102 thoughts on “Wrong Data and Missteps May Further Delay Hawaii Travel”

  1. Governor needs to make a decision and do it soon. I’m amazed that the University of Hawaii is able to open to students traveling from hotspots such as California yet there is no plan to open to tourism. Guess the Governor doesn’t want to be responsible for their Universities to go under. Put the responsibility of getting a COVID test to the traveler period…if you can’t provide a negative COVID test then quarantine is required. I own timeshare weeks in Maui and KoOlina that I pay a lot of fees on and that the state of Hawaii collects taxes on. It’s absolutely ridiculous, hope this Governor doesn’t get re elected because he appears to be incompetent. Implement a mandatory mask rule, enforce social distancing and ban large gatherings…but open up!

  2. Why doesn’t governor Ige ask for testing that gives much quicker results such as the 45 minute test that hospitals in Colorado use.
    Thank you vor keeping everyone updated. It is much appreciated.
    Carol C.

    1. The saliva test is said to be more sensitive to Covid and it doesn’t take as long to get results so why can’t Gov Ige approve that test for travelers unable to get the PCR test.

  3. I wonder why Oahu has such a greater number of cases per population than the other islands. Could it be that more people are coming back to Oahu from outside of Hawaii and bring the virus with them. I am sure that Oahu gets a greater percentage of Pacific Crossing Travel so more airline personnel who are not required to quarantine. Oahu also has alot more returning military who are not required to quarantine.

    1. I think you should be tested before you go. Call your reasults. I’m a nurse trying to get to Oahu to see my son before he gets deployed. I’m so very upset.

    2. Aloha Kenneth,

      You realize that Oahu alone has nearly 1 million people, and that’s roughly 2.5 times more than all the other islands combined…right? It’s pretty clear that is the major factor in why Oahu has the predominant number of cases.

      Although Oahu does get the most travellers (the reason its knows as “The Gathering Place”), the other islands (when things are normal) have many direct daily flights from the West Coast States, not to mention the dozens of daily inter-island connections. Hawaii Island has “Volcanoes National Park”, which is the most visited place in the State, and typically, there are millions that travel between the islands annually, because each has its own beauty and uniqueness, so inter-island travel is extremely common, even for locals.

      Currently, flights across the Pacific have virtually stopped, except for the essential flights necessary to transport limited people and shipments. Although Hawaii has “technically” been open this whole time (because they can’t legally stop people from travelling), it’s definitely not a “hotbed” for travel, at this point, even though people are still travelling and quarantining in the State.

      Military have always been predominantly segregated from civilians, and I am fairly sure that is the case at this time. Have you seen any news recently that the military is being overrun with Covid case? I have not, so I doubt it’s being spread by military personnel, or that would be all over the news.

      Do you remember early on when all this crapolla started? The hotels were full of tourists and even then the cases never exploded in Hawaii, as people wrapped up their vacations (over the first month and change) and went home. What boggles me (and what most people seem to be lapsing on memory with) is the entire purpose of this “shutdown” was to not overwhelm the hospitals, which has never happened for the majority of the country…yes, even in Hawaii.

      Do you notice how they (Governments and MSM News) are only talking about “number of cases” and not talking about the actual “death rates”, as they continue this indirect (some would call it direct) assault on freedoms and liberties? Why is that??? Why do you see more and more people wearing masks at times when it’s ridiculous to do so? People are wearing masks while driving in cars by themselves, walking by themselves, even running by themselves, which deprives them of oxygen while doing strenuous exercise…the latter is just asinine to me!

      Reality Check:
      The “death rates” have never lived up to expectation, and although I DO agree that we need to keep slowing the progression, through proper sanitary means/measures, until there is some sort of “herd immunity” (or combination of treatments with herd Immunity), I personally don’t agree with the way most Local and State Governments have handled this situation. It appears to be more about control than solving this crisis logically and responsibly with accurate information. This is why articles like this are so important, in my opinion. They point out the “lack of factual/accurate information” that has led to many (if not most) of the decisions by Hawaii’s Government, as well as other Governments…

      Thanks again BoH for the continuous flow of info!
      Take care, Guys!

  4. For those of us with travel plans to visit family and who have property there, it would be nice if Gov. Ige would actually come up with a workable plan and stick to it. I’ve read the posts, and agree that the Islands have to be protected, but that should be possible with testing, social distancing etc. The Governor says the same thing each time he decides to change the plan, and doesn’t seem to actually have a plan. I am very concerned for family members there who work two jobs to support their families, and now cannot work because their jobs are in hospitality. How long can they survive? As far as those of us with travel plans are concerned, we have to worry about the loss of considerable dollars if we’ve planned and booked ahead. If we at least had a firm date, we could work with that, but we don’t, and I’m beginning to doubt that we ever will.

    1. Aloha Lee,

      I completely agree with what you said about those of us who have property there, and family. We are technically part-time residents, since we pay local taxes. I don’t have the resources to quarantine without help, when I go. I actually need to buy supplies, and not only food, but for projects that need to be done, or issues that I find, since I am not there but 3-4 times a year for for 3-6 weeks at a time. I could do the quarantine, but I can’t waste 2 weeks, effectively on House Arrest, and not be productive, or be forced to depend on (possible pay) others to help. I don’t have the kind of disposable income to pay people daily for help. It’s time to get it done, and push forward to re-open the economy, while having protocols in place. That’s for sure!

  5. Understanding the circumstances and severity of Covid 19.. I have talked to my family and decided to cancel better yet reschedule our condo til next year. THIS is where I have come into a hassle with the rental. We have renters insurance beyond all noone predicted the virus and how long. My contact does Not want to cx or reschedule everything’s for a huge fee.. i get rebooking fee.. but want when i want not 6 months from now but yr out. I was willing to work with them . I am avoiding in all ways coming to have to be quarantine or infect aanyone. So wanting to comply but how when your locals wont comply. Noones fault.. but I’m not just walking away from my money neither cant wait til closer I could be forfeiting my contract. ANY SUGGESTIONS

  6. Thank you for this newsletter and for your close-to-real-time information regarding tourism and Covid-19 with regard to Hawaii. I can’t imagine anyone is surprised at the continued delays (or possible delays re: this update). Hawaii is simply not prepared to handle a pandemic on this scale and attempting to inch forward, month to month, is not working. Those locked in with hotels, condos, or flights are feeling the stress of trying to visit Hawaii, all the while feeling the lack-of-love from some locals. For me personally, Hawaii’s safety is my main concern. But, you can’t fault me (or anyone) for attempting to act on ever-changing information from their government government. Truth be told if they close Hawaii through 2021, and if something great happens and we can visit sooner, that is a better idea for us all. Rather than taking guesses, if you don’t know the answer, admit to that. Be safe Hawaii. We’ll see you when we see you.

  7. I understand that it’s difficult to get tested (or get a test with timely results) in a lot of places, but why not accept the plan that allows people with a negative test result to skip the 14-day quarantine even if that only allows 5% of Hawaii hopefuls to travel? 5% is better than 0%.

    Thanks

  8. Thank you Beat of Hawaii for keeping us informed. I agree that September 1 is probably not a realistic date and honestly thought that back when it was announced. I’ve rescheduled my own trip to mid October but I am not holding my breath.

    One random thought today was if the hurricane might have any effect on allowing people to arrive and skip quarantine. Let’s hope that Douglas doesn’t cause much damage but if it did would Hawaii need to allow an influx of medical workers and builders to respond ?

    Anyway, hoping everyone stays safe from the virus and the weather !

  9. Thanks for the updates. In February of this year 12 of us planned a trip to Kauai which is in November. We haven’t canceled yet. But the hope is draining from my heart. If it wasn’t for your updates we really wouldn’t know. Still hoping things can turnaround in the next couple months. We shall see.

Comments are closed.

Scroll to Top