Hawaii Gov. David Ige has announced his goal of implementing a pre-travel check option for travelers starting August 1, as an option to 14-day quarantine for those entering the state.
A water humpback whale in Hawaiit. Picture: Istock Source: SBS
A New Zealand bubble with Australia might be irrelevant for now, as plans failed after the two countries’ wave of time, but now Hawaii has introduced a similar idea.
As tourism is a key component of the island nation’s economy, the Hawaiian government is considering creating a COVID-19 bubble with other Pacific countries, adding Australia.
And that can come in early October.
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Hawaii Gov. David Ige said at a news convention Tuesday (August 18) that he plans to allow non-U.S. tourists to enter the island starting October 1 to revive the devastated tourism industry.
Hawaii has not been as affected by the coronavirus pandemic as many other U.S. states, largely due to its island status.
The Palm Nation has so far reported 6356 cases of coronavirus, at the time of writing, low for the United States.
The small number remains despite the fact that mainland Americans can travel to Hawaii as tourists.
A cyclist travels in an empty waikiki on July 26, 2020. Photo: Ronen Zilberman / AFP Source: AFP
Governor Ige will now expand Hawaii’s tourism base with other trans-Pacific countries such as Japan and Australia.
“I’ve worked with mayors across all counties to identify tactics to get travelers back faster,” he said.
These plans come with “geolocation” in resorts, where institutions would be responsible for quading visitors for 14 days, as well as “travel bubbles” with
“We’re going to explore all the features to get trans-Pacific travelers to the island safely.”
However, he said a mandatory two-week quarantine is not very exciting for newcomers and the idea of tactics to speed it up.
Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, speaks at a meeting. Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images / AFP Source: AFP
On July 13, Governor Ige said it would allow travelers to enter the state freely if they had a negative COVID-19 test, conducted no more than 72 hours before the trip.
However, this plan has been postponed 3 times due to an increase in COVID-19 cases. Now expected on October 1.
“All individuals, citizens and visitors arriving from outside the state in Hawaii are still subject to a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine,” the Hawaii Tourism Authority said.
“The publication of the pre-travel state program has been postponed until October 1 at the earliest.”