On August 23, 2021, Governor David Ige called upon Hawaii visitors and residents to delay all non-essential travel through the end of October 2021 due to the recent, accelerated surge in COVID-19 cases that are now overburdening the state’s health care facilities and resources.
Governor Ige made the announcement at a media briefing, noting that, “Our hospitals are reaching capacity and our ICUs are filling up. Now is not a good time to travel to Hawaii.” August 10, 2021, Governor Ige reinstated several of the former restrictions on social gatherings; 10 people indoors, and 25 outdoors. Under the new restrictions, restaurants, bars and gyms will be limited to 50% indoor capacity.
If you must travel, please read the travel guidelines resource links below.
State of Hawaii’s Safe Travels Hawai‘i Program
The State of Hawai‘i Safe Travels Hawai‘i program is a multilayered process designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community. This enhanced entry into Hawai‘i includes the Mandatory State of Hawai‘i Travel and Health Form, a Safe Travels Hawai‘i account and a mandatory 10-day quarantine with the option of a vaccination exception program or a negative pre-travel test to bypass quarantine.
The State of Hawai‘i Safe Travels Hawai‘i program information can be found here. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) can be found here.
Vaccine Exemptions Are Now Available
Currently, there is now a vaccine exemption available to those who can provide proof of being fully vaccinated within the United States. As of July 8, 2021, Hawaii Governor David Ige has announced that the state of Hawaii will now allow travelers vaccinated within the U.S. to skip quarantine without getting a COVID test prior to traveling to the Hawaiian Islands.
The State of Hawaii will also accept vaccine records that are digitally validated by Digital Health Pass Partners (AZOVA, CLEAR, and CommonPass). Travelers who use one of the State’s partners to link their digitally validated vaccine records with Safe Travels may enjoy expedited processing at the airport (no secondary visual inspection of paper vaccine records).
The vaccine exemption program guidelines can be found here under vaccination exception program questions.
If You Are Not Vaccinated
Travelers wishing to use the pre-travel test to bypass quarantine must have a negative result from a test taken from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner no more than 72 hours BEFORE beginning the final leg of their trip. Anyone without a negative test result or U.S. vaccination PRIOR to departure must quarantine upon arrival.
The negative test result must be uploaded onto Safe Travels or printed out prior to departure and hard copy in hand when arriving in Hawai‘i.
You must adhere to the testing window set by the State of Hawaii Health Department. I would strongly suggest that you select your testing window and add three hours to it in case your flight to Hawaii is running late. You don’t want to land in Hawaii to be told that your testing results expired right before you landed in Hawaii.
Final Thoughts
Hawaii like other states is seeing an upturn in the number of daily Covid cases. The delta variant is exploding in the state of Hawaii. One of the goals that Governor Ige has used in his Hawaii travel protocols is to protect the indigenous people of Hawaii.
If you travel now, you will undoubtedly see businesses like tours, restaurants and shops either closed or operating under reduced capacity. This is not the best time to visit Hawaii. If you can reschedule an approaching trip to the islands, you should consider doing so.
