Everybody is talking about the reopening of Hawaii, but what does it even mean? Does reopen Hawaii mean everything will go back to normal? Hotels, Restaurants, Bars, Activities, Tours, Events, everything will just go back to how it was before Covid-19? NO! So what does reopen Hawaii mean?
Hawaii NEVER closed!
First things first – Hawaii NEVER closed. Hawaii was and is still open. Flights are coming in every day. “Reopening Hawaii” means that the 14 day quarantine is to be lifted for travellers coming to Hawaii. Originally it was planned for August first. It has been pushed back to September first.
Reopen Hawaii – What does it even mean?
Reopening Hawaii means the Pre-Travel Testing Program will be in place. An important part of the state’s multi-layered screening process to protect residents and visitors will be the pre-travel testing program will be once it is launched. Some new details include:
- Travelers will be exempt from the 14-day quarantine if they test negative after taking a COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours in advance of travel.
- The test must be a nucleic acid amplification test or NAAT test conducted at a CLIA-certified laboratory.
- If test results are not available by the time of arrival in Hawaiʻi, the traveler will remain in quarantine until their test results are received. If the test results are negative and can be verified, the traveler will then be exempt from the quarantine.
- All travelers are subject to the pre-test requirement, including children of all ages.
- Travelers are responsible for the cost of the test.
- No commercial testing will be provided at Hawaiʻi airports.
In short, reopening Hawaii at this point means nothing more than lifting the 14 day quarantine for visitors, if the can provide a negative Covid-19 test.
When will Hawaii reopen?
With cases spiking on the US Mainland the reopening of Hawaii will take longer. Hawaii usually gets a lot of visitors from California. The fact that cases are skyrocketing there at the moment proofs, Hawaii can’t open. If Hawaii opens up for the US Mainland we would import Coronavirus cases and put people at risk. Until then, Waikiki will stay as empty and SPOOKY as you can see in the video.
