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Final count of passengers arriving in Hawaii Thursday tops 10,000

JAMM AQUINO/ JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Madera, Calif., residents Alice Tesei, right, and husband Gail walked through after their post-travel screening, Thursday, at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The final count of arriving passengers on Thursday was 10,102 — an even more robust reopening of Hawaii tourism than preliminary counts showed.

JAMM AQUINO/ JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Madera, Calif., residents Alice Tesei, right, and husband Gail walked through after their post-travel screening, Thursday, at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The final count of arriving passengers on Thursday was 10,102 — an even more robust reopening of Hawaii tourism than preliminary counts showed.

The final count of arriving passengers on Thursday was 10,102 — an even more robust reopening of Hawaii tourism than preliminary counts showed.

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green said today that a final Thursday passenger count included 6,918 visitors and 3,184 residents. That’s a 68% visitors to 32% residents split.

Green said 8,496 — or 84% of the 10,102 arriving passengers cleared the quarantine. About 16% or some 1,606 of Oct. 15’s arriving passengers went into quarantine, Green said.

Passengers that arrive without taking a pre-arrivals test or another qualifying exemption have to quarantine immediately upon arrival and the duration will last 14 days or the length of the person’s stay, whichever is shorter.

Those that took a pre-arrivals test will be able to get out of quarantine when they are able to provide proof of a negative result.

On any given day in Hawaii prior to COVID-19, an average of 29,000 passengers arrived in Hawaii. Thursday’s results were still 65% below that average; however, they were higher than officials had previously anticipated.

Pent-up demand for Hawaii apparently grew during the state’s tourism lockdown, which began March 26 when Ige ordered a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for all arriving passengers. That quarantine is currently slated to run through at least Nov. 30. A partial interisland quarantine also is in effect for the counties of Kauai, Hawaii, Maui and Kalawao.

Travelers who provide written confirmation from a state-­approved COVID-19 testing partner of a negative result from a test administered within 72 hours of the final leg of departure are now allowed to bypass the quarantine. (For more information, visit Hawaii COVID19.com or call 800- GOHAWAII.)

Travelers who arrive in Hawaii unable to show proof of a negative test must quarantine until the test result is received. Travelers who come to Hawaii without having taken a pre-arrival test must submit to the mandatory 14-day quarantine, even if they undergo testing after arriving and get a negative result.

A second test after arrival is required for visitors to Hawaii island, who will take a free rapid test at the airport. If the test is positive, travelers will be given a PCR test and have to quarantine until they get a negative result. Maui and Kauai counties aren’t requiring visitors to take a second test after arrival, but are providing incentives to visitors who agree to take a free voluntary test 72 hours after arrival.

Maui and Kauai counties will allow interisland travelers to bypass the quarantine if passengers pre-test for COVID-19 72 hours prior to departure under the same rules as the state’s trans-Pacific travel program. Hawaii island still requires interisland travelers to quarantine.

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