Hawaii's long-awaited pre-travel testing program is scheduled to take effect on October 15, but one of Hawaii's eight major islands doesn't want to play by the same rules as the rest.
Reportedly, Kauai's Mayor Derek Kawakami wants to require a second test of arriving travelers after they've remained restricted to their designated resort bubble for the first three days and has petitioned the governor for permission to implement his plan.
If arrivals re-test negative on a rapid antigen test administered after 72 hours, they'd be sprung from their electronic monitoring devices and permitted to move about the island freely.
Hawaii's wider pre-travel testing option is designed to enable out-of-state travelers to bypass the current 14-day quarantine requirement, provided they can produce proof of negative COVID-19 PCR test results from a test taken within the 72-hour window before travel.
Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Josh Green has estimated that, with the new pre-travel testing requirements, only one in 1,000 arrivals might still bring the virus onto the islands.
But, Kawakami doesn't feel that's quite adequate to prevent continued coronavirus importation and said that his plan for Kauai would provide a second layer of protection. After all, a passenger who was COVID-free three days prior to travel could still have contracted the virus before landing in Hawaii and go about spreading it unchecked upon arrival.
"This means all incoming travelers, local residents and tourists, would be treated equally, and would quarantine for a minimum of three days before they have the opportunity take a rapid COVID test," he said.
Hawaii isn't offering currently testing for inbound passengers upon arrival and the state has said that it can't provide the number of tests necessary test every arriving traveler, according to Hawaii News Now. Kawakami responded that his county has already purchased 15,000 rapid tests to dedicate to incoming visitors.
Currently, tourists to Hawaii are bound by quarantine rules to remain within their approved resort bubble, which allows them to enjoy all the offerings available at their resort, but prohibits them from leaving the property. They must also agree to wear electronic monitoring devices at all times and face legal prosecution if they tamper with their devices or stray outside of their resort, God Save The Points reported.
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