HAWAII STAYED a paradisiacal bubble of feathered palms and dust surfing for much of the coronavirus pandemic. The state’s mandatory 14-day visitor quarantine, which was enacted on March 26, ceased tourism, slowing the arrival of visitors to the islands from 30,000 daily to less than 500. Now, nine months later, the state has the lowest average number of daily cases in the country. , but also suffers from the highest unemployment rate in America. After months of delayed reopening, Hawaii relaxed travel rules in October to slowly restart tourism, the state’s main economic engine. However, if you are tempted to head out to Aloha state, be careful. The road to paradise involves some obstacles.
Time is everything
A pre-trip testing program went into effect on October 15 and allowed travelers to waive the two-week quarantine if they could provide a negative test of Covid-19 within 72 hours prior to arrival. The nuances, such as having to take a test from a specific supplier, caused headaches and on November 28 the island of Kaua`i announced that it would choose not to participate in the pre-trip test program. state and, instead, stay in quarantine for 14 days. “There is massive confusion about what is considered valid evidence,” said Gary Moore, managing director of Timbers Kaua`i at the Hokuala complex. “We’ve managed to get several guests to arrive with a negative test, but it comes from the wrong provider, so they have to quarantine.” Moore encourages travelers to read the small print of the ever-changing safe travel program (safetravelshawaii.com) (safetravelshawaii.com) before departure, as some test partners, including CVS, which were initially announced, opted out. not to participate.
On November 24, the governor added another layer of complexity to travel, stipulating that visitors should have test results on hand 72 hours in advance of the final leg of the trip. But given the unexpected delays this year, not only with flights, but with test results, guarantees are scarce. A few days before their November flight to Oahu, Don and Sheila Martinson, residents of Longmont, Colorado, got an appointment at an urgent care clinic near their home to do a quick PCR test, but the day before of the test, the clinic sent a text message to say they had run out of supplies and could not guarantee results in 72 hours. Fortunately, the couple also scheduled a safety test at a nearby Walgreens and received results in four hours. Despite the inconvenience, tourists enter the islands. Between October 15 and November 30, more than 443,000 people came to Hawaii.
On the beaches, mask-mandated mask rules across the state become a bit murky.
Photo:
marc Garcia
The jump to the islands is harder
Before flying, travelers must upload a PDF of Covid test results to the Hawaii Safe Travels portal and receive a health questionnaire. Once completed, travelers will receive an email or QR code that will be scanned at the airport on arrival and at the hotels. And because each island has slightly different requirements, visitors may want to restrict their vacation to an island.
Don’t stay any longer
Visitors should be prepared to face stricter pandemic rules than most states. Violators of the state mask warrant risk a fine of up to $ 5,000 or a year in prison, complicated as the details of the same warrant change frequently. The most current regulations require everyone to wear a mask when walking to or from the beach or pool, as well as on hiking trails, parks, sidewalks and, in some cases, guided canoe excursions.
Angela Keen, co-founder of Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers, a community volunteer action group that helps enforce Covid’s safe practices across the island, says visitors need to remember that Hawaii isn’t just vacation land . “This is our home and, welcoming you to our islands, we put on our kapuna [elders] and communities at risk, “he said.” If people get tested and wear masks, we can get tourism back. But there has to be respect. ”
In some places travel bubbles develop in an effort to revive air travel, which has plummeted during the pandemic. WSJ explains how reopening the sky without quarantine requirements at both ends of a trip could help restart the global economy. Illustration: Crystal Tai
Tourist commodities get a twist
At the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island, luau dancers lead guests to hula noho, a form of hula that is performed sitting down, to ensure social distancing. At the Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali, the luaus have a maximum capacity of 170 people, the tables are 6 feet apart and the fire dancers are now performing at the top of a waterfall to make sure that stay in a safe place.
You can still get a never tai, but they are a little harder to get. Maui recently closed its bars for at least a few weeks. The rest of the island’s bars are still open, but you may be drinking your cocktails behind a plexiglass partition, and you’re likely to be asked to fill out a contract tracking form.
Nicole Keefe, who lives in El Dorado Hills, California, traveled to the island in October. “I imagine it was Maui 40 years ago,” said Keefe, who noted that she and her family stayed in the Ka’anapali resort area and shared the beach with no more than ten people. On a catamaran trip to Lanai, he saw no other boat in the water and his family had the waves to themselves when they took surfing lessons. “The turtles could have outnumbered the visitors,” he said.
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