Hawaii Opens to Vaccinated Travelers on July 8
Visiting Hawaii is about to become much easier, at least if you are vaccinated. Starting July 8, Hawaii will allow travelers vaccinated on the mainland to skip quarantine without getting a COVID test. This is a major step toward fully reopening the state. Travelers to Hawai‘i must upload their CDC issued vaccination record card to the state’s Safe Travels Program website and have that card with them upon arrival in the State of Hawaii.
In addition to expanding its “vaccine passport program,” the state is also easing restrictions on gatherings and restaurants July 8 in anticipation of reaching a vaccination rate of 60%.
Ige had previously said that Hawaii would lift travel restrictions for vaccinated visitors when the state reached a 60% vaccination rate. The figure had been stuck at 57% and Ige said earlier this week that it wouldn’t meet that level ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend. He said Thursday it expects to reach the benchmark on July 8 instead.
The testing requirement for Hawaii visitors has been in place since October and has been the only way to bypass Hawaii’s mandatory quarantine, which started at 14 days and now stands at 10 days.
“We anticipate that on or about July 8, Hawai‘i will have achieved a 60% vaccination rate. Our residents have sacrificed and worked hard to get to this point, but we still have more to do. Please get vaccinated to protect yourselves and your loved ones. We are close to achieving a 70% vaccination rate, at which point all restrictions will end and we can return to the lives we remember,” said Gov. Ige.
When Hawaii achieves a 70% vaccination rate, all restrictions will end. Social gatherings will no longer be restricted, and restaurants will continue to be regulated in the normal course by the Department of Health, which may establish new, permanent rules in light of the pandemic.
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Any word on kids that are too young to be vaccinated? I assume they must still get tested, but do they need to quarantine?
Prior to the new protocol, quarantines were only required if you had a negative COVID test on all but Kauai – which incorporated a “resort bubble”. You can find more info on the official site – https://travel.hawaii.gov/
oops – meant to say “positive” test
Based on the fact that 69% of the state has received at least one dose they should just really lift all restrictions.