Yesterday Hawaii’s governor approved the return of Kauai to Safe Travels effective April 5. Yet now, the table has turned, and Maui is intimating it may need to go in its own direction in terms of interisland travel.
Unifying rules for mainland and interisland travel is imperative to the return of visitors to the entire state. Travelers cannot be expected to adhere to different rules for each island, as you have been most clear about in thousands of comments.
The next important steps in the return of Hawaii travel are 1) acceptance of those vaccinated without additional testing requirements and 2) interisland travel without any restrictions. As you know, for those of us who live here and for Hawaii visitors, interisland travel is tantamount to our bus system. It is essential. Maui and the Big Island have required tests before arrival from another island, while Kauai has had its own rules. However, as it is now slated, it will have the same interisland requirements as Maui and the Big Island when the island returns to Safe Travels on April 5 unless something else changes, of course.
Maui now says it is not prepared for interisland travel without quarantine.
Lt. Gov. Josh Green, MD, has been vociferous in stating he wants restrictions lifted on interisland travel starting April 1. At present, only Honolulu does not require a negative COVID test within 72 hours of travel.
The mayors of Kauai, Big Island, and Oahu indicated concurrence this week that the time is now to eliminate interisland testing or quarantine requirements. And most importantly, it appears that the governor is ready to acquiesce on this issue.
But not so fast. Yesterday, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said he is not yet prepared to drop Maui’s interisland COVID test (or quarantine) requirement.
Ige held a phone meeting with the mayors yesterday to review the April 1 plan. The governor is looking for consensus from all islands to not get into another Kauai-style situation that arose last December when Kauai decided to no longer participate in the Safe Travels program.
Victorino said, “Our numbers do not indicate that we are ready to open up and drop the interisland quarantine. At this point, my answer is no.” He said he would continue to review the numbers and reassess the situation in two to three weeks.
Maui’s COVID positivity rate is the highest in Hawaii at about 2.5%, while the other islands are all at 1% or less.
Lt. Gov. and ER physician Green said that if Maui does not agree to the plan, the rest of the state might proceed without Maui. They could rejoin later, he said. We’ve seen from the Kauai experience just how poorly separate rules have played for Hawaii tourism.
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Anyone have a line on quick Covid testing on Maui right now? Scheduled to go to Kauai on the 7th but really hitting a road block.
Question, what happens if you get a negative COVID test within 72 hours of your departure flight but the flight is delayed for some reason and you are now out of the 72 hour window? Will they take that into consideration? Thank you!!
Hi Kurtis.
Yes that will be fine. The rule is within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time.
Aloha.
I certainly understand taking a Covid test but having to have the vaccine as a requirement to travel sounds like government control….There are those of us who will participate in this vaccine because of the long affects are not known…
Basically, the Governor is slow walking any “vaccine passport” until maybe late summer. The vaccine passport is an immediate lifeline to the Hawaiian economy and not pursuing establishment of this by June 1st at the latest is malfeasance. There are thousands that will come to Hawaii (me included) with the “vaccine passport” THIS summer. I still refuse to gamble vacation deposits on a 72 hour perfectly timed covid test. I had hopes of Hawaii in August but sadly I am not confident and will spend my vacation dollars elsewhere.
We want to have a family vacation on Maui but with 16 people and testing requirements, different rules for different islands it just isn’t practical. We will wait until a proof of vaccination will be all that is needed by then inter island travel should be ok also. Mahalo.
Residents of Hawaii shouldn’t have to get tested to go from one county to another. This is ridiculous. Only in the State of Hawaii are mayors allowed such power by the governor. I am traveling round trip from Maui to Oahu later this month and I could almost get a Covid test in Maui before I leave to Oahu and back except I will be in Oahu for 4 days. Testing for this is stupid. I will have to get a Covid test the day after I get to Oahu which makes no sense.
We have a trip planned to Maui from the mainland in May. No plans on island hopping. We will take our free test before we leave and be good to go. Hoping they remove the test requirements for vacinnated travelers coming tho by that time.
My wife and I are considering coming to Hawaii for vacation. Been frustrating trying to figure things out. We have both been vaccinated and still get tested weekly through a State sponsored Lab in Ohio. Even though the lab handles testing for the state of Ohio they are not on Hawaii’s list of approved labs. Doesn’t make sense. We are considering other places to avoid the headache.
Hey Fred
Me and my family traveled from Ohio back in January. We all got tested at Walgreens. It only took about 2 hrs to get the results. You just make an appointment on their website and go to the drive thru window to get the test. Supper easy
Thanks Todd. That’s great news. That’s what we will plan on doin. Did you have any trouble going between islands? Thanks Again for the help. Fred
Skipped Maui this year because of the rules unpredictably changing. We have been coming for January and February since 2008. Spent my money in Florida this year. I’d love to come back, but that’s up to Maui officials and their rules.
What about those of us that are fully vaccinated?
When can we expect all restrictions to be lifted?
We have a trip in August first to Kauai then to Maui.
I can’t see needing a test to go inter island.
Please let me know your thoughts on when this can finally resolved?
Thanks
Hi Chuck.
As we’ve mentioned, that if likely to happen sometime between late spring late summer. That’s all that we know at this time.
Aloha
Hello are you are sure about your facts ? You wrote in the above article that at present HONOLULU does not required the 72 hours NEG test. The Hawaii safe program said you needed it. Please reply thanks
Hi Douglas.
Honolulu only requires a test for trans-Pacific passengers. What we are referring to is interisland flights, and Honolulu has no testing requirement for those passengers.
Aloha.
I have booked for hawaii 3 time’s and every time you change it on me would love to visit your island but I am not willing to pay for a covid-19 test that would mean 5 people of 156.00 dollar’s and I am not willing to pay that I had to change my vacation where I don’t have to pay I hope you are happy you are loosing people right and left
Aren’t COVID tests free (covered federally)? Not sure why you think you have to pay for them
Do you pay federal taxes? Then you also pay for the ‘free’ testing. The tests done on the BI upon arrival are NOT paid for by the Feds…they are paid for by a private, and very generous, donor….a private citizen. We require a negative test before entry onto each island…are the Feds paying for those? No…the traveler is paying for it. Not sure what your point is, but the Feds don’t pay for testing nor vaccinations
So what are the guidelines for travel from the mainland to Maui for a fully vaccinated person?
We will be fully vaccinated too by the time we arrive April 22, 2021 but so far, still require a negative COVID test 72 hours prior to departure time as per Maui’s DOH. Here’s the website as we check every week for updates!
gohawaii.com/islands/maui
Two of us are planning to travel to Oahu on Monday, March 15. We have both had the two required COVID vaccines, but are now aware we still have to be COVID tested within 72 hours. Since we are traveling on Monday from Houston with no stopovers, we won’t get our results from the COVID test before we reach Hawaii. What now???
Thank you for your reply.
Sharyn
Hi Sharyn.
Suggest you check with other Hawaii trusted test providers who can assure you will get results before you depart Houston.
Aloha.
Check Walgreens in your area! I have two locations in my town that have the required testing! You get your results back 2 – to 24hours.
Sharyn, I believe Houston airport offers testing. If not, check out Walgreens online to schedule your appt. Make sure you select the correct test type so you’ll have your results to upload into the Safe Travels app. Happy vacay!
I have made this recommendation to the state (on deaf ears) but they should follow what The Bahamas are doing.
1. You take a pre test up to 5 days before (this gives the testing partners more time)
2. You sign up for their Safe Travels program which costs $160 but includes travel insurance and post testing costs
3. When you arrive in the Bahamas you take a rapid test. It takes 5 minutes for results and they have it down at the airport
4. IF you are positive, your insurance kicks in and it pays for your quarantine hotel up to a certain amount
I agree if you want to travel anywhere in the world, you should pay for the testing and not the government at a reasonable rate. We have enough to pay back. Testing kits are common now and better ones and cheaper ones are being made right now.
5. Another newer suggestion from the Bahamas is activities become covid approved which means their employees are vaccinated and or tested weekly. Its almost a marketing idea to make safe travels even safer and get that industry back on their feet.
We’ll get through this. Stay safe, travel safe. It can be done.
Mahalo.
Hi Joan.
Thanks for sharing how the Bahamas is handling testing.
Aloha.
The Bahamas get many of their visitors from Florida. That state is one of the worst in COVID prevention, thanks to their Governor who doesn’t believe in science. They force everyone to get a COVID test upon arrival because they basically “don’t trust” the American tourists. Mahalo!
Can you blame them!
Mahalo!!
I booked a trip for mid May and have been vaccinated. I will cancel the trip which is fully refundable if the ridiculous 72 hour test is still required regardless how you fix this inter-island crap. If I cancel I won’t be back anytime soon. Your call guys.
Being vaccinated does NOT mean you still aren’t an asymptomatic carrier. If you choose not to come back, that’s on you, the majority of us couldn’t care less. Thanks for playing
The null hypothesis is that being vaccinated prevents asymptomatic transmission. From a scientific perspective, the null hypothesis has to be proven wrong i.e. it starts as the accepted truth. The reason it is the null hypothesis is because every other vaccine has prevented asymptomatic transmission. A novel behavior for the vaccine therefore requires evidence, while standard behavior does not.
There’s still not a single shred of evidence to prove your statement.
There’s plenty of evidence if you Google it…it’s a proven, scientific fact vaccinated persons can still carry and transmit(shed) the virus just as asymptomatic individuals carry and shed it. Thanks for playing tho….
There certainly is. My doctor daughter has been fully vaccinated in December and tested positive end of February. She had no symptoms and went to test only after her husband got sick and very symptomatic. I don’t need any more evidence but you of course will call it anecdotal and will keep your opinion, alas. I just hope the state of Hawaii is more responsible than that. I for one am coming to HI precisely because of strict requirements. If you don’t care – Mexico is wide open.
So I can’t go to Hawaii because of your daughter’s doctor? The CDC still hasn’t taken a stand on whether vaccinated people are able to spread the virus, even though millions of Americans have been vaccinated. When does this lunacy end? Kauai has had more people die from auto accidents than from Covid. They’ve also had a year to expand hospital ICU and ventilator capacity but have declined to do so.
I’m sure Wilcox hospital would be grateful for the millions of dollars you want to donate to add the necessary number of ICU beds to accommodate your vacation. Mahalo!
Bye
Sorry, Sir. The 72 hour test requirement has to stay. You can still carry the virus and transmit it to others including me. Don’t be so selfish and think of others, too.
Getting close to normal.
Immunized people should not need a 72 hour test.
Basic logic
Thanks
Thank you Beat of Hawaii for providing us with the almost every day irritating, but essential, news on how our planned trip, scheduled to start on 3/31 for 9 days on Maui & moving on to Kauai for 2 weeks has changed. It’s proven to be a moving target. We have a SafeTravels account, and we’ve put Maui’s required AlohaSafe Alert app on our phones; we have our appointment to take the pre-travel test within 72 hours of our flight from San Jose to Maui; we’ve set up an account to do our pre-travel 72 hour test appointment on Maui, required by Kauai, so that we won’t have to quarantine on Kauai – and oh yes, we both had our 2nd Pfizer vaccination this past Monday. With the great news that Kauai is rejoining SafeTravels on 4/5, comes the bad news that Maui may be going “rogue”, as Kauai previously did. By following all the steps required, we thought we were prepared to avoid having to quarantine, but if Maui adopts the same protocol that Kauai did, that will no longer be the case. Making adjustments to our trip isn’t an option at this time, since time spent on both islands is at our timeshares – but we’re not ready to give up yet on this trip that has been scheduled since last June. We’re hoping the next news from Beat of Hawaii will be nothing but good news for those of us who have travel plans to the beautiful and the previously welcoming islands of Hawaii.
Hi Donna.
Thanks. We hope your trip plans go off without a hitch. Please let us know.
Aloha.
“ Travelers cannot be expected to adhere to different rules for each island,”
Well actually yes they CAN be expected to do whatever their ‘vacation during a pandemic’ destination requires them to do! If it is inconvenient, either adapt or postpone your vacation. The lives and health of our residents is of paramount importance: not the convenience of visitors!
I could not agree more. Well done
I have postponed Hawaii vacations. Several of them actually. From what I’ve read in the Honolulu SA daily newspaper, 99% of infections have been linked to your own residents. Please stop demonizing tourists as the culprits in your Covid-19 spread.
Well said. Hawiians love to blame tourists. I blame it on having the worst education in the country. They actually think visitors leave trash on the beach when it’s always the drunk locals and countless meth heads the county caters to.
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Stephanie!
I understand the need for interisland testing, especially since most of the Covid cases are residents. But why can’t each island administer a Rapid test for free? No cost testing and immediate results seems to be a win-win. I never understood the “trusted partner only” testing requirement. A Covid test is a Covid test. Last time I checked, results from a non-trusted testing facility are counted towards National totals so why would it matter who the vendor is???
Why should the state pay for the tests? That burden would come right out of the tax payers pockets. You wanna travel during a global pandemic? Cool….follow our protocol without whining and pay to get tested. Eazy peazy. Thanks
I totally agree.
……..the majority of Kaua’i is ready to reopen and has been for a long time, but i am trying to figure out what’s going to happen if we are still going by the “tier case count for Kaua’i Business and Recreational Guidelines.”
If this has not been altered, then this whole thing is a joke.
Liars can figure, but figures don’t lie.
Or do they?
Oh, good grief! What good does it do to even have a governor if the mayors are permitted to go rogue? It is way past time for the state legislature to take over and put a stop to this nonsense. Enough is enough. Never mind what this means for the tourists… this is just killing the citizens of Hawaii. How in the world can they even attempt to bring some kind of normalcy back in to their lives when the mayors seem bent on destroying their ability to provide for themselves and their families?
In today’s world ever politician wants to show his
Power couldn’t care less for the good of the people
We just returned from a trip to Hawaii. Spent five days in Maui, two in Oahu and one sitting in the airport in Kona because we didn’t have a recent test. The travel rules are ridiculous! I’ve been researching articles for months and thought I understood how the system worked. I knew that Kauai was outside the safe travels program but somehow missed that The Big Island required something that Oahu didn’t. Hawaii needs to get its act together as a unified state and soon. What a plantation mentality!
Maybe you shouldn’t be traveling during a global pandemic, and if you choose to, no complain about the rules. Every island is a different county, with different needs and hospital space…this ain’t the mainland. Stop being selfish please
I have had two lovely 1mo remote working/vacations in Hawaii ( Big Island and Maui) during the pandemic. If you follow the rules, you will be fine. We have had a combined 5 Covid tests taken during this period. Do your research. Stop complaining. You are going to paradise and once you are there it will be wonderful.
If you can’t figure it out, perhaps it isn’t the best time to go for you.
I recommend everyone go to Hawaii. Few Covid cases, far less than any of the states in the mainland, and if you are vaccinated, great for you. That still doesn’t mean you can’t get Covid nor that you can’t transmit it.
Thank you Beat of Hawaii for the information and State of Hawaii for keeping your people safe and tourists you are allowing to come and enjoy your islands.
Hi Julieta.
Thanks. We appreciate you sharing about your two recent Hawaii vacations.
Aloha.
So 1% of world gets covid and 1% of those people die and the world has to shut down for a year? Tests are fine, but if most businesses cease to exist then what was the point?
Not sure where you get those statistics, but you’re wrong. The US has an infection rate above 3 percent, and while your hypothetical ‘1%’ may sound great, is it still great if one of your family or close friends who dies due to Covid is in that 1%? All this just so you can selfishly travel? We’ve already seen what rushing back to ‘normalcy’ has gotten usj
I wanted to honeymoon in Hawaii because I wanted to support the rebuilding of the economy. I had even booked it but the crazy and inconsistent rules (inter island flights and seemingly constant changing standards) made me not have confidence in what may be required so I had to cancel the trip and chose another location. It’s astonishing the level of incompetence demonstrated by the leadership in the state. They are destroying the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people.
Aloha. I believe Maui will get extra vaccines and the mayor is happier today.
Is there a chance that Maui would go Kauai’s route and opt out of safe travels!
Hi Jon.
No indication of that except as related to interisland travel.
Aloha.
hahahahahahaha… Every small town, suburb or district is better run than this State.
What a joke it is out here.
Aloha Sean! The State of Hawaii has the lowest numbers in the Country because they have controlled the tourist population to protect their permanent residents! Kauai County for example, has reported zero new cases for the last 2 weeks or more. Take a look at the State and County where you live. There isn’t one place on the mainland that has controlled and contained the devastation from the pandemic like Hawaii has.
Because the locals have no where to go to get the virus since all tourist activities have shut down and that’s what locals do for their livelihood
The State of Hawaii is the most isolated place on Earth. 2500 miles from the nearest land mass. It also has 4 counties all separated by 30+ miles of water. It would be an utter disappointment if it wasn’t statistically the best. It was never gonna be that hard to have the ” best” numbers. And it was never a contest to begin with. best covid numbers, sure. Worst economy, absolutely. Highest unemployment, you betcha.
I live out here. The fact that a year later you still cannot travel freely even between counties shows that the State hasn’t handled this well. Locking down and throwing away the key is not a recipe that takes much thought. It just shows their lack of solid ideas.
Also, once the eviction moratorium, and foreclosure moratorium is lifted, how do you think it’ll go?
During the recession, Hawaii was down roughly 10% in tourist numbers… The forecast for Hawaii over the next year or two doesn’t have the recovery surpassing 70%…and there are many businesses closed for good, not because off the virus, because of the Gov’t lockdowns. Those jobs aren’t coming back for locals.
Also, the recession started in roughly 2007. The low point out here occurred in almost 2011. Maybe you don’t have kids, are retired, or wealthy, but I wonder what would be worse. Catching a virus with a 99.0+% survival rate, or living out of your van with kid?
Aloha Sean,
Having only 31 ICU beds on Maui is no joke. As hard as the states guidelines seem, it would be impossible to keep up with a major outbreak of this disease on any other islands. Today, 20 of those ICU beds on Maui are occupied, only 2 by covid patients. Staying healthy must remain a priority.
Malama pono
Never more than a couple ICU beds or ventilators used for Covid patients.
Yes Sean. And…. If typical use is 2/3 how could more covid help?!
A bad flu season, or even a bad bus accident could overrun things. All these mayors and the State have had year to figure out capacity plans.
We live in the nicest weather location in the US. The military can set up temporary traige sites, or use any number of facilities. ( Kaiser, Maui medical etc)
No State ever ended up overrun. Full, sure. But much like an airline, they need to have rooms filled to mmoney. bey. In California, hospitalizations kept rising, doom was predicted, hospitalizations rose more, more doom, whoops, it all ended up ok. I don’t recall stepping over any dead bodies during my multiple trips to the coast…..
Anyone guess the last time hospital capacity was a concern? yup, the 2018 flu season.
The hospital capacity nonsense has been fact checked false. Even in open States. How did Florida’s hospitals do btw? Don’t recall seeing much in the way of imploding hospitals.