Update: July 14, 2020 at 9:10 a.m. ET
Due to ongoing coronavirus outbreaks in several states, Hawaii Governor David Ige announced a delay in previously announced plans to allow trans-Pacific travelers to skip quarantine if they test negative for the viral infection.
According to HawaiiNewsNow.com, Governor Ige said the traveler pre-testing program was slated to begin on August 1, but has been pushed back to September 1 for Hawaiian health officials to finalize the details of how the testing will be conducted.
According to Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Josh Green, the Aloha State is likely to push back its previously announced target date for welcoming back outside visitors to the islands and restarting the tourism sector.
While the state's reopening to tourism is currently scheduled for August 1, reports say that Governor David Ige may soon announce a delay on the heels of a marathon series of meetings with local health officials and mayors.
"The governor has to make this decision. The best approach is to delay so that we're safer, so we can get control of the virus with a date certain. And then two weeks before that, give an update of where we are right now," Green stated, according to local news channel, KHON2.
While economists would like the public to assume responsibility for observing pandemic-prompted safety measures and re-welcome tourism for revenue's sake, some officials and health experts say that Hawaii simply isn't ready for the health risk.
Tim Brown, a senior research fellow with the East-West Center, agrees with the probable postponement. Even without the element of receiving outsiders, Hawaii has seen 26 new COVID-19 cases a day over the past week, and the rising numbers both at home and on the U.S. mainland don't bode well. He said that Hawaii really can't afford to allow tourists in until the daily count for new infections is back down in the single-digits.
Brown told KHON2 that too many residents are failing to wear their masks and practice social-distancing and proposed that state officials should take action to reinforce the impact and seriousness of these protocols.
"I think we need an actual public service announcement campaign of several million dollars, probably hiring professional firms to get this message across and to explain to people, look, your irresponsibility is the reason we can't open the economy."
The upcoming plan for reopening had included an option permitting inbound visitors to present evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result upon arrival in order to bypass the strict two-week quarantine, which is otherwise required and well-enforced (unlike in some other states).
Weeks ago, Brown had authored a report in which he estimated that such pre-testing protocols would filter out between 80 and 90 percent of infected passengers, resulting in about five infected travelers entering the state each day.
If tourists were welcomed right now, however, he estimates that number would be more like 15 to 20 cases per day, which, when added to the current level of community spread, would leave Hawaii, "in a very bad place," said Brown.
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