Hawaii Looking To Drop Covid-19 Testing For Tourists

Hawaii knows that you want to come back and that’s why they are willing to make things a little bit easier on you in the coming months ahead. With some of the strictest Covid-19 travel protocols, the Big Island has required all passengers to submit negative Covid-19 tests before visiting the state, even if you are already vaccinated. Well, all of that is about to change as Hawaiian Governor David Ige says that he plans to allow vaccinated tourists to visit without the pre-travel Covid-19 test. Here’s what you need to know.

Hawaii Looking To Drop Covid-19 Testing For Tourists

As of press time, Hawaii is the only state requiring and spending millions of dollars on Covid-19 testing. Their Safe Travels program, which confirms visitors have had a negative COVID-19 test before arriving, launched in October of last year. Even though tourism is on the rise, it’s still far below pre-pandemic levels. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that most people who are fully vaccinated don’t need to be tested for COVID-19, but Hawaii is still requiring everyone to be tested before visiting the state.

But Governor Ige says he was caught off guard by the CDC’s announcement that said masks are no longer required for vaccinated people. While he is hopeful that more people in his community will be getting vaccinated, he said he won’t lift the state’s restrictions until more of the community is vaccinated.

 “We are emphasizing at the airports, as people come in, you know, there’s a lot of signage announcements being made that Hawaii does have a mass mandate and that people need to wear masks,” Governor Ige told KHON2.

“We’re encouraging all partners to remind all visitors that we ask them to be respectful of our community and what we’re trying to achieve here, which is really a healthy and safe place,” Ige continued.

Hawaii reported 34 new Covid-19 cases earlier this week, pushing the total number of infections in Hawaii since the pandemic began to 35,901. There were no additional fatalities but the death toll does sit at 496.

Tell us, how you do feel about this? Are you planning any trips this summer? If so, will you be staying close to home, going on a cruise, or traveling internationally for the first time in a year? Drop us a line with your thoughts in our comments section below. Also, don’t forget to come back to The Go Family for all the latest updates on Covid-19 related travel news right here.

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