About 8,000 people landed in Hawaii on the first day of a pre-trip testing program that allowed travelers to get to the islands without a two-week quarantine if they had a negative coronavirus test.
Angela Margos was among the first passengers in San Francisco to board a plane to Hawaii on Thursday morning.
“Vacation, peace of mind,” says Ms. Margos, a nurse from San Carlos, California, about why she’s flying to Hawaii. “I need time to relax, unwind.”
The new testing program is an attempt to contain the devastating pandemic downturn affecting Hawaii’s tourism industry. Officials had touted the mandatory quarantine rule as an integral part of Hawaii’s early success in containing the coronavirus.
However, loopholes in the pre-travel testing program coupled with increasing cases of COVID-19 in the United States have raised the question of whether Hawaii is ready to safely resume vacationers.
And when local restrictions were eased before the summer vacation, the spread of the disease in the community soared to alarming levels, forcing a second round of stay-at-home orders for residents and the closure of non-essential businesses.
Ms. Margos had hiccups when she took her test. She did it first at the hospital she works at, only to find out that it wasn’t a legal location for United Airlines and the state of Hawaii. She then paid $ 105 for a drive-thru test, but was later told that the test had failed.
Ms. Margos finally paid $ 250 on Thursday at the San Francisco airport for a rapid test that came back negative.
Opponents of the testing program have said that a single test 72 hours prior to arrival – especially in conjunction with the option to fly without a test and still be quarantined – is not enough to ensure the safety of the islanders.
Kathleen Miyashita and her husband were among those who came to Hawaii on Thursday without a test. They said they are planning to quarantine their family’s farm on Oahu.
“We opted for the 14-day quarantine,” said Ms. Miyashita. “We have no problems with importing food. It’s like a quarantine oasis when it comes to having fresh fruit and vegetables at home. “
She said she and her husband were “not at all” concerned about being asymptomatic carriers of the disease.
“We’ve been traveling and just taking precautions,” she said, adding that they had already quarantined in Hawaii about two months ago.
Hawaii’s economy is based almost entirely on tourism, and local families who rely on the sector to survive are forced to go back to work.
More than 100 of Hawaii’s roughly 4,000 restaurants, bakeries and caterers have closed permanently, and more than 50% predict they will not survive the coming months, officials said.
Monica Toguchi Ryan, whose family has owned and operated The Highway Inn restaurant on Oahu for over 70 years, said the lack of tourism was crippling.
“The restaurant and service industry has suffered so much during this pandemic,” said Ms. Toguchi Ryan. “Restaurants have not received any federal aid since spring and are struggling to pay their expenses. Some restaurants have closed completely because they cannot pay their rent, food supplies and staff salaries. “
Toguchi Ryan joined Democratic Governor David Ige on Wednesday to discuss a new restaurant debit card that will provide some unemployed Hawaiian residents with $ 500 to spend at local restaurants over the next 60 days. The $ 75 million program is funded by the federal CARES Act and is designed to boost the local economy.
“When restaurants like us have more customers, we buy more from our suppliers and reinvest the money multiple times in our local economy,” said Ms. Toguchi Ryan.
Hawaii, which has approximately 1.4 million residents, reported 10 additional coronavirus deaths and more than 100 newly confirmed cases on Wednesday. On Oahu, home of famous Waikiki Beach and the state’s most populous island, the positivity rate was close to 4%.
The county’s mayors have criticized the state’s plan for a single pre-flight test and want a mandatory second test for all arriving passengers.
Kauai Island Mayor Derek Kawakami said last week that his original proposal for secondary testing had been rejected by the governor.
Big Island Mayor Harry Kim said his county will completely opt out of the testing program prior to the trip and will continue to quarantine all incoming visitors for two weeks. They both have different plans now.
The governor said this week that mayors could conduct certain secondary testing measures on their respective islands, but the cost and logistics of running such programs would be left to the counties.
Maui and Kauai counties have opted for voluntary secondary testing for visitors. The Big Island requires a secondary quick check on arrival so visitors can avoid quarantine. Oahu officials said they want to roll out another level of screening but don’t have the testing capacity yet.
The mix of state and state rules could wreak havoc for vacationers who haven’t properly prepared for the various screening requirements, especially those traveling to the Big Island.
“This second test upon arrival on the island of Hawaii will provide our community with additional protection,” Kim said in a statement Monday. “Virtually all medical and coronavirus experts agree that more than one test is required.”
Those who arrive on the Big Island – home to active Hawaiian volcanoes and the site of a 2018 eruption that wiped out entire neighborhoods – will take a mandatory rapid antigen test upon landing.
Results will be available in about 15 minutes, and travelers who test negative will not need to be quarantined. Individuals who test positive must do a more accurate PCR test immediately and then quarantine until their results are in, usually within 36 hours.
People who tested positive in the state, whether on vacation or at home, have to isolate themselves and are only allowed to fly if they no longer have the virus.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. The AP writer Haven Daley in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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