ksucats

Exactly. What happens next? Maybe some of the locals who have been cheering on the lockdown of tourists will start to realize that they are going to eventually have to foot the bill if they want the government funded and will join the other locals who want the tourists back and start putting pressure to open back up.

inlanikai

There's a middle ground to this yes/no that is possible. Right now, traveling from Oahu to a neighbor island requires the quarantine. Come 10/1 maybe they lift this requirement with a 72-hour pre-departure negative test result and use it to ring out their system before opening it up to Transpac on 11/1 or 12/1. Sort of a "soft opening". Just a thought.

nomad420

Any word on the beaches opening back up this week? I believe Friday was to be the last day of shut down. From statements above I am not optimistic.

Weatherboy

FYI, Hilton decided to keep their shuttered hotels closed in Hawaii through November 1 today. I asked them if they had a scoop from the Governor on additional delays to the quarantine program, but they said not yet.

Update: They've decided to keep the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki Beach closed through at least December 15, 2020.

Weatherboy

Governor Ige said that October 1 "probably won't happen" to the Star-Advertiser today, adding a more formal announcement will come in the coming days.

It sounds like he's working on a 2 phase program: creating a testing program for local travelers as a test for a few weeks, and maybe rolling it out for transpacific tourists later.

He said he met with travel industry leaders over the weekend, which is probably why resorts pushed their reopen dates to November/December today.

Arthurrs

Define "science"....

It's no secret that we are still trying to figure out the "science" of Covid, partly because we don't really want to accept reality of Covid (it's here to stay folks, there are no quick remedies), and partly because of political interference. Extraordinary measures & sacrifices have been taken, and yet here we are 6 months later still struggling to gain control with no end in sight. Unfortunately whatever is politically expedient and good for optics (votes) seems to trump what limited science we do know.

The fact of the matter is that the response to Covid has been as much an attempt at understanding the science, as it is the political appeasement of people who are looking for answers and reassurance with the minimum of effort. Unfortunately the science is still sketchy, we have no answers, and people lack confidence. A lot of blame to go around. What a dumpster fire!

Weatherboy

Based on the governor's remarks today, I would put $100 on "no."

a5un

I'm genuinely surprised that the tourism industry does not have much political sway in terms of re-opening of HI. Contrast that to Las Vegas, where it's now pretty much everything goes.

denver19

I think its by design: Bonvoy, Hyatt, etc are fine with squeezing the little guys. They'll take this time to remodel, refry union relationships, cut wages and benefits, buy up places like KBH or Royal Lahaina (Travassa in Hana is already a big chain now). They will solidify their relationships with local politicians with "gifts", both monetary and by looking the other way while our unskilled politicians tank the economies.
Hyatt, Marriot, etc know they are going to get crushed during this Covid period, but they have the resources to weather the storm. They are solidifying their position for re-opening. Rockefeller used to call it "giving the competition a good sweating". The big corporations have done the math. If we had a Republican governor, we'd be open. But we have Mr. Ige, and so the big corporations are taking another slant on making the best of circumstances. This shut down will end not with Wailea and Kaanapali going back to 1965, as many locals hope. It will end with all the small business gone, and mega chains owning it all. Where Lahaina Coolers was, you'll get "Aloha Brew Pub by Applebees". Instead of CJ's Deli you'll get "Subway at the Fairways". Consolidation, acquisition, hedge funds, Wall St and billionaires: that's how this shut down ends.

BTW, Governor Ige said today, that he will put a fork in October 1 later this week.

LIH Prem

Sure .. and it can be done without personal opinions of the politicians, which detracts from the message.

-David

hawaii-bound

Hawaii County parks and beaches still closed: All state and county closures are in effect at least through Sept. 18, 2020.

rabilancia

Might this make any difference with Gov. Ige's decisions?
Judge rules Gov. Tom Wolf's (of Pennsylvania) pandemic restrictions are unconstitutional

inlanikai

No, IMO. And I believe if someone won a similar case in Hawaii he would immediately appeal it and ask for a stay. He appears to be adamant that "protecting the community" is paramount.

Weatherboy

Some of the larger union groups are indeed scared of the virus and impacts on the health of their members, so they have been lobbying the governor to stay closed. I imagine that tune will change when UI runs out.

nomad420

Thanks, I was aware that the closure was in effect until the 18th but no word yet on extension of the closure?