couple chose to remain in quarantine in Hawaii.
The women in the TikTok story planned a vacation in Honolulu and on Maui. But, unfortunately, what happened didn’t go exactly as they had envisioned.
1. The two took a test from a non-Hawaii trusted partner where they live in Raleigh, North Carolina.
2. They flew first from Raleigh to Atlanta, then onward to Honolulu. It appears no one told them there was going to be a very serious problem when they arrived in Hawaii. (Important point here, the traveler is entirely responsible for meeting Hawaii entry requirements during COVID).
3. On arrival in Honolulu, officials notified the pair that they did not have tests that could be approved for exemption from quarantine, which left the only choice as a mandatory one for 10-days.
4. Rather than spend 10-days in quarantine jail, the two decided to leave Hawaii immediately and booked the next flight they could for California. They spent more than 24 hours seeking their pre-travel testing exemption before returning to Honolulu to resume their Hawaii vacation.
5. Relive their Hawaii COVID travel adventure on TikTok.
@_sarahblackwood 40 hours later WE MADE IT @abbeycampbell0 #hawaii #waimanalo #oahu #bestie #fyp
@_sarahblackwood #duet with @abbeycampbell0
@_sarahblackwood Part 2!!!!! The conclusion to our incredibly expensive mistake, we made it!!!! #greenscreenvideo #oahu #honolulu #travel #fyp @abbeycampbell0
@_sarahblackwood Use our idiocy as an example!!! #safetravels #oahu #honolulu #covid #covid19 @abbeycampbell0
@_sarahblackwood Part 2 guys in case you cared! Follow us for updates!!!:’)) @abbeycampbell0 #covid #hawaii #travel #oahu #honolulu
@_sarahblackwood Ignore my red eyes been crying the last 2 hours… 12 more hours on a plane! #honolulu #covid #quarantine #hawaii #fuck #covid19 @abbeycampbell0
Do you have any Hawaii COVID travel stories to share?
If the so-called “entitlement” is “out of control” why do you continue to get on this website. I appreciate BOH for not censoring comments and allowing freedom of speech. If you don’t like it go somewhere else where everybody thinks as you do.
We just returned from the big island and it was a brezze. I got my info directly from the state’s website. travel.hawaii.gov <– Note the ".gov".
In our case since we were vaccinated, the site was CLEAR as heck what we had to do in order to get an exemption from the quarantine. Keep in mind that the rules are actually VERY simple. There is a MANDATORY 10-day quarantine if you are travelling to Hawaii. You CAN get an exemption from that MANDATORY quarantine. There are two ways to get that exemption.
1. If you are vaccinated, then you just upload your "proof" of vaccination. There are a number of ways to do that now.
2. If you are foolishly NOT vaccinated, then you have to be tested. Again, the site has detailed information on the kind of test, and who to get the test from, etc. We are lucky that here in LA LAX has a number of testing sites, and again those sites are very clear on what kind of test they use, how long it takes to get the results and if that test is eligible for exemption by the state of Hawaii.
Once you have done #1 or #2 above you fill out the online form at the Safe Travels website 24 hours before your trip. You will then be emailed a QR code.
When you arrive at the airport SOME airlines (we flew Delta and they didn't) will check your info and issue you a wrist band that will allow you to whisk through the airport. In our case, we didn't have that so we had to have our info checked in Hawaii. Again, I think we were lucky since the line was very short. In either case, a quick check using the QR code we were sent, and off we went to wait for a long time at Herz for our rental car. But that's ANOTHER story.
So as I see it, the rules are clear, you can get all the info you need from the safe travels website, and it's easy to do things right. Just stop listing to all those "alternative facts", alt-right websites, qanon conspiracy theories, etc., and follow the instructions on the safe travels website, and you will be fine.
Hawaii has made it way too complicated. Frankly, it’s no longer worth all the trouble. The people there don’t seem interested in getting their own vaccines, and they certainly have no aloha spirit anymore. We will happily take our money and vacation elsewhere from now on.
Bye Felicia
You’ll soon find out many islands are going to go this way. I love Hawaii and the very little effort to get there is 100% worth it to me.
And does your state have a higher percentage of vaxed people? How about the rest of the mainland? If following a few rules in order to keep an island chain isolated 2500 miles from anywhere safer is too much effort, don’t come here. You’d be shocked to know that Aloha is alive and well..we just have zero patience with self entitled people who can’t seem to understand the logistics of where we live and refuse to comply with our rules.Take your money to Florida instead…DeSantis doesn’t care what you do, we won’t miss you. Buhbye and Mahalo
People like you are the reason I won’t be going to Hawaii this year or anytime soon.
Aloha.
We are flying out of Phoenix next Tuesday, 9-7 to Kauai. We have uploaded our vac cards to the Safe Travel site, will complete the questionnaire 24 hour before leaving and hopefully get our Green Check and QR Code. Are we good to go?
Just received the following from American Airlines and it looks as though it is saying we need a negative NAAT test also. See below:
Departing from: Phoenix (PHX) Travelers to Hawaii who are fully vaccinated or who test negative for COVID-19 are exempt from the state’s mandatory quarantine. You also may be able to skip arrival screening in Hawaii. To be exempt from mandatory quarantine:
The state of Hawaii only accepts nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). Testing must be performed by a trusted medical provider. Effective September 1, all test results must be submitted on the approved State of Hawaii form. Submit your vaccination record or negative COVID-19 test to the state authority on their website (not through American Airlines). To skip arrival screening: Create a Safe Travels account and upload your vaccine card or a negative COVID-19 test. Complete and submit the Travel Health Questionnaire, and receive a QR code to show at the airport. (You can get the QR code on your phone or in your email.)
No, it is not saying that. It says in the first line vaccinated are exempt.
Don’t listen to anyone but the Hawaii Safe Travels website, and you will be fine. They make what you need to do quite clear.
I (we) did a trip to Oahu for six days and one day in Maui for six of us last April. We are still planning to go back to Maui Thanksgiving week. We followed all protocols for our visit without any issues. Using this next trip as a teaching experience for my grandkids ages 13 and 16. They are responsible for planning the whole trip, with adult supervision of course. That means making sure we all have our CDC cards and meet all requirements to enter Hawaii. Don’t want to have the kids think they can just hop on a plane and go to Hawaii.
These two I put in the IOWA class( idiots out wondering around).
Thanks and see Maui in November.
By the way, as a well-informed and educated Iowan, that would be “Idiot Out Wandering Around” not “wondering”.
This publication’s statement that it is “not that difficult” to follow Hawaii Safe Travels rules and regulations is ridiculous. I realize they are islands and vulnerable. However, no other state or even country I am aware of has set up such a stringent and narrow set of travel requirements. We have a family (including children) vacation scheduled for December and I am certain we will cancel it after cancelling Mar. 2020, and March 2021. If traveler’s are accounting for only 2 percent of the problem, Hawaii is targeting the wrong population while at the same time devastating the economy of Hawaii. As a traveler there for over 20 years, I resent all the new “fees” being imposed on travelers to attempt to make up for their decisions to continue to effectively shut down tourism. Almost as much as I disagreed with their decision to abandon all economic activity other than tourism decades ago. My love affair with Hawaii is coming to an end. I am glad I got to enjoy it for so many years before their government ruined the experience.
Good then the rest of us can go and respect the islands unlike yourself. You do realize that locals fly in and out too and they also have to pay those fees. These are islands in the middle of the pacific ocean not idaho
We were in Hawaii in June when all of this was just getting rolled out. We had absolutely no problem finding a trusted testing partner. We had our results in less than 24 hours, we had our QR code. Walked right up to the Hawaii Check in counter got our wrist bands and never looked back.
Its very simple folks. Follow the damn rules. Get vaccinated, get your test if your not, get your results and have fun.
I guess that it’s all about you, huh Paul C?