Beginning August 1, travelers visiting Hawaii from out of state will be able to present a negative COVID-19 test to avoid the state's mandatory 14-day quarantine, Gov. David Ige announced on Wednesday.
Travelers must undergo a PCR (nasal-swab) test prior to arrival from any testing location approved by the Hawaii State Department of Health and evidence of a negative test result, printed or emailed pre-test certification, must be provided upon arrival.
While the program is still being developed, officials are expected to require an FDA-approved PCR test from a CLIA certified lab that travelers themselves will have to pay for. Travelers also need to complete Hawaii's Travel and Health form.
Testing will not be provided upon arrival at the airport. However, temperature checks will continue at airports across the state. Anyone registering higher than 100.4 degrees or experiencing other symptoms will be required to undergo secondary screening.
"The health of our community remains our primary focus. This multi-layered pre-travel testing and screening process allows travelers an alternative to the 14-day travel quarantine in a way that protects the health and safety of our kamai'aina and visitors," said Ige in a statement. "Now is the time to work together to ensure that our local businesses can safely re-open to incoming travelers."
According to USA Today, Hawaiian Airlines was quick to share the news with members of its HawaiianMiles frequent flyer program, highlighting the policy with a link to book flights in an email sent on Thursday.
Total visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands dropped 37.3 percent to 2,130,051 visitors over the first four months of 2020, including a 99.5 percent decrease in April, according to statistics from the Hawaii Tourism Authority's (HTA) Tourism Research Division.
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