On October 19th, Hawaii’s Governor David Ige announced that the islands will welcome back business travelers and general tourists beginning November 1st as the average daily number of positive cases is down from the numbers reported in previous months.
According to the Associated Press, between August and September, the seven-day average of new cases plummeted from 900 to 117, while hospitalizations were down from 400 to 100 statewide. Governor Ige said he felt encouraged by the continued downward trend of Covid-19 cases on the islands.
Our hospitals are improving and seeing fewer patients. This gives us the ability to move forward with our economic recovery and welcome back fully vaccinated domestic travelers
David Ige, Hawaii’s Governor
Quarantine protocols remain in place, but travelers can skip it by showing proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test done 72 hours prior to travel. The use of mouth covers is mandatory in all outdoor and indoor public spaces, unless the traveler is in their hotel room, at the beach or actively eating at a restaurant.
Inter-island travel will not require prior proof of negative testing, nor will there be quarantine requirements or restrictions on flying between Hawaii’s islands. The governor said its official reopening will take place at the same time as the U.S. border reopening on Nov. 8 to avoid confusion among travelers, misinformation and travel problems from one place to another.
Ige said he will work with the federal government to require foreigners traveling to the state to present proof of vaccination. “We are continuing to seek information from the federal government on plans for international travel and will have an appropriate plan by November 8,” he said.
The reopening comes two months after Ige urged travelers to change their travel plans to Hawaii due to an increase in cases and hospitalizations statewide. While it gave this advice, it never closed its entries or paused the Safe Travel program that allows domestic visitors to bypass quarantine if they present proof of vaccination or a negative test for the virus.
The program was set to end once the state reached a 70 percent vaccination rate, but the travel protocols remain in place.
