Hawaii modifies verification procedures for arriving airline passengers due to pandemic

Hawaii State Capitol Building (Screenshot footage by Alfred Acenas, EBC Hawaii Bureau, Eagle News Service)

By Alfred Acenas
EBC Hawaii Bureau

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Eagle News) – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) announced on Friday, April 24, that it has implemented improved measures to verify inbound passenger information before they leave the airport to help ensure all travelers are abiding by the mandatory self-quarantine order. The enhanced process is currently underway at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and will begin statewide in the coming days.

Hawaii was the first state in the U.S. to implement a traveler self-quarantine order, which took effect in late March. The 14-day traveler self-quarantine process involves several government agencies that coordinate with each other, with Army Major General Kenneth Hara, Director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA), serving as the overall operations lead.

Arriving passengers on trans-Pacific flights will continue to fill out the State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture declaration form. After landing, they will have their temperature taken. Anyone with a high temperature will receive a medical assessment by paramedics stationed at the airport while those who do not have a fever will continue through the process. Airport representatives will review their declaration form to ensure it is complete.

Passengers will then move to the order for self-quarantine station. They will also initial and sign the mandatory order for self-quarantine form to confirm they are aware of the 14-day requirement. By signing the legal document, they acknowledge their understanding that violating the order is a criminal offense and they are subject to a $5,000 fine and/or a year imprisonment.

Airport representatives will collect the two forms and begin verifying the information provided. First, they will call their mobile phone number to confirm it rings right in front of them. If it does not ring, the traveler will be asked to verify the number. If the traveler refuses to provide a phone number that can be answered on the spot, law enforcement will be contacted to administer a citation and arrest the traveler.

After the phone number is verified, airport representatives will check the address listed for lodging. For returning residents, the address should match on their government-issued ID. For visitors, the airport representative will call their hotel to confirm they have a reservation. Processing personnel will have phone numbers for every hotel in the state.

If the visitor is not staying at a hotel, the address they provide will be checked on the county’s tax map key (TMK) to verify that it is a legitimate residence. The number for the place of lodging will also be called to check if they are staying with someone at the address.

All information will also be provided to counties to check if the address is a vacation rental. All vacation rentals within the state have already been warned to stop accepting visitor reservations. The government will have their address and they will be subject to enforcement for operating illegally. A list of suspected illegal short-term rental sites will be provided to the appropriate county for further disposition.

Once all the information is confirmed and the order is signed, the traveler will finally be allowed to leave. Law enforcement officers are also standing by to deal with anyone who refuses the process or becomes combative.

“I myself was one of the people verifying the passenger information yesterday. The process is slower, but it is effective,” said Jade Butay, HDOT Director. “People must understand this is not the time to be vacationing in Hawaii, but if they do, they must abide by the traveler quarantine order and be prepared to stay inside for 14 days.”

(Eagle News Service)