Hawaii NOT Reopening in August! Maybe September?
Bad news for all Hawaii travellers – Governor Ige decided, Hawaii is not reopening in August. The plan was to reopen Hawaii in August. The state will delay the planned August 1st reopening by at least one month, until September first. The Mayors of the islands had requested the delay and Governor Ige gave in.
What does Reopening Hawaii mean?
Hawaii is still open. Flights are coming in every day. People say “reopening Hawaii” to refer to the lifting of the 14-day traveler’s quarantine. August first was the planned “reopening” date. Unfortunately the following circumstances won’t allow the reopening of Hawaii. But what does reopen Hawaii mean? Will everything just go back to normal once Hawaii reopens?
Why is Hawaii NOT reopening on August first?
The governor made this decision in collaboration with Hawai‘i’s four county mayors. Several factors contributed to the decision to delay the pre-travel testing program. They include:
- The continental U.S. (mainland) is seeing large, uncontrolled outbreaks in some of Hawai‘i’s main visitor markets, including California. Many of these communities are increasing restrictions and rolling back reopening plans.
- Hawai‘i is seeing an increase in cases.
- The outbreaks on the mainland are affecting Hawai‘i’s testing supply, including an interruption in our supply chain from the mainland.
- Hawai‘i anticipates an uptick in cases when schools re-open in August.
The Governor said it in one of his last statements, since Hawaii is part of the United States, we are in this together. With numbers going up on the US Mainland, Hawaii will most likely not reopen until the US Mainland has everything under control.
Yes, you can still visit Hawaii, NOW!
Hawaii has never completely closed. Visitors have been, and still are, allowed to travel to Hawaii. If you decide to travel to Hawaii, you can. Flights are coming in every day and tourists are coming in every day. Usually Hawaii has about 30,000 tourists coming to the island, every day! At the moment this number has decreased to around 2,000-3,000.
What are the regulations if you want to visit Hawaii?
Since Hawaii is not reopening August first, the quarantine is still in place. You must quarantine yourself for 14 days. However, you cannot leave your hotel room or vacation rental. You may order food. However, you are not allowed to go to a restaurant, not even for take-out. You must have your food delivered. You cannot leave your lodging within the 14-day time period.
What happens if you don’t follow the quarantine?
First of all, the hotels and the vacation rental owner could get in trouble for letting you leave. If somebody watches you leaving the building, knowing you are still supposed to quarantine, the right thing to do is, to notify the authorities. This is what you’re facing if you do not follow the quarantine rules:
- Up to $5,000 fine
- and / or up to one year in prison.
Is it worth visiting Hawaii at the moment?
Hawaii is always worth a visit, but you have to follow the 14 day quarantine. Most of the hotels are closed and a lot of restaurants and bars are closed as well or only open for take-out. At the moment Hawaii’s beaches are open and mostly empty. Beaches and beach parks are open. You are allowed to surf and exercise outdoors. You are also allowed to go for a walk, as long as you wear a face mask. A trip to Hawaii only makes sense if you can work from your hotel room or if you have enough vacation days to follow the quarantine and then enjoy your vacation.
Enjoy Hawaii from Home
Sitting in a hotel for 14 days is probably not the greatest way to spend your vacation days. Daniels Hawaii has created a playlist with videos from all over Hawaii. The playlist is called “Enjoy Hawaii from Home”. Watch amazing footage from Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Big Island. Enjoy the beauty of the island from your couch. Once Hawaii is reopened, contact us for tours and activities in Hawaii. We are happy to show you the beauty of the islands.