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STAR-ADVERTISER / JAN. 15
Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim at a press conference.
Trans-Pacific travelers to Hawaii County who do not have a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival must quarantine for 14 days, Mayor Harry Kim announced Saturday.
The new emergency rule was approved by Gov. David Ige on Friday, and is effective immediately through Dec. 31.
Kim’s announcement comes after Ige on Friday approved Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami’s request to temporarily opt-out of the state’s pre-arrivals testing program. Hawaii Island had previously opted out of the state’s pre-travel testing program.
Prior to the ruling, travelers awaiting test results from the mainland only had to quarantine until their test results arrived.
There are no changes for interisland travelers under the new rule — they can still test for coronavirus within 72 hours of traveling, or be tested after arrival to skip the 14-day quarantine.
Additionally, the rule allows arrival testing for 25% to 100% of those participating in the state’s negative test exception program. Randomly selected travelers will be required to take a COVID-19 test after arriving in the county at a county-designated facility near the airport. The county will use CARES Act funding to conduct the testing.
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