Hawaii Tourism Reopening for Visitors

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Hawaii tourism ready
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Visitors from everywhere in the world will receive a welcome with Aloha and open arms in the State of Hawaii after August 1.

The Aloha State of Hawaii is getting ready to open the travel and tourism industry again. Flower leis may still be part of the traditional greeting with Aloha, but there is a lot more planned to make the arrival of visitors safe and effective.

There is also no more talk about travel bubbles between Hawaii and New Zealand, Japan, or other regions with a low infection rate. Hawaii will be open to everyone. It includes visitors from major travel markets like California where the virus outbreak is in full force with reporting of record numbers of cases.

Hawaii Governor Ige announced today at a press conference at Honolulu International Airport that the State of Hawaii is getting ready and a date of August 1, 2020 was set. He also explained that most federal financial assistance is coming to an end on July 31, and there seems to be no choice for Hawaii to continue closing itself up to the rest of the world.

The Governor confirmed that the 14-day quarantine order for travelers and visitors was the reason COVID-19 was kept low. This together with smart common-sense rules that included social distancing and wearing masks made Hawaii the safest state in the United States.

At the same time, 200,000 unemployment cases were filed in Hawaii after COVID-19 broke out. Before the outbreak, Hawaii went from the state with the lowest unemployment to the state with the second-highest unemployment in the nation. Tourism is a lifeline for the state’s economy.

Senate bill 126 will fund the screening process necessary to open up the state for mainland and international visitors.

After 13 weeks of mandatory quarantine in place, travelers with a valid negative COVID-19 certificate issued within 72 hours before boarding a flight to Hawaii will be allowed to enter the state as of August 1. Upon arrival, passengers need to pass a temperature check of less than 100.4. They also must fill out a form with details showing everyone’s travel plans while visiting the Aloha State. So, passengers may be sent to a secondary screening before being allowed to check into their Hawaii hotel, resort, or vacation rental.

The multi-layer testing and screening should make Hawaii safe for visitors once again, according to Governor Ige, Lt. Governor Green, and all 4 mayors.

Hawaii is a safe place and will remain a safe place according to the Maui Mayor.

Opening the travel and tourism industry will have a tremendous and hopefully positive impact on Hawaii’s economy. Mayor Caldwell from Honolulu confirmed saying that now was the time to welcome a larger volume of travelers.

Currently, Hawaii has only used 47% of ICU beds in hospitals. Hawaii is only using 17% of available ventilators, and only 103 hospital beds are in use, according to Lt. Governor Green, who is also an emergency physician.

4,000-5,000 tests daily are conducted with the results coming back on the same day. Current testing is only usingย  25% of the available capacity.

Hawaii so far has served as an example for the country and for the world.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise in many other US states, domestic travel may become the biggest danger. Governor Ige said that Hawaii is part of the United States and could not easily exclude domestic travelers. He also said there are discussions going on with certain countries and regions on travel bubbles. Such discussions are usually done by the US State Department.

California is one of the most important tourism source markets, and COVID-19 is on the rise in California along with Arizona and Texas, two more important source markets for Hawaii. It seems to be a risk Hawaii is about to take under enormous economic pressure.

“We canย  live with the virus and make the income we need to continue with our life,” said Mayor Caldwell from Honolulu.

According to Lt. Governor Green, the football is rolling down the field, and we will be busy working to get ready by August 1.

Just days ago, Governor Ige indicated the key to relaunching tourism was the idea of travel bubbles. It appears the economy is about to take over action in Hawaii, and only God may be able to help when the floodgates are opened.

The state is teaming up with companies like CVS Pharmacy to accept pre-arrival tests available in their stores around the US mainland.

Governor Ige and Lt. Governor Green both refused to answer tough questions by eTurboNews. Today, Hawaii recorded 16 new cases.

Governor Ige said, “This is a marathon!” The Governor added the attempt by the US Justice Department to force ending the quarantine did not influence his decision.

1 out of 376 visitors holding a pre-test may actually be positive.

Hawaii residents traveling to the mainland nay have different rules to follow, and they are being worked out.

#rebuildingtravel

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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