A proposal in Hawai’i this week would make tourists submit to tracking in an effort to fight COVID-19 proliferation. I’ll pass.
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Tourist Tracking Proposal
According to reports, Hawai’i is considering the adoption of Taiwanese-style tracking bracelets for tourists. The current policy is to self-quarantine upon arrival into the islands (even for residents travelling from island-to-island) which may face legal challenges. The proposal has only been discussed and not yet decreed, but due to the islands isolation and limited healthcare resources, the state feels they have a unique need to escalate enforcement of quarantine.
I Love The Hawaiian Islands
I love the Hawai’ian islands and find them to be among the most beautiful places on earth. I long to visit the islands again and intend to do so. Before the coronavirus disruptions, Hawai’i saw some of the largest increases in flights to the islands driven by Southwest entering the market.
I have friends in Hawai’i, and of all of the places we have taken our daughter she still remembers that trip and asks to go back often. We all want to go back to Hawai’i, Lucy, absolutely all of us.
Hawai’i Can Do What They Want, I Don’t Have to Visit
I respect the rights of states to determine who can and cannot visit, and what the rules are when there. Non-Muslims aren’t permitted to visit Mecca, and as much as I would like to see it, I don’t qualify and respect their rights to choose who can enter.
But as the critical period passes, if the state insists on trackers, vaccination documentation or an immunity passport as Delta alluded to in Matthew’s post yesterday, I’ll pass. There are other beautiful places to spend my time and money. However, if the state thinks that visitors will continue to fly to the islands at the same rate as before despite what would be the most dramatic measures in the country, I think they will find they are mistaken.
The Hawaiian economy is heavily dependent on tourism, can the state afford to implement such strict requirements?
Conclusion
Every state, city and country has the right to choose who and how they will allow visitors into their country. It’s also the travellers right to vote with their dollars and their feet. For me and my family, we would be happy to return to the Hawai’ian islands but not if they enact and implement stringent tourist tracking.
What do you think? Would you wear a tracker to be able to visit Hawai’i? Would it be enough to make you pass on a trip?
Certainly the state doesn’t want another wave to overwhelm their health care system, but because tourism is so vital to Hawaii, I do think they are considering this to try and open up the state sooner.
Unlike you I’m sure there are plenty of people who would submit to some sort of tracking, provide tests results showing their health, etc just so they can travel again…even with the many limitations that these ideas present.
They may, and Hawai’i can welcome them when they do – it just won’t be me.
Me too. While it costs more to fly to SE Asia, the hotels are far cheaper. Its a financial wash, so I expect I’ll be spending my money there without a tracking bracelet.
Great. You got this off your chest.
I agree with you Kyle.
Uh……Hawaii is part of the United States. You “respect” the rights of states to determine who can visit and who can’t visit?
Unless martial law was declared last night and there was a ban of all interstate travel I don’t see how possibly any state can simply say you’re not allowed to come here. To even compare it to Saudi Arabia, one of the most repressive regimes in the world, is ludicrous.
There is no much misinformation in this post its almost laughable- I have family that work at the Kona airport and I am stationed in Hawaii, in the air national guard- while the airport screening process is extensive, the state’s government is not turning away healthy folks from visiting, the state is making all persons coming to the islands to shelter in place for 14 days, and those persons are being checked up on. I am baffled by the tourist that are coming to Hawaii right now, everything is closed!!!
@John Hammers – What’s inaccurate? I’ve stated that this is a proposed policy and that, if enacted, would cause me to choose someplace else. I’ve cited the report twice, so I am unsure how much clearer. If you don’t think it will pass, ok. If you don’t have a problem with it, ok. But neither of those are misinformation.
@Dublin – I do indicate that the state may face legal challenges and include a link.
“The current policy is to self-quarantine upon arrival into the islands (even for residents travelling from island-to-island) which may face legal challenges.”
But saying that I understand and respect Saudi Arabia’s right to exclude non-Muslims to an Islamic holy site doesn’t embrace the rest of the country’s policies. Bernie Sanders embraced improved literacy rates in Cuba, that doesn’t mean he also embraces all of their policies, right?
Except that he does.
Good. Stay away. While at it, stop using your smartphone.
And to say that you respect Saudi Arabia’s “rights” is even more ludicrous. Seriously. Pick a better example than a regime that has little regard for human life or dignity
Your article might have some impact if you made some kind of argument as to exactly why this potential policy upsets you.
@Mike – I don’t want to wear a tracker, I don’t want to be tracked. I don’t like the notion of it.
Fine. But we will be a long time getting back to normal if we all just do what we want to do depending on if we like it or not. To my mind, Hawaii will be at a real tourism advantage if they can provide peace of mind And a sense of normalcy by replacing or reducing social distancing with contact tracing. It’s one or the other until we have proven treatment protocols and/or a vaccine.
You do realize that unless your cell phone is turned off at all times you are being tracked.
I don’t doubt that, but then why do I need to wear an additional tracking bracelet?
Probably because if your heart rate goes up without physical activities, you might have fever …which is one of the symptoms of course.
The tracker (or tracking apps) have mainly the purpose of giving the authorities the contacts you had while being asymptomatic after you’ve been tested positive.
The fact that COVID-19 is transmitted quite a while before you get any symptoms makes it necessary to get the data of possibly infected people as fast as possible, and honestly I don’t really see alternatives to tracker or mandatory apps.
I’m pretty sure Hawai’i won’t be the only place suggesting such measures. It’s either this and a rather normal life (still with masks, no handshakes, 6 feet distance etc though) or a continuous lockdown.
Your choice!
Do you carry a flip phone without GPS? Do you also realize that many Hawaiians do not care for the mass tourism of people like yourself? Hawaii is only part of the US because US sugar interests overthrew the monarchy (on the other side of the US we have the parasitic Fanjuls robbing the American people).. But, hey, they won’t get your righteous dollars!
I live in Hawaii, on Maui. We don’t want or need visitors to come to the islands during a pandemic. Since our airports can’t be closed and visitors still travel here during a pandemic we have to do this to protect our community. We are the most remote island chain on earth. In good times our healthcare sucks, we don’t need tourists who mostly disrespect our islands when here in normal times to come here and bring COVID19 with them and be a burden on our healthcare system that barely can handle the local medical needs. Sorry tourists if you want to travel anywhere during a pandemic this is the only reasonable way for any community to protect themselves from those who recklessly travel during a pandemic.
As I mentioned, I respect Hawai’i’s rights but depending on if this is implemented and how long it persists will depend on whether or not I choose to visit. Others may follow.
I agree with Jill from Maui. Thank you, I’m a Big Island resident and agree with you wholeheartedly. Healthcare, in the best of times, is very bottom of the rung on the islands, especially if you live on the outer islands. Residents need to be medivac-ed to Oahu when facing serious issues. Some people, born on the island of Hawaii, have never been off the island in their entire lives. We have both a fragile ecosystem and a population that is not exposed to what would be normal on the mainland. It’s heartbreaking to think that cheap airline tickets will again attract less than respectful tourists to our islands.
So what happens when other parts of the world starts tracking with a similar technology? There are countries in Asia and elsewhere that don’t give much care to whether tourists like or don’t like a particular policy. If they believe it will protect their people they’ll implement it as well.
There are plenty of places I choose not to visit because I don’t agree with their policies or politics. Those places have the right to run their states (countries) as they choose and I have the right to spend my money and time elsewhere. For Hawai’i, I can understand their current need but wouldn’t visit any place (including Taiwan nor my beloved Hong Kong) if this policy were long-lasting.
You are being tracked anyway on your phone. Endlessly. I laugh so hard at my fellow Americans that go wild at something like the idea Hawaii is putting forth. Feeling as if it’s a violation of their personal freedom when, at the same time, are completely clueless to the levels you are already being watched by the Govt and private corporations. I’m sure many will be posting their anger of this policy on Facebook while they watch and monitor your movements and track you being upset at tracking.
@Stuart – you’re right but then again, if that’s the case and government working with technology is so effortlessly coordinated, why require me to wear a tracker at all? One of these things can’t be true.
Also, if we are already so closely tracked why are new apps even required? Surely the gov’t could just make the whole process faster and tell us that we are already tracked, but we aren’t. Everyone should probably take their tinfoil hats off and learn what the phones are actually doing.
Hundreds of tourists are still arriving in Hawaii every day. They are disregarding the 14-day quarantine, and putting those of us that live here at risk of further virus spread. Nothing is open, so I have no clue why they still come, but they do. Many are staying at BnBs, which are operating illegally (not essential businesses). A few have been arrested and sent back to the mainland for violating the rules, but not enough. The bottom line is that Hawaii needs to find a way to protect it’s citizens from these selfish people. The Governor and the four county Mayors sent a letter to Trump requesting that all non-essential travel to Hawaii be temporarily restricted, but there was no response.
Until the pandemic is over, this is the right thing to do. Nobody knows if they have COVID-19 and it would be irresponsible to put people on the islands at risk, especially when they don’t have the same healthcare services that the mainland does. Either that or they can lock people into hotel rooms involuntary to stop the spread from the mainland.
Regarding the pandemic still havocing around the world and the thousands of deads(the count still raising), it is a solution to track those infected who should not be travelling at all! Leisure or Business travelling during the pandemic is irresponsible and those who still do it, should be put to house arrest or even jail! You can only give these people freedom if they abide the law, if not they should experience its full force! Stay at home, close all borders for non essential traffic until the pandemic is over and safer for the public!
Let’s stop calling this a pandemic which induces hysteria. Now that we know more the fatality rate is low. Epidemic is more appropriate
I refuse to where a tracker and will stay far away from anyplace that requires it.
As to those insulting the KSA, if you do not like it, do not go there. They as well as I could care less.
@PA100:
Seems one does not understand the difference. The reason why COVID-19 and the 1918-Spanish Flu was called pandemic is not because of the low fatality rate, but because it spreads into every single continent. On the contrary, a local epidemic like MERS or Ebola can still be much way deadlier than a pandemic.
We live on Kauai. Kauai is receiving mostly single digit numbers of tourists a day. No need to have a wristband tracker here. Kauai police are working closely with hotel workers and the National Guard. Some have escaped from their rooms and have been tracked down, and arrested. Residents are ratting out tourists and returning residents violating the quarantine. 20 out of the 21 cases on Kauai have been travel related. 16 out of 21 have been residents. One active case on Kauai. If you want to visit Kauai, best to wait a bit.
As the mayor says, “When people move, the virus can move”.
I visited the so-called “Aloha” state years ago, and I’d like to state that the spirit of “Aloha” is for tourists only. In reality, it does not exist; there are ethnic groups there, which can’t stand other ethnic groups. There are some residents who don’t like “Houlis” (pardon the spelling), which is how they refer to Whites. Some of them are not happy that the USA overthrew their monarchy in the 1800’s. In recent years, there have been racial attacks by Hawaiians against Whites, whether they be members of the military or tourists. There are also various gangs in Hawaii, comprising different ethnic groups. All is not rosy in Hawaii; there are a lot of street people in Honolulu, and very few cops patrol the tourist areas near Waikiki Beach. The cost of living is so bad, that many native Hawaiians who have retired, move to the mainland where the cost of living is lower.
Now, regarding Hawaiians segregating tourists from the mainland, and quarantining them upon arrival, they should note that it takes two to tango. If they want to do that to residents of the mainland, who pour in billions of dollars in tourist revenue, then we should reciprocate, and do that to them. ALOHA!