![]() As we have said many times, scrutiny of air travelers before they can fly domestically is wholly within the federal government’s purview and cannot be enforced either by states, including Hawaii, or the airlines. Hawaii has its rules, known as Hawaii Safe Travels, wherein proof of US vaccination or testing is required, but only avoids mandatory quarantine. Senate is pending.Īt present, domestic air passengers are not subject to any COVID requirement nationally. If enacted, that will include flights to Hawaii. COVID-19 is still out there, and I ask for continued patience from everyone.As you have heard, all US airline passengers could soon need proof of Covid-19 status before stepping on board. Hawaii is the nation's only island state, and our geographic isolation means our considerations are different from the other states. “Hawaii has the lowest COVID-related death rate in the nation because of this vigilance. “Mahalo to Governor Ige, Lieutenant Governor Green, the Hawaii Department of Health and everyone who has helped to keep Hawaii safe during the pandemic,” Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino said in a press release. According to the Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii currently has a statewide vaccination rate of 76.5%. Last summer, Ige ended restrictions for inter-county travel, and said that when the state achieved a 70% vaccination rate, all restrictions on travel would be lifted and the Safe Travels program would end. The Safe Travels program required travelers to provide a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arrival to receive exemption from the 10-day quarantine rule. ![]() The Hawaiian Islands have taken safety seriously throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, enacting some of the strictest protocols of any state. We are watching disease activity closely across the state, the country and globally, and we will adjust accordingly to keep our entire community healthy-from keiki to kupuna. ![]() It is also one of the reasons Hawaii has the second lowest death rate in the country. “Hawaii maintained its mask mandate and our consistency helped to keep COVID case numbers and hospitalizations as low as possible during the surge. “Many states dropped their mask mandates earlier in the pandemic, only to have to reinstate them once the Delta variant surged,” Ige said. The state’s mask mandate will remain in place. Right now, we are seeing lower case counts, and hospitalizations are coming down.” “The program put in place safety protocols that included a multi-layered screening and testing approach that kept our communities safe during the COVID-19 surges that endangered the most vulnerable of our citizens. “We started the Safe Travels program to protect the health, lives and livelihoods of the people of Hawaii,” Ige said in a press release. Ige also announced that, starting on March 26, state and county employees and visitors to state facilities will no longer be required to provide vaccination status or negative COVID-19 test results. Travelers arriving to Hawaii now through March 25 are still subject to Safe Travels requirements. The lifting of these protocols does not apply to international travelers, who will continue to follow requirements put in place by the federal government. Incoming passengers will also no longer be required to create a Safe Travels account. Beginning March 26, domestic travelers will not have to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a pre-travel negative test result to enter Hawaii. David Ige announced March 1 that he is ending the state’s travel quarantine and Safe Travels program on March 25.
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