Question: Regarding the road test, my daughter tried to get an appointment for when she was home over Christmas break and couldn’t, so she renewed her permit and went back to college without a full license. She has an appointment for when she’s home this summer, but it’s not until Aug. 5, which doesn’t leave time if she fails the test and needs to take it again before returning to college. How does she get on the standby list when she gets home in May?
Answer: First, a warning: Your daughter’s August appointment will be canceled if she signs up for the standby list in May, with no guarantee that she’ll get to take the road test as a fill-in customer.
Honolulu County only recently restored standby service, which is offered for the next business day on a limited, first-come, first-served basis. Applicants sign up at the same website as for making advance appointments; you daughter could do so when she gets home. Go to 808ne.ws/rdapp for information and links. “If you have an existing appointment, it will be canceled if you switch to the standby list,” the website says.
Standby applicants (and their accompanying licensed driver) must be prepared to wait at the standby location from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with no guarantee they’ll be called to fill in for a scheduled applicant who fails to show up or whose vehicle fails the pre-test inspection.
Q: Auwe! Halawa prison still doesn’t have family visits!
A: All Hawaii state prisons and jails are scheduled to resume in-person family visits Monday, more than two years after they were suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visitors will have to follow COVID-19 rules, including wearing a face mask, filling out a health screening form and having their temperature checked, according to a news release Wednesday from the state Department of Public Safety.
The number of visitors will be limited to allow for social distancing, and visitation areas will be sanitized multiple times per day, which might prolong wait times, the news release said.
For more information, see dps.hawaii.gov.
Q: With the Safe Travels program ending, the state no longer requires proof of negative tests when arriving in Hawaii from U.S. locations, but what if we travel to foreign countries? While abroad, do we need to get negative tests before returning to Hawaii?
A: “All air passengers, regardless of vaccination status, must show a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than one day before travel to the United States,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a federal rule for international flights, separate from Hawaii’s Safe Travels program for domestic flights, which expires Friday night. So yes, you would need a negative test to return home from an international trip. It would be required for the flight that brings you to the United States; depending on your itinerary, that might not be your Hawaii flight. See details at www.cdc.gov.
Also, be sure to find out what COVID-19 restrictions your international destination imposes on airline passengers from the United States. Ask your airline, or check the CDC website or the U.S. State Department website, state.gov/travelers.
Q: When is the next statewide takeback for prescription drugs? My drugstore doesn’t have a bin anymore.
A: The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day occurs twice a year, in fall and spring, to provide a safe and convenient way to dispose of prescription drugs. The next event is scheduled for April 30, with numerous Hawaii locations expected to participate.
Mahalo
A big mahalo to a lovely group of people standing behind me in line at Island Brew cafe in Kakaako. They patiently waited for me to place my lunch order and then paid for it anonymously once I was outside. I didn’t have the chance to thank them in person, and hope they will see my thanks here. — P.B.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
