On Wednesday night, Governor David Ige announced a new emergency proclamation. As a result of his new orders, Hawaii shortens its quarantine period for those that choose not to obtain a pre-travel test. However, the new, shorter quarantine period isn’t drastically shorter than the old one.
Hawaii Governor David Ige’s new emergency proclamation covered just two topics: quarantine and housing. First, the emergency proclamation extends prohibitions on evictions through February 21, 2021, given the ongoing nature of the pandemic. The second part was, of course, the new quarantine requirements. Specifically, those that do not participate in the Pre-Travel testing program now only need to quarantine for 10 days instead of 14.
Ige states that the new, shorter quarantine period is based on revised guidelines from the CDC and the State of Hawaii Department of Health. He further states that “a 10-day self-quarantine period allows us to control the spread of COVID-19 in the community while balancing the need to address the mental and emotional health issues caused by isolation, to improve compliance, and to lessen the economic hardship for those unable to return to work.”
The new quarantine requirements went into effect on Thursday, December 17.
Complex Rules
It’s worth reminding that arriving travelers that get tested and do not have negative results before boarding their flight to Hawaii must quarantine. And, yes, the quarantine for those is now 10 days rather than 14 too. Personally, I still think a second test would do more to protect Hawaii. Plus, with cases exploding in many of Hawaii’s most important markets, tests there are getting more difficult to get.
Oh, and, in case you don’t remember, Kauai no longer participates in the Safe Travels program. That means everyone arriving on Kauai must quarantine for 10 days now.
Hawaii Shortens Its Quarantine Period, Final Thoughts
Though Governor Ige champions the shortening of the quarantine period as a win, I don’t think it’ll make a difference. Even the Pre-Travel testing program hasn’t got visitors flocking back to the islands. The reality of the situation is that travel will remain depressed until things start returning to normal. And with vaccination efforts now underway, we can all look forward to some semblance of modernity in the not-too-distant future.