Kauai Mayor Wants Back in to Hawaii Safe Travels Program

On December 2, Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami opted out of the Hawaii Safe Travels program designed for all travelers. Today, the Mayor sent Hawaii Governor Ige a proposed amendment that would allow inter-island travelers to bypass the mandatory 10-day travel quarantine as of January 5 if they obtain a negative COVID-19 less than 72 hours before flying to the Garden Isle.

He said: “We realize the Resort Bubble program is tailored to visitors and is not ideal for our residents. Our residents continue to be our highest priority. Now that our community has been able to enjoy the holiday season without a major surge in cases, we feel we are in a good position to loosen inter-island travel restrictions and offer more convenient opportunities to travel between islands.”

If approved, the new rule would require travelers be physically in the state for more than three days before heading to Kauai, meaning that out-of-state travelers would not be immediately be eligible to participate. This post-travel program allows for a shorter quarantine for those who choose to stay in a so-called “resort bubble.”

Kauai District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman said: “The rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths on the mainland continues to increase, with the number of cases this month nearly double the rate in November. Unfortunately, it is just not safe at this time to allow trans-Pacific travel to Kauai without additional safeguards.”

The proposed order does not affect Kauai’s moratorium on the Safe Travels program for trans-Pacific travelers. If approved, the proposed order would take effect the same day a post-travel testing program begins for Kauai.

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