HONOLULU (Eagle News) – Governor David Ige signed a 16th COVID-19 emergency proclamation requiring all Hawaii-bound travelers to secure a negative test result from a trusted travel partner before their departure in order to bypass the state’s 14-day self-quarantine.
This policy change, which takes effect on Tuesday, November 24, applies to domestic transpacific flights and flights from international locations such as Japan where pre-travel testing programs are already available. It does not apply to those traveling between the island counties.
“We are implementing this added layer of safety in response to the dramatically increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the continental United States and around the world. The health of our residents and visitors is our primary concern, especially as more people travel to our state during the holidays,” said Ige.
Travelers heading to Hawaii must upload their negative test result to the Safe Travels system prior to departure or, as an alternative to uploading, bring a hard copy of their negative test result with them when boarding their flight. The state government also recommends travelers to Hawaii carry a hard copy of their negative test result as backup.
The policy change means that test results will not be accepted once a traveler arrives in Hawaii. Travelers who do not have a negative test result prior to departure must self-quarantine for 14 days, without exception.
Post-arrival testing and results will also not be accepted once a traveler has arrived anywhere in the Islands.
The 16th emergency proclamation is posted at https://governor.hawaii.gov/emergency-proclamations/
(With reports from EBC Hawaii Bureau, Eagle News Service)