by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:04 AM ET, Thu September 17, 2020
Hawaiian officials announced Wednesday that travelers arriving from out of state would soon be able to bypass the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival if they provide a negative coronavirus test.
According to The Associated Press, Hawaii Governor David Ige revealed that travelers who take a COVID-19 test with a negative result within 72 hours before their flight arrives in the state would be able to enter without quarantine starting on October 15.
Governor Ige said the state was working with drug store operator CVS and healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente to conduct the tests. Hawaii previously announced two planned tourism restart dates, but a lack of supplies and a spike in confirmed cases forced delays.
"I want to emphasize that this pre-travel testing will allow us to add a greater element of safety for travel into our state," Governor Ige said in a statement.
The tourism industry in the state is hoping the new COVID-19 plan will encourage people to safely return to Hawaii, as traffic fell by more than 90 percent since the pandemic began and thousands of locals lost their jobs.
Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) president John De Fries said the state's tourism industry has "established protocols to ensure the safety of our residents and workforce, while also welcoming back pre-tested guests safely."
"We continue to educate visitors before and after they arrive in the Hawaiian Islands to make them more mindful and aware about their responsibility to keep themselves and our residents safe," De Fries continued.
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