What visitors need to know now about Hawaii travel.
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574 thoughts on “Hawaii Delays Reopening Amid Failed Pre-Travel Testing Plans”
What visitors need to know now about Hawaii travel.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Following the Henry Ford Hospitals test comes another from New York.
July 15, 2020 Release:
Of the 141 patients who were treated with the triple therapy, only 2.8 percent (4) were hospitalized compared to 15.4 percent (58 of the 377 untreated patients) of those from the untreated control group. While not significant, the triple therapy also saw a decrease in the number of deaths, with 0.71 percent (1) of patients dying in the treatment group, versus 3.5 percent (13) in the untreated group.
Sue the hawaii govt for the cost of resort food spoiled when things wont open for aug 1. Sue for other damages. That’s the only thing Hawaii seems to understand and respond to sadly these days. Why be nice and why bother? And why worry about c0vid when your screwing over most of thr population instead of killing off one third of one percent with c0vid and maybe the 5 to 10 percent of pple that get infected might hospitalize.
People are Just tired. They dont want masks or lockdowns. They want treatments and solutions and a vaccine. In the meantime you cant stop the virus.
[Edited]. I would suggest not coming to hawaii unless necessary until the island can re enter the modern world as a state with stately goals and responsibilities, such as a solid reopening date etc.
people that live in hawaii should be embarrassed and ashamed for insulting thier own country. I hate the people on here that bash tourists n tell them not to come. Hawaiians have never really liked tourism, so why is there still no other plan? Just insult other states and the people and the fed govt bu trying to effectively close state borders and still expect them to send you money? Some aloha spirit! I think hawaii Has lost its paradise feel for sure.
For those that beg for answers, its better to boycott hawaii. Tell everyone dont come. They have no respect for you as a howlie tourist. They hide the racism but ive called it out again. Im happy to have visited years ago [edited] and things wernt as bad as now. But dont see myself wanting to return
The Hawaiian word is ha’ole. It’s meaning: “no breath” as the early missionaries greeted by shaking hands rather than holding shoulders and touching foreheads. Simply a tradition, and your interpretation suffers from that misinterpretation.
The island is choosing not to “enter the modern world” until the modern world (or mainland U.S. to be more specific) can understand that there are ways to stem the surge of CV-19. Logic would tell you that inviting folks from states and a country that can’t travel to Europe nor more than two dozen other countries is not a policy that would save tourism. It would simply invite a surge in Hawaii.
Please continue with your boycott, but also inform the EU and 23 other countries where U.S. citizens , including us, are persona non grata.
Right on, James B. To C.F…Please don’t come visit.
Seriously DUDE? I love how ONE Person was told by a “friend” and it becomes fact? [Edited].I never thought I would read something racist on this site. And to be approved by the moderators. Very disappointing. And GOOD I hope you never EVER return CF.
Paul c hope you like the drug paraphernalia and broken glass on your no tourist hawaii beaches. Trash everywhere and no revenue to clean up anything. Welcome to your new paradise.
People are staying away from hawaii because the locals are racist for a long time now and covid has really exposed what has been there for atleast a decade.
You complain about it and attack the moderator just like you think you can hide from a virus with your mask. Not my friend or me just realistic not racist. Shes hawaiian and cant visit her dad and other family due to incompetent and cowardly hawaii govt officials. But if you want to think so about me or her being racist its fine.
Dont need crazies in hawaii telling me not to visit. Dont care what you think about me visiting. Or the other people on here that want to complain about me. Too bad cry a river?! Go to church or pray to Pele i guess?
LOL wow what a rant. Frankly I do not blame ANY Hawaiian for not wanting you there with your hatefilled attitude
Paul C you can cry a river about me and for Hawaii. Let me know how that goes. Actually don’t. Im pretty bored with the baseless insults.
There is a reason why the people of Hawaii are standing up for the safety of all the residents of Hawaii , putting the health of the people first before the desires of mainland travelers. The people of Hawaii never asked to become part of the United States but on january 17, 1893, American marines with American gun boats in Honolulu harbor overthrew the kingdom of Hawaii and put the queen in lockup in her house. The kingdom had been on good terms with both the United States and England but was overthrown by force .
thank you for this post
I know that this is so frustrating for an Island that depends so much on tourism. I can’t even imagine the hardships that are being faced by businesses and families. I can tell you from a State that is having to close businesses again it would be horrifying to ramp up, get started and then have to close again. I know that much was done to try and ready for August 1. We have bars and restaurants that ordered food, ppe for their personnel “cleaned” and are now having to throw the food out and where take out was a survival tool… bankruptcy is the sure thing now.
I am hearing promising news about immunology and hopefully it won’t be to long now.
Prayers for all of us Hawaii.
Stay safe everyone, will will get thru all of this
Aloha
Bill
Hi Bill.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Paul C, sadly people can not raise questions without you weighing in with your “trolling expertise?” To assume you are a better or more caring person than me or others on this site shows your infantile anger and immaturity. So have a great day! I wish the people of Hawaii all the best but the people of Hawaii are not getting the best from their governor.
My trolling expertise? I am just going on facts of what we are seeing in our daily lives. We shoudlnt be trying to FORCE any state to open. Look I want to go to Hawaii so BAD I can literally taste it. We had a wonderful 10 day trip planned. I dont know the Governor from Adam and frankly DO NOT care. He is the elected official that makes the decisions.
Never in ANY of my comments have I said or insinuated that I am better than you or anyone Phil. Infantile? What are you talking about? Because I want people to be safe? DO you have more rights to post here than I do? I am sure if the moderators didnt like what I was saying they could moderate my comments. Not sure what you are complaining to me about.
In response to Paul C. Since most of the interstate commerce passes between Washington and Oregon via the interstate bridge, it seems pretty unlikely that anything like this could be initiated. In addition, many people work in Oregon and live in WA, and vice versa, and while many are working from home, a fair number of people are not. We also have friends in the legislature, and they are not aware of this kind of a plan.
I just heard its part of the conversation. Our governor has done a fantastic job keeping our numbers very low. 6th lowest in the nation. Yes people do work here and in WA and exceptions can and should be made. I am more talking about out of state travelers flying in or driving in just for you know casual things like vacations. We have already had issues on the coast with out of state people who came here and racially attacked a black family from Portland. Look I dont have the solution! I want to go to Hawaii as bad as anyone commenting here but I am not going to question the duly elected officials of Hawaii who are only doing their very best to keep their citizens safe.
I was talking about tourists and visitors not commerce 🙂
Just cancelled wedding plans for August. Thought we did all that was needed to ensure a safe trip for us & Hawaii. I agree safety first for all. However, changing of the Aug to Sept 1st date, this late in the game? And with no testing details? We just can’t trust that it won’t be moved again or testing worked out. It’s not just the test to avoid quar antine. Can’t trust there will be a safe flight…. do not want to fly in a crowded plane. Can’t trust our hotel will decide to keep plans to open, etc. Feel bad for the vendors we hired, as they would have made some money.
Read on this blog that Oregon and Washington are considering a quarantine for out of state visitors. I live in WA right across the river from Oregon. Neither state has considered a quarantine- unless they forgot to warn citizens. Some comments are downright nasty when people are upset about losing hard earned cash they’ve paid for vacations. Have a little empathy.
I read your blog all the time because my husband is from HI and we have kids there. Good information. We appreciate that.
Hi Lee.
Thanks.
Aloha.
Lee,
I have been hearing rumors of this from the state capital where I have several friends who work in operations. I think it would be a VERY smart idea considering the outbreaks around us here. Already the USA requires anyone flying home from overseas to self quarantine.
Well its official for our group of 4 who were coming. We are going to cancel our September 4-14 trip until sometime next year. The extension date is just too close and you cannot get tested for C0vid19 in Oregon unless you have symptoms. We already moved it back twice. I dont fault Hawaii the airlines or anyone else. We are bummed but safety has to be top priority
We really wanted to come but it needs to be safe for EVERYONE us and the Hawaiians so we are going to start looking at 2021.
I am not surprised by this further delay. The Governor is probably delighted that he has a “legitimate” excuse for keeping out Mainlanders. I have long since canceled my July-August vacation plans for Maui. We are going to Mexico instead. But if Hawaii was serious about getting their tourism going again, they would find a way. An onsite airport test procedure could be established. For the right price a private lab company would set this up and administer it similar to Frankfurt or Iceland. The cost of this test could be added as a tax to hotel,condo, and car rentals. Then the test would be “free” at the airport. Passengers could wait 4 to 6 hours at an airport lounge where they would be free to spend money on food and drink. Or, they could self isolate in their lodging for 24 hours or until their test results came back. This would work. Everybody happy? only works if someone like Lt. Gov. Green is in charge. You gotta want it to work!
PS This is my last comment for a while. I won’t subscribe any more either. Good Luck to all of Hawaii. I hope that next Summer this is not an issue any more.
GOOD
BYE
Hi thanks for your great blog. I just wanted to sign Again up for automatic Email responses. I do enjoy the emails showing comments . Thanks so much for your help . Tim
Hi Tim.
Thanks. There is a link in the comment section of every article that says “subscibe.” Every email you get from such a comment subscription also has a link to unsubscribe or manage your subscriptions. Let us know if that doesn’t help.
Aloha.
Aloha.
Aloha-
I am trying again because I didn’t read the reply guidelines! Do you know what the stated reason is that military personnel are apparently exempt from testing and quarantining? That seems to defeat the purpose if they are going off their bases.
thanks!
Hi Jon.
We don’t know but believe it is because they are considered essential workers. Maybe someone else knows more and can comment.
Aloha.
I very much want to get back to Hawaii and have already missed Out on a short post cruise stay in Waikiki in early April And my normal 2 week May vacation in Waikiki and have a long 6 week trip to Waikiki at end of October planned but I must say that the comments are showing some of us on the mainland appear to be thinking they are entitled to put their trip before the safety of the Hawaiian residents . The governor has tough choices and he is putting safety over money . Hawai’i is not Kansas, the people of Hawaii did not ask for American gunships to arrive in Honolulu harbor to force the queen to abdicate and go into American imposed lockup in her home . I live in Oregon but do understand that the safety Of the residents of Hawaii comes before money . C0vid is not a hoax and has health repercussions that are still being discovered.
I have to say the state of Hawai’i is being very arrogant. Our family has been to every island and taken over 40 trips in the last 25 years. Yet, it seems now our money is no good. That your state is not capable of finding a way to open up. Find a company that charges two hundred dollars a person for instant tests. That 100% can be done. Open up ever restaurant and bar with outside seating. That can be done.
Open up the beaches and mandate a ten foot separation, that could be done. I think the locals feel like “ oh… it’s fine, the tourists will all just come flooding back.” Wrong! You are treating us like dirt.
awe poor Bob. Its NOT up to you to decide what Hawaii does. I dont like these restrictions anymore than the next guy and we have put off our trip twice now but I am not going to be one of those who thinks HAWAII SHOULD BE FORCED to open more than any other state. You have no respect for the people or the Islands and your arrogant me first attitude is not what is needed in Hawaii at this time.
Treating you like Dirt because they dont want C0vid!?: We were treated very nicely not only by the airline Hawaiian but the condo we had rented the lady has been very accommodating so not sure why you feel persecuted or discriminated against but please grow up and be a little nicer
You call Hawaii arrogant yet you are treating that beautiful state and it is people like it is amusement park. Don’t let the lava hit you when you leave.
Hawaii will have to figure out how to survive in 2020 without my tourism $$. Our Augusy trip has been scrapped. Hope to see you in 2021
Logically, herd immunity is in progress all over the world assuming some basic factors. Is Ige hoping to avoid that forever either waiting for the virus to dissapear or a vaccine is fully in place?
Phil,
In order to achieve herd immunity a full on 70% of all americans would need to become infected, we need a working vaccine and potentially MILLIONS would die. The USA has barely tested 1% of our population and our numbers are already thru the roof. I am not willing to sit by you who could be asymptomatic and not even know you are infected so please stop with this theory of herd immunity because that would kill hundreds of thousands more or potentially millions so I ask you with respect WHOM all in your circle of friends and relatives are you willing to sacrifice just so you can go on vacation in Hawaii? Personally I will stay away till its safe and we are welcomed back by Hawaiians. I am positive that they would much rather have good people like me than someone like you who seems not to care about millions of american citizens. Have a nice day and do try and educate yourself on this subject.
Aloha!!
We have a week booked in November on Maui. I don’t know whether to wait it out and see if testing times get better and things improve or to just cancel now and call it done 🙁 I’m so torn about what to do.
I’m feeling the same way, trip canceled for May now it looks like the same for Oct. thru Nov.
I’m with you, my family vacation is at the end of October-November. I’m just so frustrated with everything, but totally understand. I don’t know whether to cancel or not….
Henry Ford Hospitals just finished a study. You might want to look into it for your own information.
Other treatments including Immunology trials are approved for the end of July but will take several weeks for the outcomes. If they are approved for distribution, then that has to happen. Time time time.
Testing is good but it is still only an indicator of what you are at THAT MOMENT IN TIME. You could get it on the way back home.
I would like to be upset with the Gov of Hawaii but I am in a State that is having to close businesses again. It is heartbreaking. I just lost a relative that I loved dearly to this virus and I COULD NOT GO TO HIS FUNERAL. I am allowed to (Apparent Political Sensitive Subject) but not gather for a funeral. I can tell you I would swap the week in Hawaii for keeping my loved one or at least being able to hug my relatives and cry with them.
Suicides and drug overdoses due to economic hardships are also devastating. I do not envy the decisions that have to be made but Chapter 11, 13 or 7 bankruptcy at least gives you the ability to start over again. Stay Home and Stay Safe. One week disappointment in the years of your life.?.? At least you will be able to see it again for years to come.
Hawaii is between a rock and a hard place. They obviously don’t have the capacity to deal with a local pandemic, much less one brought in from anywhere outside. So, if the bug does go wild lots of folks will die. Keeping the Islands closed to the outside will strangle the economy, and many people will die from that. It’s a no-win situation. It takes leadership, at the State and Federal level for testing, PPE, medical supplies, medications, vaccines. This is a nationally serious problem that is not being dealt with. As has been shown time and again, rapid-response testing (which the rest of the world seems to have figured out) is needed if we are to move forward. With pre-travel testing and results there would be only modest to low risk of re-opening. The solutions are there.
Aloha!
Our August trip for 20 family members is sadly gone. Rebooking for next year if posible. It’s a lot of planing to get everyone available at the same time for 10 days,
I’m thinking testing after arrival leaves everyone on the plane exposed to someone who has the virus. Scary! Don’t think that’s an alternative, or did I read that wrong.
Thanks fo keeping us up to date. Or as up to date as possible. Things seem to change by the minute.
Mahalo.
Hi Bev.
Thanks. At this point, it is anyone’s guess how testing etc. will end up. If someone tries to indicate they know (including the state), they are simply wrong. Hope to have more updates soon.
Aloha.
I just got two alerts this morning from Hawaiian air and Alaska Air with special sales in flights to Hawaii right now. Tell me WHAT ARE THESE AIRLINES TRYING TO DO ? The dates are for right now until the end of the year. WHAT ARE THESE AIRLINES DOING …. getting our money then telling us we can’t go or “” make it so complicated we can’t go? “” then they are getting our money and we can’t go. Is that the airlines plan to do this knowing we can’t get over there here from the west coast SFO LAX etc. TELL ME IS THIS the airlines ripping us off ?
I wanted to address [edited] living in hawaii that think tourism wont recover if covid ravages the island.
Even if 1 percent or more dies on the island tourists will come after c0vid is over.
Either the government of hawaii or the residents or both want to go hide under a rock and want to play legal games. Well there is lawsuits for that and for sure That will deter tourists for longer after c0vid is gone than the virus alone.
It also makes a mockery of the [edited] govt of hawaii now. Sad and cowardly and no sense of nationalism and pride to be a free American. Hawaii would rather follow [edited] policy and trick and decieve with passive aggressive policies. Bait and switch.
Want more hospital beds hawaii? Bring in the navy ships. Open tourism. Be brave! [edited]
I love how your site clearly states “NO POLITICS” and yet every day I see [edited] attacking IGE and Hawaii and using the same conspiracy [edited] that he does here on your site. Some want to FORCE Hawaii to open up and to use the Federal Government to do it. is that not political in nature?
That being said.
Part of the issue is leadership from the top. The top said NOPE we take NO responsibility for testing for c0vid or anything else. That is on the states. After the Federal government snapped up most of the needed supplies for these very tests. Testing has been given to friends of said leader and they refuse to allow mass testing and mass results. ALL Citizens need to be tested.
I for one will patiently wait for my first visit to the Islands when it is safe not only for native Hawaiians but also for me and my family and friends that plan to come.
I hold nothing against the locals or the governor who is trying to do his best to keep his citizens safe. Hawaii IS part of the US an official STATE so stop saying we need to FORCE ourselves on them> its this very selfish attitude that will keep us locked down for the foreseeable future, Here on the main land so many refuse to socially distance, wear masks and to do the basic things that can get us out of this. [edited] Instead said person allowed the federal government to snap up much needed supplies then sold them to private entities their friends to sell to states. States ended up having to bid against each other for much needed PPE and equipment.
SO STOP BLAMING HAWAII. I want to go as much or more than anyone who is posting here but I am willing to wait till its safe.
Florida, Texas, Arizona and California are ALL blowing up with positive tests. I just heard that in Texas alone there are 11000 new citizens with C0vid in the hospitals there.
Money is great but if your dead money does you NO GOOD.
No one is forcing them to open. And no one is arguing the 72 hour rule. Calm down.
Aloha Guys!
Do you expect to hear anything else that elaborates on whether if people prove they are negative, they will be able to avoid the quarantine.??? It makes no sense to force people to quarantine, if they are proven healthy, before they come. Have you heard if the Airlines are going to cancel their flights already booked for August???? Looking forward to hearing more developments, in the next few days/weeks for those of us who have property and business to take care of there!
Mahalo again, for the updates, Rob and Jeff!
Hi Jim.
Thanks. At this point, we aren’t sure if there will be any further updates for a while. Sorry to say. Certainly we’ll be writing more about that.
Aloha.
My take away from all of this is that the governor was in a corner and he found a way out by procrastinating.
(Nothing new)
Is Hawai’i planning on staying “closed” forever?
Answers all welcome.
Mahalo, Beat of Hawai’i.
As usual, you’re the best.
Hi Pam.
Thank you!
Aloha.
So if we are able to get the test results 72 hours prior to travel, are we able to get to stay without quarantine?
Still so unclear, trying to find pre testing with 72 hr quar antine is not easy to do. Out on a limb with lodging , air fare & text costs for a family of 4, to lose it because your results don’t come back in time or worst get turned around at the Hawaii airport, who paying for the early return flight. So we canceled our vaca and rebooked to New Orleans, so Hawaii to much work for a vaca.
No need to cover for the Hawaii Governor/government. The issue has NEVER been “number of cases”. It has always been to deal with those who are the most susceptible to this virus and that does not include children and healthy adults below the age of 40.
Treating the whole population monolithically is having disastrous effects on families, children not in school, as well as economically.
The key metric has to do with deaths among those we are not paying special attention to, NOT numbers of everyone else affected by the virus.
I 100% Agree, Mark.
You are ignoring a few important metrics that matter:
1. You said the issue is that the virus targets mostly those of 40 with more severe results. Since Memorial Day total cases among people younger than 45 have grown nearly twice as fast as for people 65 and older, USA TODAY’s analysis of CDC data shows.
2. You said monolithic testing is a bad idea. Currently, we have tested less than 1% of the U.S. population, so we have little idea of community spread, and the current skyrocketing infection rates in southern and western states make contact tracing an impossibility. Until there is a federal coordinated approach with drastically increased testing, we will still be swimming blind in the virus ocean.
3. You said that the key metric is deaths. Medical professionals are seeing complications (blood clots, organ failure, intestinal complications and reduced lung capacity) across all age groups. The future story of this pandemic may well be the future medical costs from those infected.
Finally, your greatest logical flaw is the assumption that the virus does not affect children or those younger than forty. The growth rates in infections since Memorial Day for those age 0-17 (144.4%); 18-44 (68.9%); while those over 65 = ~40% (CDC).
[Edited} THANK YOU FOR THIS.
Aloha James,
I would suggest that if you are going to challenge someone’s point, you might want to understand what they said, and not modify the context of their comments or ideas. You also may want to have a complete set of accurate statistics, before making inaccurate claims.
So you know, The US has tested over 41 million people according to the latest CDC Data, which you can find here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/testing-in-us.html
That would be over 12% of Americans tested…That’s 12 times more than you stated we have tested…not sure where did you received your data from??? In fact, it was back in mid April sometime, when we hit 3.3 million tests (I believe it was 4 million around the 3rd week in April), which is about 1% of the US population. 12% is actually a decent amount to establish a much narrower range (in degree of certainty) for extrapolating data on community spread.
I am not sure how, but you misinterpreted pretty much Everything Mark said. The worst of which was to surmise his “Greatest Logical Flaw”, which you said, “…is the assumption that the virus does not affect children or those younger than forty.” That is Not even close to any valid interpretation of what he said. He actually stated, “The issue has NEVER been “number of cases”. It has always been to deal with those who are the most susceptible to this virus and that does not include children and healthy adults below the age of 40”.
The OPERATIVE words here are “most susceptible”, which does NOT mean. “does not affect children or those younger than forty”. What it does mean is that (although people in those age groups will get sick and some may die), these are NOT the people that are dying in high percentages.
Herd Immunity has already begun, and it will (like it always does) continue to happen…AND, it will happen sooner, the less our government hinders the process, which they have continued to do, since the inception of this crisis. As long as we continue to make sure hospitals are not overwhelmed (the vast majority haven’t been up to this point), by continuing to wear masks (when necessary), and continue practicing social distancing (when possible-even if some people don’t), we will still get through this just fine. People are going to die from it, and we are not going to stop all deaths…this is the hard cold truth/reality.
I hope you actually go back to re-read and comprehend what Mark wrote, because he actually nailed it. We only need to be protecting the oldest generations, and let this virus run its course. It is up to individuals to protect themselves, should they choose. It is not up to the government to keep people from working, kill an economy, which will cause more catastrophic disaster (including more death), as they try and “protect everyone from dying”, because they believe they are doing what’s best for us.
Hawaii needs to solve this problem, before even more problems arise, and they will, if this path continues much longer.
Agreed! My brother-in-law runs a hospital in Southern California, and his sister is Chief of Staff of Nurses in two major hospitals. Yes, Cases are up- no kidding, more people are testing. An increase in cases is a good thing as people build up immunity and the virus continues to mutate and hopefully die off. ICU’s are full with people who delayed/ignored much needed medical help because they were afraid of dying of C0vid. At my brother-in laws hospital 40 staff got C0vid- all but one recovered; the one who passed had 5 major co-morbidities & this after a nurse brought it in from a nursing home; treatments are working if given early. A local 24 hour young man died in his bed of the flu from dehydration because his parents said he was afraid to go the hospital because he did not want to get C0vid and die- he did not have C0vid. My daughter, away at college (yeah, virtual I know) lives in a house off campus in SLO- 3/5 roomies tested positive with mild fever for 2 days and cough- back at work within the week:). You ISOLATE the vulnerable, not the healthy! Look at the real data! Send in the Mercy ship if Hawaii has such an inadequate healthcare system. [Edited]
YES, Nita! 💯
Good grief! I know we are supposed to be nice in this forum, but we (I am a resident) are led by cowards, so mortified of the potential political ramifications of the C0vid Monster! Thousands of lives will be irreparably damaged from lost family, businesses, jobs, and self respect. The state cant even handle printing unemployment checks! clearly lay out the standards and specifications for testing and those that want to come to the islands will handle it. The fixation with CVS as the sole provider is puzzling at best. Grown adults can navigate all the cost and associated problems with getting to Hawaii. Just lay down the rules and let them handle it! Shutting down till September will be economically catastrophic as many businesses will never re open, and those permanently laid off (United Air Lines is cutting 39,000 jobs system wide) will not be spending money at the businesses that survive.
Shame on you Governor Ige! lets ban driving, hiking, surfing, swimming, bike riding et. al so EVERYONE can be nice and safe and completely reliant on a socialist government!
You, Daniel, said everything that needs to be said. I am a part time resident (I own property there), and personally, I am tired of the weak, and feeble, policy making decisions that are not focusing on getting things accomplished. That was well put, Buddy.
YOU ASSUME that everyone will be responsible. The reason we are where we are today is NO ONE is responsible at least not near enough people. Then you have the anti maskers (who are starting to die off) who run around spitting in masked peoples faces. Guess what Daniel if your dead your money or business wont mean anything.
Thanks for an excellent overview and comparisons with what’s happening elsewhere.
By this point the bottom line should be pretty obvious:
1. C19 isn’t going to go away.
2. A vaccine isn’t going to be available any time soon. (The previous speed record for creating a new vaccine from scratch was mumps. That took over 4 years.)
3. Any immunity to this disease seems to disappear within a couple of few months. So even if you’ve had it, you can get it again.
In light of this, it seems best to find other things to do besides travel. (My wife, who wanted to upgrade from her old sewing machine, reports that sewing machine suppliers are all sold out – apparently she’s not the only one who has taken up sewing again for something to do.) We wanted to go to Hawai’i; that’s not happening. Rather than run around desperately trying to figure out a way to get tested or whatever, we’re going to chill. Get back into some old hobbies again. Read some of the great books that I always intended to. And so on. Life is too short to distort your days in a fruitless quest for a miracle. Relax. Hawai’i will still be there, long after we’re all gone.
Hi Dave.
Thank you.
Aloha.
WELL SAID!
Aloha and Hola,
We cancelled our time share visit in Princeville for this year. We have until next December to visit. Since none of us know how this turns out, realistically a December 2021 date remains to be seen. Every time I come to the blog, I’m so bothered by the whiners, and worse, those whiners who are looking at anyone to blame. This is a pan demic, folks. It’s affecting the entire world; except for the top, most decision makers are overwhelmed. Are there any services that we can support to help out working people in Hawaii who have lost their jobs, or need financial assistance?
Mahalo,
Hi Dorothy.
Thanks.
Aloha.
I traveled to Texas and Tennessee and am from PA. While traveling they enacted a 14 day quar antine on people returning from those states. As a result I got a cvs C0vid test as soon as I returned on June 24th. Guess when I received my results? 12 days later on July 6th. Sadly until they solve the testing delays Hawaii will need to come up with their own faster testing system. Currently have flights booked for tgiving week but have not booked accommodations out of fear that Hawaii will not get its act together by then. They have 4 months. Would think they could but based on the last 4 months not so sure. Thank you for sharing the latest!
Hi Kyle.
Thanks.
Aloha.
This backtrack is stunning! There was no plan to speak of. It is actually possible to do plenty of testing if Hawai’i had planned for it. The city of Los Angeles in partnership with a non-profit and private company is providing something like 80,000 tests per week. With a 48 hour turn around. There is also a test that gives 15 minute results. Ige could have partnered with one of these companies. Bought a few of those test machines. You have the advantage of very few points of entry but that is wasted now. Is that expensive? Yes, but it would have cost much less than the loss of tax revenue and the cost of unemployment. Good luck—I hope they put someone in charge that can actually do something.
Totally agree with your comment. I’ve been saying the same thing to people. Hawaii needs to take precautions for sure and testing should be available and done for all arriving passengers now! Hawaii is losing billions of dollars. They could have invested millions into testing at the airports to screen people (as well as the residents of Hawaii). I have had to travel to my property in Hawaii and even though I was tested negative before each trip, there was still no way to get out of quar antine. I am doing the right thing and testing is available where I am. But I need to risk flying with untested people. Frustrating! If Greece can do it, so can Hawaii!
Question
If we can get the required test and results within the 72 hour time frame can we still come?
Aloha Lemont,
It does not appear, at this point, that you will be able to avoid the quar antine, even if you prove you are covid free, which (frankly) is ludacris.
Also, you are much more likely to get a response to your questions when you leave a reply, if you follow the guidelines under the “LEAVE A REPLY” section that appears right before the area where you type your comment.
Mahalo!
No, testing to avoid the 14 day quar antine has been delayed until at least September 1st.
We can get our test results within 15 minutes what is wrong with that? This is very disappointing! There were 7 of us coming and we would have been there 3 weeks! We were going to Kauai.
Wow, 15 minutes? Where is this at???
With all of the major uncertainties of protecting your health during a pan demic maybe it is rational to ask yourself a question . Why do I want to travel during this time?
Exactly!
Second that.
Aloha Joan,
Let me answer that…
Because some of us have property there, and we want to be able to come and go, as we please. I pay taxes in Hawaii also, and even I will be forced to quar antine, because it’s not my primary residence. If I can prove I am c0vid free, there should be no reason, I should be forced to be effectively jailed for 14 days, if I am willing to follow all the other guidelines.
I am not against doing what is necessary, including wearing a mask (when necessary), or practicing social distancing to help curb this virus, but I have actual business and work to take care of at my second home, and although we (my wife and I) do vacation there also, this isn’t only about vacationing for some people.
Mahalo!
Exactly, I agree with you at least on this one. Returning residents and property owners (I’m included in that category) should be able to test out of quar antine. I’ve gotten tested before my trips within 72 hours but they didn’t care about that…
I am surprised from the comments from tourists who want to come here with negative thoughts and criticism just because they want a vacation. they need to realize that a handful of liers arrive to where they are staying ang do NOT follow rules especially quar antine. Hopefully all of our Hotels monitor quar antine. Visitors have negative thoughts of us but they need to realize disease come from out of our state. Now we need to KEEP our HAWAII clean and safe.
The reason you have people breaking quar antine (liars, as you put it) is because, unfortunately, your governor has put in place policies that inadvertently rewards rule-breakers and keeps away rule-followers. If you a robust testing system at the airport, you would not be having people (visitor and returning residents) walking around untested. Your current system is likely letting in more c0vid than a testing system would.
I see an idea repeated over and over again by some local to just keep people out. The reason planes keep coming and people keep breaking quar antine is that you cannot legally stop people from crossing state lines. No matter how much you wish it to be so. So you need to deal with the reality of that. And testing on entry is the best way to deal with it. Magical thinking will get you a ruined economy and more c0vid.
What many of you are forgetting is that healthcare in Hawaii was not good before the pand emic. We do not have the hospital capacity to handle the people who live here if things got really bad. The governor and the mayors (who would really like tourist dollars) do not see the benefit of the social ramifications of people dying because mainlanders need a man tai.
The mainland is a c0vid nightmare that we do not want here. You are more than welcome to come but 2 of your 3 weeks will be spent in quar antine.
Aloha Keaau,
It’s narratives like this, that are not only incorrect, they are irresponsible to promote. First, most of the mainland, is NOT a “c0vid nightmare”. That is just blatantly false. There are areas that are definitely bad, and those are typically areas that are far more densely populated. The vast majority of the 48 contiguous states are NOT a “c0vid nightmare” at all.
I can assure you that in California alone the majority of deaths are from just a handful of the 58 counties. There are 16 counties with Zero deaths, 31 counties with less than 10 deaths, and 48 of the 58 counties have less than 100 deaths. The county I reside in has 1.42 million people (about the same population as the entire state of Hawaii) crammed into an area of less than 1/10th the size of Hawaii, and we have had less than 80 deaths to date. Roughly 85% of the deaths are from the 2 major metropolis areas (the LA Basin, including San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area), and the total number of cases are predominantly from those areas also.
Second, at this point, things have not, nor will not, get “really bad”, because the majority of people are taking to heart the guidelines recommended to curb this Virus. To insinuate that people who want to come to Hawaii, don’t care about what happens to people in Hawaii, with the disingenuous comment ending with, “…social ramifications of people dying because mainlanders need a mai tai”, does no help, nor promote, the Aloha Spirit. It actually promotes and shows just the opposite.
C.L. actually has some valid points in his post, as the Government of Hawaii is actually killing the economy, by not addressing the issues and not being aggressive at solving the problems, with their “island time” pace. Reality check, this isn’t only about killing the tourism industry, which is absolutely the primary industry in the state. This is about keeping the state from collapsing under this (now turned) impending financial crisis, stemmed from a disease that hasn’t even killed Two Dozen people in Hawaii yet…AND, that includes the influx of 3.25 million visitors (over 2 times the Local population) that Hawaii has had year to date. The rude awakening will come, when there will be far more deaths from the fallout of a collapsed economy, than C0vid will ever produce (at this pace) for the State, especially if the Government doesn’t get its crap together. You can bet on that!
Aloha!
👍🤙Weekend numbers indicated 3 deaths, 1 was elderly with underlying conditions, 1 was not reported last week and 1 has been in hospital for months in Arizona.
New cases were traced to the Hawaiian Airlines training facility and two Oahu fitness centers.
We’d be happy to come but have found nowhere to get tested that will guarantee a turnaround required.
Keaau, if you are responding to me, I think you miss my point. I hear what you are saying about the state’s medical capabilities and I understand that many (most) locals don’t want visitors to come because they will bring c0vid (and for other reasons). But that doesn’t change the fact that you cannot legally stop U.S. citizens from crossing state borders. I’m not putting a value judgement on that, it’s just fact. Your local officials can make it difficult by placing a quar antine and the TVR rules but cannot “close” the border. I think it is misguided to handle the situation as if you have control of the border. I think you will end up with MORE c0vid cases than you would have due to lack of a testing program at the airport. I hear a lot of complaints about “rule-breaking” tourists. Guess what? They are over there doing whatever it is they want to do. The “rule-followers” that have been checking Beat of Hawaii for updates and clarification about travel and are grumbling about rebooking ARE the people trying to follow the rules. In fact, they care enough to get clarification on what the actual policy is from BOH because it is not communicated by the state government.
The reason I offer this criticism, is because I care about the actual outcome. I would like the citizens of Hawaii to be safe from covid. Being a island, you have an advantage. It hurts my head to see that squandered by slow leadership. Test everyone! Keep testing! Not only will this keep you safe, it will save your economy. It’s not an either/or. Frankly, you could have world class testing capabilities for all of your citizens and the cost would be covered by tourism. Think about that. Imagine what things would look like today if you had that.
Hi C.L.
Thanks for your comments.
Aloha.
Are you sure about that? New York has about 5 states that cannot come in without quarantine as does NJ Texas is considering the same thing as is California Oregon and Washington so.. Yeah You dont have an ABSOLUTE right to travel where ever you like if there are restrictions in place.
But by all means keep your selfish thoughts going
Yes, I am sure about that. Why am I selfish for pointing out the truth? I’m not saying it’s good to travel or people should travel. I’m just pointing out that legally you can’t stop it. Clearly Ige would stop people from coming if he could. Yes, quar antines are legal, restricting travel between states is not.
Gosh, I didn’t realize advocating for a robust testing system would be controversial. Or considered a bad thing. Seems like you need it, community transmission is already going up in your state.
Mostly All tourists are being WHINERS because they cannot go on VACATION OH TOO BAD but we in Hawaii want to stay SAFE and there are TOO many visitor CHEATORS coming here .Remember, the disease is all over THERE NOT HERE. STAY AWAY from us.
Aloha guys!
I guess the term Ignorance is Bliss, has some justification, at times? 🤷♂️🤦♂️
We’re getting the same thing in San Diego. People flee from shut down areas, then come here and won’t follow the rules. They are putting all of us at risk.
I read the Honolulu SA newspaper online several times a week, and my observation is that it is the locals who are spreading the virus. A handful of tourists who are not obeying the quar antine are having a minimal effect. The tourists were not the ones roaming the streets during the Honolulu protests with no social distancing in place.
It’s not so much that I want a vacation, I want to do my small part to help the Hawaiian small business people who are devastated by this lockdown. The unemployment benefits will be ending soon. I hope the government has a plan in place when they do.
Again, thanks to Beat of Hawaii for the update.
Hi Curtis.
Thank you.
Aloha.
Yeah blame the protesters. [edited] Remember the yallqaida demand the state open protesters? They came armed not social distancing no masks spitting and screaming at capital police but yeah the protesters are the problem. Oh and then you blame the locals? [edited].
After 5 years on the Big Island my daughter is having to sell everything and move back home to the mainland. She is so sad to be leaving all she loves. But with her job in the resort industry still closed and no re-opening in site, she is forced to move back. Very thankful she was on a month to month lease. Very poorly done Mr. Governor.
Right, blame Ige for a situation that no one can control. Makes perfect sense. Millions are unemployed all over the US, due to C19. In every state. Who will you blame for that?
So if we have a CLIA CERTIFIED NAAT test..we can still skip the 14 day quarantine..on Aug 1st despite the extention declared on July 13th ?
No, that is no longer an option. The 14 day quar antine has been extended until at least September 1st 2020
Aloha William,
There is no clarification on that as of yet, we can only hope there will be some clarification in the near future. but as of now, the 14 day quar antine will be in place until Sept. 1st.
Also, you might want to read the “Read this first:” section, under the “LEAVE A REPLY”, if you are expecting a reply from the staff. You are more likely to get a response, with a “Please, “Aloha”, “Mahalo” or “Thank You”, to your questions…
Mahalo!
First, thank you so much for your detailed report! It helps us Haeloes in planning our future escapes.
Bottom line, our federal government must do more on guidance to all states. We must actually proceed with Wartime Production Law for organization, production and distribution of tests, testing supplies, PPE, and personnel. It continues to be a disaster across the US as infection rates rise and more unnecessary deaths occur. Until our country gets it’s act together all other states suffer.
Again, thank you for keeping us informed!
Hi Amber.
Thank you.
Aloha.
You’re right, but it will never happen. So the outbreaks and shutdowns will continue as people travel around and spread the disease. That’s what we’re seeing, and that’s what we will keep seeing. Too many people want the freedom to be selfish.
Which is what we should keep seeing, Dave, until Herd Immunity takes over, as there is no cure, and will likely never be, since Viruses have never been cured. The prolonging of keeping people from traveling will ensure that Herd Immunity will take substantially longer, for sure, but as long as we can continue on the path of not overwhelming hospitals (which as not happened yet), we will eventually be fine.
Jim. Please catch up on the latest studies about the possibility of herd immunity. First, if even possible, that would require an infection rate north of 70%. We are currently at an infection rate of ~9% of the ~22 million tested, and that’s just ~1% of the U.S. population (CDC). Your suggestion implies that we should simply raise the white flag and let the virus overwhelm our medical system in short order.
Recent studies of the previously infected and antibody presence indicate that those antibodies may be short lived, resulting in re-infections. If this holds true in future studies, then herd immunity is a fantasy.
This is a NOVEL coronavirus that attacks multiple organs with unknown future consequences even for the asymptomatic. You cannot wave the magic wand or white flag. The best advice is stay at home except for critical trips. Keep your exposure time even in those instances to brief encounters. Maintain social distance as much as possible. ALWAYS wear a mask in public as a reminder that we are all in this together, even if you don’t believe in the efficacy of controlling aerosolized particles.
Now is not the time, nor are message boards the proper venue for posting information that is not only incorrect, but outdated and dangerous to espouse.
Aloha James,
It’s probably best if you don’t try and correct someone, by suggesting they are producing “…information that is not only incorrect, but outdated and dangerous to espouse.”, when you don’t produce current or accurate information yourself.
There are actually more than 41 million total C0vid tests reported (nearly double what you have stated), according to the latest CDC data: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/testing-in-us.html
I’ve spent countless hours studying the dynamics involved in what’s happening with this virus (over the last 5+ months), as well as the Government’s response and/or lack thereof, especially in the 2 states I travel between, and reside in. Honestly, I don’t need you to explain to me what I already know, regarding protocols on how best to handle this (or my) situation, or what I should do, when it comes to this virus, and I definitely do NOT need your unsolicited medical advice. I actually have a real Doctor, who I consult for these things. No clue why you would even suggest that I “don’t believe in the efficacy of controlling aerosolized particles”, because that is 100% inaccurate.
Herd Immunity will happen, regardless of the premature studies suggesting antibodies “may be” short lived. Currently there aren’t even enough antibody tests to determine with any reasonable degree of certainty, that what you (and these studies) have suggested is probable, let alone highly accurate. It’s the reason you included “MAY BE” in your initial comment. The bottom line…it will happen over time, people will still die, as this is what happens with ALL viruses. This is reality, Bud.
To be clear, My previous post implicitly implies the exact opposite of what you believe, as I specifically stated in my comment. “…as long as we can continue on the path of not overwhelming hospitals (which as not happened yet), we will eventually be fine.” So, please don’t make inaccurate implications based on what you think I mean.
Mahalo!
This edict has killed tourism for the year,so many people will loose jobs and those not working already will have months more to somehow survive. The disease is now worse than the cure. The disease won, the people of Hawaii lost big time!!! Governor Ige, look outside the box for a solution, you must save the people of Hawaii, we are in big trouble. Your residents need to go back to work!!! Mahalo for your time.
So your recommendation would be to just open up and let people get terribly sick and die? Overload the hospitals? Because that’s what happens. People who are sick can’t work and they don’t spend money. Read up on what’s happening in states like FL, TX, CA, AZ, etc. Oh, and those who don’t die are often left with horrendous medical bills and lingering conditions like blood clots, brain problems, damage to liver, kidneys, etc. Ige is not a miracle worker, and there is no magic solution somewhere “outside the box.” If you need to blame some level of government, try the federal government and the current administration. This pan demic called for a national policy, and we don’t have one.
Actually Dave, you can blame the States, because the State Governors (under pandemic disaster declarations) made the decisions to shut down, and some have taken FAR too long to reopen, based on what was actually suggested by the Feds…especially in areas that weren’t hit hard, if at all. The Feds never shut down Domestic Travel within the US, including Hawaii, and the reality is the State of Hawaii (actually Governor Ige) made this decision and created this mess, albeit justifiably so at the time. The Feds are, and have been, only providing guidelines. It’s actually up to the individual States (which was made clear a few months back, at the end of April) to reopen as they see fit.
You might want to do a lot more reading yourself, maybe expand your knowledge base to include sources that actually think “outside the box”, because you seem to be confused on how this has happened.
Aloha!