Today is the reopening day for Hawaii Tourism, which has been shut down for the past 7 months. It has elements of great excitement, for both visitors to return and for residents to be able to resume working. At the same time, there are elements of fear of the unknown that start from health concerns for all. Visitors are worried about the airport and flight experience during the pandemic. And residents here on the Garden Island are concerned that with more visitors, will come more cases. It is less than an ideal situation but one we find ourselves in nonetheless.
Kauai, together with Oahu and Maui will receive visitors with one required 72-hour pre-travel test.
But there is a catch here for Kauai which is Emergency Rule 19 that you will want to read about below.
Then, after arriving in Hawaii, all of the islands will provide various secondary post-arrival testing scenarios. We’ll circle back to those later as final details are ironed out. On Maui and Kauai, these are set to be 72 hours after arrival and are to be voluntary. On the Big Island, a different scenario is unfolding where visitors will receive a second, no-cost, mandatory test, directly on arrival, to avoid quarantine.
And, on Oahu (let’s just make this more confusing), Honolulu is looking at developing its own on-arrival testing system. The City and County of Honolulu is working to procure a mobile testing lab at the airport that would be able to conduct up to 10,000 tests a day. This post-arrival test would require arriving passengers to remain in quarantine until they receive negative test results within 1 to 6 hours. Oh, but where will they stay? HNL was never designed with confinement areas other than US customs/immigration.
In reality, Kauai has had virtually no COVID cases.
There are currently no cases on Kauai and the total count so far is 59. That has largely been the result of almost no interisland or mainland arrivals, due to the unavoidable 14-day quarantine. We already wear masks and sanitize regularly, but we’ll be upping that going forward for sure. The mayor said, “We know it’s easy to let our guard down when we’re around family and close friends, but these are the times when wearing our masks and practicing distancing is most important.”
Kauai Mayor’s Emergency Rule 19 is Looming.
This is without question the largest concern for visitors looking forward to their next Kauai vacation. There is a four-tier system we’ve mentioned before, which determines whether tourism will continue to operate, as well as which activities and businesses can remain open.
Starting today, visitors will arrive with the island on a Tier 4 status, which means there are no active virus cases. So long as Kauai remains on Tier 4 or Tier 3 status, which equates to a weekly average of under 5 active cases, visitors can continue to enjoy the island freely.
But what happens if there are more than 5 active cases of COVID on Kauai?
If there are five or more active cases, the island will be either under Tier 1 or Tier 2, both of which prevent visitors from bypassing the 14-day quarantine. Should that occur, it would effectively shut down tourism once again. For things to reopen in that event, a series of criteria would need to be met. It’s complicated.
Prior proposal for mandatory 2nd tests and quarantine quashed.
Previously, Kauai’s mayor had asked for a 3-day post-arrival quarantine followed by a second mandatory test. That was not approved by the state. Governor Ige said Monday that it was now clear to him that any form of quarantine is not acceptable for the resumption of Hawaii tourism.
Kauai, and the other islands, however, are all moving forward with various forms of second tests, without quarantine. The testing is largely based on the types of tests that the islands have procured. At this time, other than the Big Island, tests are to be optional, no-cost to visitors, and the state or counties may even provide incentives to help encourage the additional testing.
Will Kauai visitors put their money and possibly their vacation itself, at risk.
The issue is that should Kauai reestablish a quarantine, it would stop visitors’ ability to come to the island. As another reminder, the typical vacation duration is 7 days, and the quarantine, if needed, would be 14-days. End of travel.
Visitors spend an average of $195 per day per person on a Hawaii vacation, based on 2019 state data. Some quick math says for two people, that’s $2,730, not including airfare. How will the airlines or accommodation providers help visitors financially should quarantine be reestablished? That notwithstanding, who even wants to plan a vacation only to learn, potentially at the last minute, that it isn’t going to happen. Wouldn’t it be safer under those circumstances to just plan for an alternate destination without that incumbent risk?
Regular Joan just added to this discussion. “I just had a friend who has 4 vacation rentals on the island and all 4 future reservations (up through Feb) canceled because of the tier order. No one wants to plan a very expensive vacation and then 2 weeks before has to cancel. Just remember that one household of 5 getting covid could cost the island millions in losses and completely shut down the economy again. There are no more bailouts and rent forgiveness is going away. For a family of 5 and some with no symptoms, is this what you want? Maybe it is.”
Phillip said, “As expected, all this is exceptionally vague, confusing, and a moving target. Thanks to Beat of Hawaii for trying to make sense of all this. The Hawaii government has had weeks and months to get their act together but continues to fail tourists and more importantly the residents. Hard to imagine that many travelers will be willing to put money and time at risk this early in the re-opening process. Like many, I will sit back and see what transpires in the months ahead before deciding if a 2021 Hawaii trip is worth the effort. We wish all good luck in your travel endeavors and prayers to the people of Hawaii. Thanks again Beat of Hawaii for your efforts to try and cut through all the confusion.”
Lastly, Marcel commented, “This is going to be a big failer!! Any agency should give you money back when you book a Hawaii trip and they will test you positive, including rental car and flight tickets. Nobody changed that yet and that’s a big problem!!!”
One way to possibly protect yourself is via Cancel For Any Reason trip insurance.
We’ve mentioned this before. This is specialty coverage, not regular trip insurance, and isn’t something you can usually purchase through an airline or accommodation provider. It does however provide coverage protecting up to 75% of all your non-reimbursable costs, should you cancel for any reason whatsoever up to 48 hours before your trip starts.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Our family are planning to visit friends on Kauai and take a much needed vacation the first two weeks of December. However it look EXTREMELY daunting and risky to make these arrangements. Would appreciate any and all feedback from “Go For it” to “Stay the Hell Away?”
Hi Zev.
Love how you put that. Oh it is hard to say, but things “seem” to be settling down, and that is still some time from now. If you’re asking for our gut call, it would be to come and enjoy. Let’s see what others suggest. Thanks.
Aloha.
Cancel…go somewhere else until Hawaii gets it’s “S” together.
The Big Island is mice this time of year…..think long and hard.
Warm sand and sea are here too!
I can tell you flat out, there is a great deal of animosity towards tourists – and second home residents for that matter – on Kauai north shore. This is nothing new, but the virus panic has been awesome. No tourists for seven months and counting. Last thing they want is for the island to open up. All these empty (much hated) vacation rentals, beaches, roads … (Paradise!)
Reminds me of the flood a few years ago that closed the road for 14 months, except this time way better since no road convoys and is island wide, not just far north shore. The anger and hostility when the road reopened was palpable. There is a lot of entitlement. Will be worse now since they can blame disease on UNCLEAN tourists/outsiders.
By the way, Beat of Hawaii guys, thank you so much for this blog. Is providing a very much needed forum for people who want to travel to Hawaii despite the problems.
I would not go to Kauai as a tourist for the time being. Maybe next year? Who knows how long this will drag out.
Hi David.
Thanks for all your comments.
Aloha.
Did you see that there are multiple restaurants in Kauai now banning tourists from their dining rooms? I am cancelling my November trip. Shame on Lighthouse Bistro in Kilauea and Saenz Ohana Breakfast in Princeville. Way to spread Aloha.
Plenty is open here in Kauai! Gorgeous weather, most restaurants and shops open and all extremely welcoming. Don’t cave in to two reactionary businesses. The only case in Kauai is from a Hawaiian resident.
Just saw this as well…I feel as though if this was truly the attitude of a significant amount of locals, maybe Kauai should have opted out? You cannot expect people to pay regular prices to go on vacation and be treated like lesser people.
We like many others had a trip planned for early October that I cancelled a couple months ago, and sadly I have no plans to rebook anytime soon. It makes me sad that there would be hostility towards people who are relied upon for a healthy economy.
Thanks
Hi Ben.
Thanks for your comment.
Aloha.
We are PT residents on Kauai and frequent customers of the Bistro, especially their daily happy hour (one of the best ones on North Shore, if you are beer/wine drinker). Their waitstaff and bartenders are (usually) good people.
Apparently, someone posted a picture of sign on their door that says: “Attention Bistro Patrons. Recent unquarantined travelers do not enter. You are welcome back post 14-day quarantine.”
I normally recommend them to anyone visiting Kauai, but they are not worth a 14-day quarantine in order to eat there. Neither is Saenz.
Aloha! My husband and I arrived in Lihue on the afternoon of 10-15-20. Flight was non-stop from LAX and one gentleman was escorted off the plane before take-off because he continually refused to wear a mask. American Airlines was not fooling around! We were expecting chaos at Lihue airport and chaos never arose. Oh, yes, there were long lines of our flight’s passengers arriving, but the airport’s system of checking our records was efficient once we got up to that table. The inspectors were interested in our QR code which was on my husband’s cell phone and quickly retrieved. Also, our negative test results which I had a hard copy of were inspected carefully. Total time in line was about 1/2 hour. Thanks to the Hawaii National Guard, everyone was directed quickly and efficiently. Our luggage was waiting for us when we went into the carousel room. We got our pre-flight Covid testing at Walgreens in Santa Ana, CA and had our results in two days.
Hi Sue.
Thanks for letting everyone know that went well.
Aloha.
Thanks so much for the info, Sue. I am flying a week from tomorrow. I plan to test at Walgreen’s also. My question is – did you take the Rapid POC test, or the RT-PCR that is listed on their website about Covid testing? I’m just wanting to make sure that the rapid test is acceptable. Thank you!
Aloha,Amy! We had the RT-PCR and from what I have read a few weeks ago (anything could have changed since then!), the Rapid POC was not acceptable due to many false positives. Check with Walgreens, perhaps. Don’t be surprised at all the businesses that are closed. Maybe some will reopen by the time you arrive! Best of luck to you! Sue L.
Please know this they have patents on all the viruses and patents on the vaccines they create both then make money both ways off the people It is sickening Hawaii Please do not believe all the media Lies about Human Corona Virus aka Covid it’s been around all our lives more people die from Flu that’s a Fact The Government is trying to Ruin the economy don’t fall for all this crap it’s a Lie
Also wearing masks can cause you harm a lot of harm
There are a Lot of Doctors telling people not to worry about covid read the back of any can of Lysol it says “For the Elimination of Human Corona Virus” For those of you that are “In the Know” try to tell people more facts show them the patents and numbers the patent on the virus was granted in 2014 the patent on the vaccine was granted November of 2019
Also Bill Gates has Zero knowledge of medicine yet creates vaccines that harm people a company he finds has the patent on the vaccine he also Funds the CDC & WHO & DR FAUCI along with Monsanto and many more he gave a Ted-x talk on how he wants to kill people with his vaccines see for yourself Hawaii Please Do Not Believe all the Lies it will Destroy Hawaii Thank You for your time and consideration in this matter Do your own research be warned it gets
Very bad Have a nice day God Bless us All
Mahalo Aloha
Aloha all,
There seems to be a lot confusion on the board about the 7 day average of 5 cases to move to tier 2 and reinstate the quarantine. This is a 7 day moving average- so basically, there would need to be 35 cases over any 7 day period for the quarantine to come back. This number is in alignment with the medical resources on the island. I actually think it is fairly generous and that we have a good chance of not hitting that number with the testing regime and masks/ social distancing.
If the statement said “average of 5 new cases a day” (35 a week) I would agree with you. But it just says “5 cases”. Perhaps you are interpreting the mayor’s intent correctly, IDK, but clarification from the mayor would be nice.
Also depends on the official recovery time for each new case. Some people never have symptoms, so when are they considered a recovered case that is no longer active (for example).
The proclamation does say 7 day average of daily cases.
so, “daily” means “daily new” as opposed to “daily existing”? Would be nice is mayor would simply make clear what he means.
In the meantime, Coconut wireless reports that a Wainiha (Kauai) woman traveled to Oahu for a funeral, returned home with said virus, and gave it to husband. Neighborhood freaking out, had a big “free testing” event yesterday. Well, they can’t blame it on pre-test tourists ….
Paul H,
thanks so much for clearing that up!
We are heading to Kauai on Sunday and have a place there that needs work. We’ve been tested by “trusted partners” but not sure we’ll have results by the time we land. Since we own our place, we can stay there until the negative test shows up, but then how do we notify officials and get “released” if we have to quarantine for a day or so? Can we just upload our negative test results and be free to go out?
By the way, we did testing with a non-trusted partner that guaranteed faster turnaround and those tests were negative, so we are feeling safe that we’re traveling while negative and not posing a risk to others.
It’s really too bad that Hawaii has limited the testing to only certain partners. Testing centers in the SF Bay Area are really backed up. It’s also not possible to find out the turnaround time for test results before booking a test as the various sites aren’t really taking phone calls.
Thanks
Tom
Hi Tom.
Not sure if you saw the comment on this earlier this morning, wherein someone had the same situation. When they got the results they uploaded them to the website, but it told them manual approval was needed and they were stuck figuring that out.
Aloha.
If the average vacationer spends $195 a day, then the 12-person, 10-day vacation our family is hoping to enjoy in August 2021 would bring $23,400 to Kauai. Normally, we would already have a place picked out and be looking for best deals on airfare. That sure isn’t happening right now, though. What in the world happens if you are already there and then one family of five tests positive – are you going to be kicked out or what? Over the months, while reading everything BofH publishes here I feel my enthusiasm for Kauai ebbing. And that’s saying something! I’m crazy about Kauai and looking forward to my 12th trip – this time with most of our kids and grandkids – but I guess only time will tell now. Thank you SO much for the great job you guys do of keeping us in the loop.Mahalo!
Hi Jan.
Thanks so much. It sure is frustrating. On the other hand, when it comes to travel (perhaps other than drive-to), it seems to be like that in more places than not at present.
Aloha.
We have a trip planned for three weeks from now and thanks for all the comments so far. They have been helpful but worrisome as well. As I read the Rule 19 for Kauai, it seems to indicate daily average has to go to 5 or more for 7 days for 2 consecutive weeks before the tier will go to 2 or 1 for 2; am I right? That would mean 10 cases could be one day, none the next, 4 the next, etc., as long as the 7 day average didn’t go to 5 it would be okay??? Please comment.
Hi Patricia.
As we’ve been discussing this morning with other commenters, how that is determined isn’t clear from the ruling.
Aloha.
Lets see, I pay for airfare, obtain lodging, reserve a car, pay for additional test (maybe) and then buy travel insurance. This vacation just became expensive and high risk. I think waiting for a couple months is going to be the norm. I own a vacation rental in Oahu and I personally am planning on very little usage until spring. I hope it get better for all the good people of Hawaii.
Thanks
Ted
Hi Ted.
Thanks. Additional tests are at no-cost, by the way. Otherwise, we certainly understand.
Aloha.
The 10.15.2020 Hawaii entry guidelines are sadly only the initial stages of this continuing confusion. These entry rules will morph and will likely cause many people to not go to Hawaii (perhaps these barriers are in part intentional to suppress travel). I am speculating here on a possible 2021 “end game” that I have not seen anything in the media even trying to address. Travel clarity will arrive when a readily available vaccine arrives. Then Hawaii (& perhaps many other entities exclusive of Hawaii) will require one to show vaccination proof before entry. This possibility is Orwellian to say the least and has all kinds of privacy / civil liberty implications. Just a thought to consider as 2021 and the inevitable vaccine approaches.
I agree 100% a mandatory vaccine is Orwellian and a Violation of constitutional civil and human rights I Love Hawaii I Live there I’m in NM trying to sell my home and get back to my family there it is very frustrating and hurts quite a bit as I haven’t seen my family since July 2018 I’ve missed bdays and Christmas and a lot more I wish people would do research for themselves and go off Facts and Not what the Media Lies about
Made it to Kauai last night! It was a huge hassle getting here from Seattle and I consider myself savvy with all the tech to expedite this all but that was expected being the first day pretest travel. Setting up trips on the Safe travels website was not quite clear and faced wrinkles in HNL and then LIH that had to get smoothed over. We were very fortunate to get our Covid testing results before departure as we would not have been able to get a rental car or check into our timeshare without it. I was expecting to get my result as late as Saturday and that would have totally blown up our arrangements. Props to the Hawaii National Guard in LIH for processing everybody through Covid inspection in an orderly and timely manner.
I have to hand it to Kawakami- he definitely outsmarted the governor and may be himself even. Because the weekly average of under 5 active cases for tier 3 and tier 4 is more strict than 3 day quarantine and a second test. Assuming that 2-3 new cases are found per week the island will shut down during the second week and remain shut down for four weeks at least. So the businesses and tourists will be responding to a yo-yo, open today closed tomorrow! This means tourists, airlines or island businesses can not make any plans. As was the case previously, if there are new cases they will be from residents returning to the island and not from tourists. I or one have cancelled our family get together scheduled for new year and will go somewhere more welcoming.
Any idea what percentage of tourist businesses are reopened? After going all thru this do we really want to vacation where there are few restaurants and activities? I have rescheduled 2x now. Great expenses and time and aggravation. I thought vacations were supposed to be fun!
I totally feel the same about this I have rescheduled now three times and feel like it probably won’t even happen. I spent many long hours and lots of money trying to get each trip finalized with only to find more complications each time. Since March I have been dealing with trying to plan my first time trip to Hawaii . I am so excited to come to the island but feeling I should just look into vacationing elsewhere until they get a better plan Not only for the visitors but for the residence and businesses as well.
It’s all overreach to the highest degree. Cuomo is now blaming “we the people” for the lock downs… because WE were scared. (Well, I wasn’t scared.) Once they start deflecting…. you know they are about to get caught in a massive lie. Ugh! It never ends, I tell ya… never. *sigh*
Thank you so much for the updates! Very appreciated 🙂
Hi Kimberly.
Thanks for your comments.
Aloha.
On 9/4 we cancelled our 2 wk.trip to Kauai for 11/8-11/22 that was made before COVID-19. This trip was made to celebrate our son & daughter-in-laws 11/13 5th wedding anniversary. By 9/4 we had come to the conclusion that HI might not open up the negative 72 hr.COVID test results program in time for our trip,since it had already been pushed out a couple of times & was currently sitting at 10/15 – & we had to make a decision that related to our timeshare. If HI pushed the date out to 11/1,did we really want to wait until then to see if it was actually going to start then? So we cancelled. Just a couple of wks.later HI announced that 10/15 was the date that everyone had been waiting for! We were able to re-book our 2 wk.stay with slightly different dates(11/13-11/27),get our airline tickets,& rent a car. Then the mayor came up with his proposal 18,& we held our breath waiting to see if the governor would approve it,and when he didn’t,we finally uttered a sigh of relief. But the mayor wasn’t done yet – he sent his new proposal 19 to the governor,& it looks like the governor approved that one. To “add insult to injury”,while waiting for the news on proposal 19,we learned from Beat of Hawaii that after 1/31/21,our home resort may no longer be a Marriott Kauai Beach Club. We haven’t heard anything from Marriott yet,but as owners there,we’re anxious to learn how this news is going to affect our ownership. But-getting back to proposal 19,what happens if there are 0-4 cases on the island when we start our trip,& we have 72 hr.pre-travel negative COVID test results,& part way through our 2 wk.stay,maybe just a few days into our stay,the island has 5 or more cases? It sounds like we’ll have to be quarantined for the rest of our stay,even if our voluntary 72 hr.after arrival re-testing results are negative. Am I interpreting that correctly? If so,it doesn’t sound like Hawaii,at least Kauai,is “anxious to welcome back visitors to Hawaii”. T Y for being there for HI visitors!
Hi Donna.
Thanks. We don’t know the answer; it simply isn’t clear. Perhaps it will be amended to specify if that only relates to new arrivals following the change in Tier. We will keep an eye out and let you know.
Aloha.
I messaged County of Kauai that very question and they said if I am cleared to enter with my negative test in tier 3 or 4 and the island goes to tier 2 or 1 while I’m there then I don’t have to quarantine. I’m free to go wherever. Here is part of their reply:
Yes, once you’re cleared from quarantine, you won’t have to go back into quarantine unless you leave the island (or develop symptoms that was prompt you going into quarantine on Kauai).
Aloha Guys,
Did I read that right? You said the Big Island is forcing people to take a test on arrival? Does this mean you still need to take a test before you go? Since there is a connecting flight to ITO, are they allowing people to pass through (on a layover), and take the test on the Big Island?
Appreciate the daily updates…thanks again!
Hi Jim.
Thanks. Yes you have that right. The first test on the mainland then retest on arrival on Big Island. Different than Kauai and Maui which do optional tests 3 days after arrival. Well, at least that is how it stands at this moment. 🙂
Aloha.
We have spent 4 months of the year on Kauai, for 20 years and generously contribute to the economy, however, because of of all the rules, clearly not being welcome and thought of as an disease spreader enemy, to the residents…we will not be there this year and are strongly considering finding a new favorite winter home, where we will not only be welcome but greatly appreciated.
We think Kauai is in for a surprise when visitors don’t return and their economy will continue to spiral downward which is sad for those who want to work. For those on govt assistance…they get paid regardless, unfortunately.
Disappointing indeed.
Mahalo again Beat of Hawaii for the latest updates on the “grand opening”. The comments are great to read as visitors begin to arrive.
Question;
We have friends coming to Hawaii from an extremely remote area of northern Nevada. There’s no express service available to receive or return a test kit within 72 hours of any flight.
Any ideas on that?
Aloha and blessings to all.
Hi Pam.
Thank you. They must be driving to somewhere less remote in order to fly. So can they do a test at one of the approved partners there? Otherwise, no other ideas.
Aloha.
See you in 2022 or 2023 Kauai…..
Maybe the businesses will be there by then, or maybe not.
Good luck with that.
Just arrived in Kauai from LAX. Flight was completely full. Most people seemed to be wearing masks as far as I could tell. We were in row 17 and check out was not too bad as long as you have all your paperwork uploaded, including your negative test. If you’re in the back of the plane (like my daughter was), the line took quite awhile.
Hi Macie.
Welcome to Kauai and thanks for that update.
Aloha.
At KOA right now, waiting in slooow que for test. Cluster F. QR code checkers dazed & confused, telling some of us we’re gonna be sticking around for 14 days Quar. Tried to explain neg. results are ALL recorded inside our QR code….🤔🤬 Had to breakout hard copy of Covid negative test to proceed. Not enough nurses, some tourists have been waiting 3 hours to take Big Eye 2nd test, then another hour for results. Hey but we’re only 45 MI from the grandkids! Woo-hoo. I’ll repost on your BOH update news for today!
Hi Dan.
Thanks very much for that update. Good luck and let us know when you recover from the experience.
Aloha.
Hello!
Thank you for all the information you are offering.
I will try not to go into too much detail, but am wondering about inter-island travel between Kaua’i, and Molokai? Both places have very few cases, so it seems there is little danger of the virus spreading. Let’s say if we went to Molokai from Kaua’i for 5 days, would we need to test before leaving, and then again before returning to Kauai?
Your thoughts are very much appreciated.
Hi Laurel.
Thanks for all of your comments. Yes, that is our understanding since tests need to be within 72 hours prior to each departure.
Aloha.
We have had our 6th trip planned for Poipu for over 10 of us since last winter.We probably won’t decide if we’ll go until 3 weeks prior. Its nuts. We were sure this nonsense would be figured out by now. While I’m sure some residents are leery about outsiders bringing Covid cases, at what point is poverty, destitution, and a massively failing economy worth *trying* to prevent cases? There are still far more contagious and dangerous diseases that could be brought to the island that no one cares about. The just seems like hysteria, and fear from officials that if even
one person gets sick they’ll be blamed. Meanwhile, businesses keep closing and those who love visiting are going elsewhere. I hope they figure this out, fast.
Amen to that. Hysteria for sure. Likely to subside after the election miraculously.
I’m sure that you are aware that timeshare owners have to cancel or change any reservation up to 61 days before the arrival date, or they incur penalties which may significantly limit their ability to use their resort during that calendar year. Does anyone know how / if “cancel for any reason” insurance might help timeshare reservations ? Thank you.
Hi Kitty.
Good question. Suggest asking that of one of the insurance providers that offer that type of insurance.
Aloha.
I wish the airlines would take more of an interest and passengers would be required to show a negative test before boarding en route to Hawaii. It seems like common sense. This would give me some peace of mind on the flight. I’m sure the flight crew would appreciate it as well.
Just wanted to clarify – this tier evaluation is based on the average # of daily cases reported over a 7 day period, so if 7 cases one day and none the rest of the week, the 7 day average number of daily cases is 1, correct? The text of the proclamation:
“Each tier is based on the level of disease transmission of COVID-19 within the County, which
is determined by two criteria: (1) the 7-day average number of daily cases reported; and (2) the
7-day average test positivity rate.”
I believe it means that if the seven day average number of daily cases exceeds five, Kauai will go to Tier 1or 2. I believe that means if there are a total of five cases throughout the week, they up the tiers and go to a 14 day quarantine. So they could have five cases on one day and none the rest of the week and still raise the tiers and quarantine. The other interpretation, five cases each day for seven days, makes little sense. Suppose there are a total of 34 cases over seven days. They don’t raise the tiers? No way they will allow that. What’s missing is over how many weeks they assess. Suppose there are five cases one week, none the next. Do they quarantine?
BOH, maybe you can clarify, unless you’re in the dark as much as I am.
Mahalo.
Hi Rob.
Thanks again for your many comments. We reread it again this morning, and we remain in the dark on the interpretation of that aspect of the rule.
Aloha.
Aloha,
I’m hoping with a negative covid test 72 hours prior to arrival on Kauai, if the tiers change while we are visiting, we will not be required to quarantine. The lock down should apply to travel to Kauai after the change in tier, not for those already there proving they are not contagious with Covid. Crossing my fingers no changes – we are booked the second week in December. I have been recovering from arduous spine surgery since June, all I want to do in lay on the beach in Poipu!
I’m glad we cancelled our 3 week trip! When Kauai shows an interest in having visitors again, I may return.
Good Day Beat of Hawaii,
I thought I sent a message and then I did not see it. So I am sending another one. My question is this. If we are already on Kauai and they transition to tier 1 or 2, do we have to quarantine? Or do we get to continue to visit the island? I read the Mayor’s order and while I am not a lawyer, the language would have one believe that only people entering Kauai after they transitioned to tier 1 or 2 would have to quarantine. Or am I reading that wrong. Perhaps wishful thinking on our part. Thanks for all of your information. You guys are great!!
mike b
Hi Mike.
Thank you. We read it the same way that you do, and there has been no further clarification from the county. Maybe you are a forever optimist too. 🙂
Aloha.
I love the islands but at this time it is too much of a hassle to visit there. I would opt for somewhere else. There are so many places that are great in the lower 48
Aloha. I do not believe the 59 count for Kauai is mostly”visitors”. The majority of cases were actually residents. The largest cluster was a group visiting Las Vegas. Yes there were a few visitors who tested postive on Kauai after first getting sick on Maui. I know of a recent visitor case who had been in quarantine while getting ill.
I just had a friend who has 4 vacation rentals on the island and all 4 future reservations (up through Feb) cancelled because of the tier order. No one wants to plan a very expensive vacation and then 2 weeks before has to cancel. Just remember that one household of 5 getting covid could cost the island millions in losses and completely shut down the economy again. There is no more bailouts and rent forgiveness is going away. For a family of 5 and some with no symptoms, is this what you want? Maybe it is. Thanks!
Hi Joan.
Thank you. We corrected that error. Good points.
Aloha.
Mahalo for your very helpful updates. I have received more helpful information here than any other source. We were supposed to be coming to Hawaii on Saturday but had to cancel our trip today due to craziness and misinformation around COVID Pretests. Plan A got shut down – We are from Canada and found our that if we get the same test that approved partners are using that would work, but no it was confirmed that only preferred partners can administer the test. Plan B just got shut down – We had a connecting flight in SFO and thought we could arrange an appointment for the The rapid Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 test – administered by GoHealth Urgent Care at SFO for United passengers… but when we tried to book the appointment we were informed that only flights “originating” from SFO could get the PreTest appointment. Because we were connecting in SFO we were NOT eligible. Very disappointing to us but thought we’d share to help others avoid the same disappointment we have gone through. Missing our Ohana. Mike & Rachel
Hi Mike.
Sorry to hear that did not work out and thanks for letting us know. Did you try checking the Quest mail-in testing? That’s what others have been reporting as working easily, albeit expensive.
Aloha.
We just canceled our trip more or less for these reasons. We are from small town in Idaho and none of the “approved” partners are even close to us. I have been doing all my research and keeping up with the news and the minute the list came out I was searching all over for any partner I could get too, but no luck. Super bummed. Seems a little sad to me that the partners they are using are only in the areas with lots of cases and the area with hardly any cases don’t even have a chance.
Hi Rebecca, So sorry you had to cancel your trip. By chance did you see the Vault Covid test? Vault is on the approved list of tests. It is a mail in test that provides results within 24 hours of Vault receiving your specimen. It comes with a $150.00 testing fee though. However the $150 includes all the shipping charges.
We live just over the border in Western Wyoming. We just saw an announcement that WY is paying for the Vault test for any resident, so we ordered ours (and, sure enough, the $150 was waived with a comment on their web site that WY paid for it). We don’t travel to Hawaii for another 3 weeks, but the test kits don’t “expire”
I don’t know if Idaho is also paying for ID residents to take Vault test, but you may want to at least check. Plus, kids under 12 can take them
Thank you for your coverage. We are supposed to travel (family of 4) from LA to Kauai in December. We already cancelled two HI trips this year. I tried to cancel this one but American Airlines will not refund my $ unless there is a major schedule change. This is all proving to be more complicated than a 6 day vacation should be, not to mention the extra cost of testing. Please keep up the coverage! We miss HI and want to visit – hoping in the next 8 weeks this gets easier.
Hi Beth.
We just had the first report from someone arriving in Honolulu, all without a hitch. Fingers crossed for that to continue to be the news.
Aloha.
Because the threshold is so low, Kauai will go to Tier 1 or 2 very soon. LG Green has said several times that if you want to stay in lockdown just be forthright about it. Clearly this system has been set up to circumvent Ige’s decision. I don’t fault the concern behind this at all. I just wish there was a bit more transparency. What do you guys think?
Mahalo for all you do!
Hi Jon.
Thanks for your many comments. We just don’t know whether Kauai will get to 5 active cases or not, and aren’t qualified to assess that. Hopefully, the State and County health departments were actively involved in planning this and must have given significant thought to the plan’s viability. Or at least we would hope so.
Aloha.
Have you ever been able to clarify if that is 5 new cases per day, or 5 total active? That is a big difference.
I don’t think it will matter because they will probably get to 5 cases per day soon
No thank you Hawaii too many variables we will wait until this is all clear to visit Hawaii again!
Aloha from HNL! Waiting for a connection to Hilo but smooth, easy arrival at Southwest terminal. Mahalo, Honolulu!!
Hi K.M.
You’re the very first to let us know. Thanks so much – that’s great to hear.
Aloha.
Where were you flying in from, just curious?