The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau issued a statement following a Facebook session By Governor David Ige today, reiterating his confirmation of a 72-hour requirement of a negative COVID-19 test for Hawaii arrivals to avoid the mandatory 14-day quarantine now in place beginning August 1.
Travelers will be responsible for their pre-test. Testing will not be provided at the airport. Arrival’s will be temperature tested. Anyone with a 100.4-degree reading will undergo a secondary screening. Everyone will be required to fill out State Travel and Health forms. Obviously, facial masks must be worn in all Hawaii airports. Those who choose not to be tested will still be under the quarantine requirement.
HVCB President and CEO John Monahan’s statement today was helpful for what it contained, but also for what it didn’t: some of the major concerns and details of the policy that have yet to be “hammered out”, important questions like “at what age do we begin testing children coming into Hawaii?” and “what does a secondary screening mean?”
Depending on where you undergo testing, it can take a CLIA-certified lab 24 hours to process a test, and 48 hours or more to receive results, which leaves little wiggle room in the 72-hour window required to avoid the Hawaii quarantine with a negative COVID-19 test.
New faster and more accurate tests are being developed around the world. Officials are also considering a national testing database that would help open travel to the Aloha State. The steps that Hawaii residents have taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus are remarkable and clearly successful. The partial lifting of the mandatory quarantine for Hawaii arrivals was hard earned by its people.
