Starting on December 2, 2020, the island of Kauai will require all arriving passengers to quarantine for 14 days, even with a negative COVID-19 test. The policy is reasonable, yet still unfair in that it was enacted with such limited notice.
Kauai Will Require 14-Day Quarantine For All Arrivals
Kauai, known as the Garden Island, currently has only 23 confirmed COVID-19 cases. But as View from the Wing notes, it also has the fewest number of ICU beds in the state of Hawaii.
Erring on the side of caution, Kauai will will require all passengers arriving after midnight on December 2nd to quarantine for 14 days.
Governor David Ige approved the exception to Hawaii’s testing opt-out program:
I’ve approved Mayor Kawakami’s request to place a temporary moratorium on #Kauai‘s participation in the state’s pre-travel testing program. Effective 12/2 all transpacific and intercounty travelers are subject to the 14-day quarantine regardless of testing https://t.co/76nKT0c6W6
— Governor David Ige (@GovHawaii) November 28, 2020
I’m not going to make the argument today that Kauai must remain open because its economy is dependent upon tourism. That is for its residents and elected leaders to decide.
Nevertheless, the sudden change in rules throws the travel plans of hundreds, potentially thousands, into disarray. Many have put down deposits on vacation homes or pre-paid hotels and airfare. To totally roll back the testing opt-out program with five days notice, especially as a precautionary measure, strikes me as a foolish lack of foresight.
The issue spills over into the entire state. Because if an exception was approved for Kauai, it could quickly and easily be approved for neighbor islands or other cities as well. That undermines any confidence people have in booking a trip to Hawaii.
CONCLSUION
Once again, Hawaii finds itself as the flashpoint between conflicting priorities. It is not for me to say if the move by Kauai is the right one. But I do know that such a sudden and complete change in policy is unfair to those who have already paid for a trip to Hawaii and will further keep tourists away from Hawaii. And I guess that is the point…
It is especially bizarre when there have been six weeks of re-opened tourism with testing, and the state’s cases have remained about flat to where they had declined to before the rollout, which would seem to indicate the testing is working well.
HiAperture, that’s not true for Kaua’i. Look @ data for only Kaua’i County, (2 islands, 2 Petrie dishes), from about Sep. 1 to current.
Where did you get your info. We went from 0 to 119 cases since opening and had a death.
Do you live here?
People are coming qith no test results running all over then sometimes coming up with positive results. And a lot of them upset with our policies for masks.
We value the lives of our residents over economics. Lives lost can never be recovered, the economy may with time.
Those conscientious-less folks who want to take advantage of low fares to get away from the spreading contagion in America and enjoy recreational escapades on Kaua’i without regard for our safety and security are not welcome here.
“Aloha” also means goodbye!
I wish there would have been more advance notice since all of our kids and grandkids already paid for a 10 trip over Christmas break. We have devastated kids and deposits and fees we can’t recover.
Out of Respect and Common Courtesy , people shouldn’t be Traveling here or anywhere while this Pandemic is rapidly killing people. Look at the numbers and see how is that. ” Fair”!? This isn’t the time to be “Fair ” to people who sadly lost their deposit on their vacation while others from the islands are dying. This is where we live , work ,play and Raise our Keikis. We’re not crying it isn’t fair that we can’t fly back home from Oahu or Maui and Have to quarantine . You Do it because you don’t want to hurt anyone and their families. There are people we know and Love dying. We just lost someone on Monday who was a huge supporter of the tourist industry and since he was around tourist , he sadly leaves his son , our friend without a father . I’ve known him for 40 + years and I don’t think it’s Fair either !
Be smart and respect peoples lives by staying home until we can get this nightmare to seize. It’s not asking much but March was the official start so you definitely had time to cancel or just not travel . If you still were planning to come after March 2020 than you probably have more money than average and in that case that’s the cost of stupidity and no one needs to feel sorry for you. If you had this planned prior to this , the airlines, cars and hotels are giving credits , refunds and extensions. We cancelled our trip to Brazil in March and have 1 year to use the ticket but we probably won’t end up using it, maybe we will get another extension maybe not but it’s not about money , it’s clearly about safety. People need to stop being so entitled and selfish and think about others as well and about the impact they would make on a family who loses a member and need to say goodbye through a doublepane glass window as our friend did on Monday.
“Nevertheless, the sudden change in rules throws the travel plans of hundreds, potentially thousands, into disarray. Many have put down deposits on vacation homes or pre-paid hotels and airfare. To totally roll back the testing opt-out program with five days notice, especially as a precautionary measure, strikes me as a foolish lack of foresight.”
Who the hell cares about that petty crap?
People live here you know, we aren’t just a vacation destination.
What a stupid point to make in the article.
You shouldn’t be making plans to travel during a pandemic anyway, plus there is no reason to come right now because everything is closed.
Such a stupid take, unbelievable how we’re viewed like Disneyland or something.
Nah, Disneyland actually knows the spirit of Aloha. You people don’t.
I agree that five days notice given to travelers may not be fair, however, I don’t think Kauai’s Mayor expected that he would get approval from Governor Ige. He had been turned down previously. Mayor Kawakami was asking for the only prudent measure he was left with, and it was granted. The realities are that here on Kauai, its not too late for us, as in things have not gotten alarmingly “out of control” here like on the mainland. The statistics speak for themselves, from March until Oct 15( when the “safe” travels/testing began), Kauai had 62 cases, and no deaths. From that very significant date, (Oct 15 until Nov 15), we had 62 cases and one death in less than a month! The “safe” travel program has shown us how unreliable the pre-testing strategy was, we tried it, it did not work. One other thing I noticed, was that our visitors would wear their masks in stores, but the minute they exit the door, the masks are dramatically torn from their faces. Visitors either do not know that Kauai has a mask mandate, or they don’t care. I have to say that I wear mine, even while out walking for two reasons, The first reason,, is because its the law, and the second because the people that are also out and about, are not wearing masks, nor do I see any evidence that they have one in their possession. Its that mainlander “defiant” attitude that we kamaina do not appreciate. The new problem that we will be now having to deal with is the quarantine breakers. The new rules are harsh, but what is harsher, is watching an island with only 70,000 residents become overrun with Covid-19, and not be able to get the treatment they require because all of the 74 hospital beds/ Nine ICU beds on the island are occupied with both local & mainland people. We don’t even have enough funeral homes, or cold storage for the amount of bodies that the mainland sadly has to deal with. I emailed Mayor Kawakami awhile back when I saw that cold storage trucks were parked in the lot at a hospital in El Paso Texas. This was because the hospital morgue was full, and prison inmates were in charge of moving the bodies, because of staff shortages. Only a couple days into that arrangement, the Texas National Guard was called on to assist the inmates, as they were overwhelmed, and needed more help, since the body counts had increased so dramatically.I told our Mayor this story, and told him I don’t want to see the day that a refrigerated portable morgue needs to be parked at Wilcox hospital due to a failure in the “safe” travels program. We Kauaians have endured many trials in our past. We are a close knit community where everyone helps each other. We will not thrive, thats for sure, but we will survive. This thing will end hopefully soon, and Kauai will be ready, willing and able to once again welcome our visitors with Aloha.
I have lived on Kauai for 20 years. Both my husband and I are in our seventies. We wear our masks, wash our hands, stay at home except for necessities, and try to socially distance. I have seen tourists walking around with no masks. They go into our markets 5 people at a time so you can barely pass them in the aisles. Make a list, send one or two people to the market, that will give space for social distancing. People complain they cannot come here, well I have not seen my grandkids in a year because it is not safe for us to travel. We live here, they are visitors! If they want to come here obey our rules and show respect. I think Mayor Kawakami is doing a great job!
I am a resident of Kauai and would like to Clarify. On October 15 th when the safe travel program started we had a total of 59 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. We had also had only 1 hospitalization. We currently have had 112 cases that were tested in Hawaii and 14 tourists that were found to be positive after arrival, but counted in their own state. The increase is more than the total of cases in the entire 8 months up to the October 15th start date of the Safe travel program.
We have had multiple hospitalizations and 1 death since the start also. That may not seem like much. The problem is we only have 74 medical hospital beds, 9 ICU beds and 11 ventilators and there are usually 5 ICU beds in use on a normal day. Not to mention limited Doctors. We have one Gastroenterologist and one Respiratory MD. We often have to fly to Oahu for certain appointments or certain surgeries.
Our Mayor wanted to Opt out from the beginning and submitted a plan and the Governor did not accept his proposal.
We are glad to have visitors enjoy our beautiful island. In the current times however, it is putting our residents at risk and possibly without care for our own residents.
Please come and share our island when life returns to more normal times.
Aloha to all.
I personally believe the policy to be strict, but it’s up to Kauaians to decide for themselves. I wish that the rest of the states controlled their borders as well as Hawaii. At least your mayor has the guts to close. We are out of control in California, but our chickensh*t govenor refuses to close our borders to “travellers” from Mexico.
I work for an airline and number 1 destination is Mexico it’s not Mexican people coming over to CA it’s American’s going there. Mexico needs to. Lose its boarders to American tourist s
Me,me’e,me.
Poor us who paid for our trip.
Boo hoo hoo.
Your total lack of real time of life and death looming large on a small island with little to nil resources to deal with a sudden surge pandemic putting all at risk.
Pardon us, but we protect our own and you took a knowing chance booking your trip where a life compromised or lost cannot do a rebooking.
This is not Disneyland.
Tourism is not the main dependency of income here and each day locals are seeking local solutions such as growing food and producing need goods and services to limit need from the mainland which it is not part of and never will part of The Kingdom Of Hawai’i since the entire “statehood” is still a illegal occupation as it was when enacted.
I bet you’re in Costco every day buying a dollar Hot Dog and loading up on goods from the mainland.
Food Banks are the main source right now . Tourism is the main employer on island. Yes Kauai needs to protect its people just like any other state in the USA.
Aloha from Kekaha. Only time will tell, I see this as the final cleansing of young families trying to live here. Small businesses are Dead! Friends who made good money are doomed. Now what? Mainland buyers buying sight unseen to flee their blue state chaos. Median price will be a million dollars in the next 2 years. Good bye entrepreneurs. Hello rich folks. May you bring enough for everyone to suck off you.
It’s very clear that the Hawaiian people don’t want us dreaded tourists on their islands. So, cancel and rebook to the Carribean. It’s cheaper and the people are friendlier. And don’t go asking for a federal bailout you “natives ” this is what you signed up for when you rolled up the welcome mat.
Tourists were asked to come with negative test results and wear masks. We love our tourists but not at the expense of our families. Wow sounds like we are better off without your visit for sure.
Lynda. This is a racist and ignorant response. The indigenous people of Hawaii don’t need white people visiting with this attitude anyways. I’m glad people like you aren’t the ones making government decisions about how to handle a pandemic, and how to treat the people of the stolen lands you live on. I hope you realize how insane you sound. Aloha from Kauai.
The way tourism once was on the island of Kauai is gone forever.
Stolen? You had a freaking KING before we liberated you.
Why don’t you just wear tour white hood all the time
Lynda , not to be rude but don’t you see this is a horrible idea to come to the Islands for a vacation?! How about you just stay home and not put everyone you come into contact with at risk there , on the flights and here since as you want to travel here while everyone should be at home we know you ain’t being careful about this whole thing and may have it. And please , anyone who is planning on coming to hawaii when this subsibes , please come share the land and enjoy the balmy days and know that yes we take care of visitors and welcome them especially if they chose to wait other than the ones we don’t want and glad they are choosing to go to the Caribbean instead. To all the visitors , we thank you for your visits and know that we will have lots of Aloha left because the ones we don’t want here went to the Caribbean instead so ” get Choke aloha ” left for the ones who deserve it.
wow. the first peoples/Kanaka Maoli of Hawai’i never asked to be colonized by the US. i’m sure they’re devastated you don’t want to go there…
Natives don’t want you around if that’s your stance so yeah don’t come
Rolled up the welcome mat???? Wow! You do understand that there is a global pandemic going on, right? If you rich people really want to help our economy on Kauai, use the money you would have spent on your trip towards a food bank or help our homeless. If cancelling a trip is your biggest Covid-19 dilemma, then the next time you visit, take a stroll on the beach at night after your expensive dinner. I’m sure some of the homeless would love to trade places with you.
Hawaii’s overall approach shows what the rest of the US could aspire to. 2.7% positivity rate on Oahu today, vs. 6.6 in California. What’s the difference? Hawaii can control its borders, while Cali either can’t or chooses not to.
Kauai has 9 ICU beds. Should we have more yes but we don’t. Our confirmed cases have more than doubled since Oct. 15. We cannot afford more cases with our limited medical resources. I do feel bad for the visitors who have booked and paid for their travel arrangements that we are going into quarantine again but maybe people should rethink traveling right now.
Thank you for your standpoint on this matter. My husband and I were supposed to arrive on Kauai on the 1st. We’ve been paying on a timeshare for 2 years and now will be out the money and the points having to cancel so late. We’re terribly disappointed in how Vistana/Westin are handling the situation. And we’re having to jump through hoops to get our “refundable” plane ticket money back! Of course we understand the island’s need to protect its people, but this was too drastic of a change too fast. Their numbers are nothing compared to the rest of the country that can’t make those kinds of changes.
Aloha ʻino, brah! A ‘o ia! Come back next year instead. A hui hou.
So we should wait until our numbers are out of control before we do something “drastic ?” You know why are numbers are not as bad? Because we do “drastic” things to stay safe. You say you understand but then you continue rambling on about “refundable ” and “money” and ” points”. Do you understand what uncertain times means? It means we’re not certain about allowing visitors here. Maybe you should’ve done some research. Unless you’re coming here to assist the hundreds of health care workers and others who are exhausting themselves during this crisis, stay safe and stay home.
Yet again hawaii shows that they’re xenophobic who don’t consider mainlanders to be fellow Americans citizens with full and equal access to their part of america. This whole year has taken the nice aloha mask off the hawaiian spirit and shown the uflg soul within
Did you read the Kauai residents above, and their in depth analysis of the current hospital situation? It would have been great if this blog reported that but that’s a few standard deviations of journalism away that the Live and Let Fly gang are capable of.
Shaun, your characterization of LALF is unreasonable and in error, but I will take responsibility here for not digging deeper on actual infection numbers on Kauai.
Still, Margaret above is incorrect or at least not helpful. Kauai’s cumulative case count (as of Nov. 19) was 119. Of those, 104 were confirmed, one was probable and 14 were confirmed positive tests performed out-of-state or off-island. That’s since the pandemic began. But there are only 23 active cases currently.
So is this serious? Every life matters. Are cases spiraling out of control due to tourism? No.
So you suggest spiralling out if control? Before a rushed decision is made? Perhaps opening an Aloha shop and play ground in your yard would be best. I heard you make a mean Mai-Tai.
I do make a mean Mai Tai.
Wow! Just Wow! You must of not had a loving father or Grandfather in your life and I’m sorry you had that happen to you. I Hope your life gets better and sorry you have so much hate in you.
Hawaii is beautiful but I will pass. No need to leave my home to suffer.
They say we only have 11 ICU beds and a similar number of ventilators but I suspect that on a population to ICU beds ratio we probably have a better ratio than most mainland hospitals. Maybe the 14 day quarantine is a good option but I can’t believe that it was done on such short notice. Good bye Kauai as a vacation destination for years to come. For those who are saying that is wonderful, let’s see how you feel in few years.
Starting and then stopping again is the worst a destination can do in the long run. Visitor confidence will be destroyed and many won’t book again until they see the island open for an extended period.
The sad part is that so many residents will lose their jobs or businesses. Then outsiders will buy up land and housing driving even more of the local population out.
If hospital capacity is the reason for the decision, what has the local government done to increase capacity since March? The second wave in fall was predicted and should not be a surprise.
Anyone who buys property 9n this island can easily afford to quarantine for 14 days after closing. Our Mayor only opted out of the Safe Travels program.
People can STILL come in if they quarantine, they just need to plan for it!
I’m truly sorry for all those visitors who really don’t care about anything but their own agendas, but LIVES are at stake here. We are talking Local lives mostly, but this pandemic affects everyone. People need to understand that there WILL BE inconvenience now! Life cannot continue as before until after this pandemic is behind us on this planet! But when you only care about yourself and your own pocketbook, it’s easy to lose sight of other people and their needs.
People who are hell-bent on vacationing here still can visit other islands if they can’t extend their vacation time to accommodate Kauai’s rules. Some may stay home, it’s true, and perhaps in doing so miss sitting close to an infected person on a plane!
No one knows the complete impact of this decision.
But health is the greatest wealth there is. Without it, one really can’t do much. And I’m sorry to say that I think this world is learning this lesson the hard way.
I think someone should start talking about the impact of corona virus on peoples health AFTER they’ve had it and then been told they are clear. Apparently there are a range of continuing symptoms that are basically being written off atm by the medical establishment, but that make many survivors lives very difficult afterwards. Can some sharp reporter investigate THAT and write about it?
Yes, I applaud the decision Kauai’s mayor made, and I thank the council for supporting him! I’m happy I live on the same Island as these folks!
People shouldn’t be travelling during a world wide emergency anyway. Why are so many people being so selfish? Travelling on vacation is a want, not a need. Stay home! Wben this pandemic is over and we have a vaccine, tben travel for a vacation. Have some feelings about others , especially in the medical profession, and not just about youself. We need more grace and empathy right now.
With all due respect to the author, the idea that this was a ‘sudden’ change in policy is only part of the story. On November 16, Mayor Kawakami requested a modification to the current Safe Travels program to 1)require a 3 day quarantine minimum for all participants of the safe travels program 2)require testing results PRIOR to embarkation aboard the plane
Read more here
https://www.kitv.com/story/42926949/threeday-quarantine-and-second-test-for-kauai-travelers-unlikely-to-get-governor-ok
So given that, at least two weeks ago, there were signs that the original safe travels program was not going to continue at status quo. Any traveler making plans to travel here after that date without having fully reimbursable travel plans took a gamble and unfortunately it did not pan out. That is not something that can simply be blamed on the government since kauai has proven itself time and time again to be aggressive in preventing the spread of Covid amongst the populace.
In addition, the County of Kauai has requested that all visitors voluntarily quarantine for three days at the start of the vacation and receive a reimbursable (a gift card to kauai business as reimbursement) test after those three days. Unfortunately, the participation was in the single digit percentages for tourists. Nearly all of the new cases have been travel related. The most egregious are indeed the cases that are positive before embarking, but also scary is the fact that there a number of recent cases that pretested negative but later found positive post travel. The current Safe Travels program has no method to catch such an incident. The mayor has tried to get the state to administer a post arrival test on all travelers and the state is trying to get affordable antigen tests but that hasn’t been able to happen yet.
Since the beginning of the safe travels program, Kauai has more than doubled the total Covid case count in just over a month vs 7 months. With most of those cases being travel related. Also, this week, Kauai has seen proven cases of community transmission, which Kauai has not really had in the 7 months of 2 week quarantine for travelers. The government is not planning based simply on proven cases, but forecasting based on PROBABLE Cases using statistical models. Waiting until ICU beds are at capacity is simply too late.
To me, anyone saying it draconian, please remember that after an initial shutdown, Kauai has had relatively few restrictions placed upon the local populace in terms of business closures BECAUSE IT HAS SUCH LOW RATES OF Covid. For many months, Kauai had ZERO cases of covid while the mainland was still spiking. Stopping it at the borders (airports) is a goal that Kauai is striving for, but the mayor is hamstrung by the State level rules. That’s why he’s pulling back from the safe travels program, because the number talk. It exponentially increased the covid case numbers on kauai.
DON’T BE A COVIDIOT
*this*. Thank you. As a healthcare worker/physician, i wish more people had this outlook.
we’re. all. tired.
Wow what a bunch of entitled C#%%SUCKERS. This is a time to think of the other guy. Is it really to much to ask to stay put. I live and LOVE KAUAI
Imagine how quickly this would change if their welfare checks and food stamps where at risk.
LOL
Maybe they don’t need them. One commentator said they are planning gardens. LMAO.
This is a tyrannical Nazi move on the mayor’s Part. We own a condo there. We will be selling immediately. F this a-hole. This is tyrannical, unnecessary and frankly insane.
Jeff, Sorry to see you go!
This pandemic is really inconvenient for sure. I did the quarantine and our health is worth it to me. I would love to buy your condo!
Which complex is it in?
Thanks!
Okay bye. People in Hawaii don’t want your entitled shitty attitude anyway. Think of someone other than yourself for a minute.
Sue, I totally agree with you.
Bye! Don’t come back here…ever. So sorry the Covid is interrupting your condo plans. Wherever you come from probably has a high Covid rate because of people like you. Your state or county or city may have given up on trying to keep you guys safe, but we haven’t! We intend to keep our community healthy no matter what. What good is it to have businesses open if people get sick and can’t work or go to them? How dare you use the word Natzi? There are no concentration camps here. We are not being starved or abused. That word is totally inappropriate. Please never return here.
# of current Kauai Covid-19 patients in ICU beds = 0
# of current Kauai Covid-19 patients in Hospitals = 0
# of booked passengers in next 60 days who must cancel with little or no notice = 50,000
Damage to Kauai’s reputation, and to its economy — ???
# of people who give a [redacted by admin] if some random white guy named Scott can’t go to Hawaii for a week this year = zero
Holy [redacted by admin]! You have some [redacted by admin] in the comments. It’s their island. They can do what they want. Y’all are spoiled.
Unfortunately our good friend Mayor Kawakami has gone overboard by withdrawing from the State’s Safe Travel Program. He cudda-shudda stuck with his earlier plan requiring 2nd and 3rd tests after passengers arrive on Kauai so at least a few of the small businesses can survive. Rep. Gene Ward. Co-chair Small Business Caucus
Way overboard in my opinion, I thought he would be a great mayor but after this recent change, he needs to go with the governor, at this time they don’t impress me with their decision making.
They be lying like a Mofo and the dumb people believe anything!!! Don’t forget we’re you came from God land of the free you hunt fish and live off what God gave us not the Goverment white evil men!!!!
I’ll take my business elsewhere. No thanks Kauai.
You can arrive on the first without quarantine if you have a negative test
I’m still trying to figure out why my buddy on Oahu got a $5000 ticket for “non essential travel”, yet all of you tourists are “non essentially traveling”. Maybe they should hand everyone of you a $5000 ticket at the airport. (It’s the law!) One other thing, maybe you guys should look up why Hawaii is a rabies free state (hint: 2 week quarentine). New Zealand has zero cases, because they don’t let entitled white american covidiots cross thier borders. Do you whiney brats ever stop to think YOUR self entitled me me me fu attitude is WHY Hawaiians don’t like you?