Originally Posted by mczlaw

This is certainly an enlightening thread. Despite all the messiness, I am still planning a 10-day visit to Maui on 10/24 unless the governor reverses course. I'm generally persuaded that a state governor's powers trump those of subsidiary municipal executives. It's a fairly basic legal proposition (not that anyone should rely on me for advice).

Honestly, my impression of the mayors' fulminations is that they are, at worst, putting on a good show for their constituents who would prefer that visitors stay away until covid is all gone. It's an understandable if not terribly realistic position to take. As I've mentioned to my friends and family members who think Oregon's governor is a clueless monster for opening too fast or not fast enough, this is not what any of these politicians signed up for and finding paths forward these days is not a job I'd wish on anyone. With Hawai'i's economy so tourism-driven, it's a tribute to your governor that he hasn't caved into the pressure to open up before now or just thrown the doors wide open.

The courtesy I plan to repay is to follow the rules to the utmost of my ability, which is what I've been doing since I started traveling again in July. This will be my fifth trip since then. Wearing a mask indoors and in proximity to others even outdoors is somewhat of a pain, but ultimately not that big an imposition, especially when the alternative is to stay home in the damp, chilly fall. I'm tickled that the trusted partner for testing here in Portland is the same outfit I coincidentally scheduled a test with a couple days before my Maui departure date. I used them before I visited Maine and NYC a few weeks ago, and they were super easy to work with and not terribly expensive.

Anyway, just wanted to add my perspective as a jaded traveller who nonetheless believes that risk mitigation and courtesy to others are admirable goals. I would imagine that covid cases will tick up up a bit once Hawai'i opens but am also guardedly optimistic that it won't mean catastrophe either, contrary to the paranoid fantasies of the doomsayers.

Best regards to all.