Weatherboy

Until there's a way to authenticate vaccinations and/or herd immunity otherwise occurs, I don't think there's too much practical they can do with increasing positivity/cases on their island. Hopefully they'll get some good data and move on.

DELee

Given how effective they've been at keeping people isolated while standing in line at OGG, I unfortunately doubt it.

David

sam_goh

I certainly hope so. I haven't been looking real closely at sources, but it seems like local spread has remained fairly constant as well. Ah well... collect data it is.

FlyerBeek

Completely nonsensical - especially for those who have been fully vaccinated and already have a negative COVID test (some taken an hour before boarding their nonstop flight to Maui).

-FlyerBeek

scottinaz

So, let's think about this. Who exactly are they thinking they will detect? Someone who tested negative with an extremely accurate test in the last three days is going to test positive with a test which has a high false positive rate? They are more likely to get a false positive and ruin a vacation for no reason than they are to detect an actual infected person.
According to the FDA from 30% to 70% of positive immediate result tests can be false positives whereas the molecular tests have well under 1% false positive. So the FDA recommends if you test positive with an immediate result test that you get a molecular test. But everyone coming to Hawaii has already gotten a molecular test and tested negative. That is why this is crazy, the data you get will be garbage.

cbrown5294

I had just booked a trip over for 1 night later this month for a biz meeting (fully vaccinated here) and the idea of my mainland test then test upon landing and the possibility of a false positive just made me cancel ...too much

LETTERBOY

Maybe it's all three.

MCO Flyer

According to the Maui Mayors press conference, it sounds like this will be different than KOA does it and they will only test those coming directly from the mainland into OGG. Based on this, it sounds like an HNL connection first could indeed get you out of the second test upon arrival into OGG.
They’ve been doing a mandatory test upon arrival into KOA sine October and have only detected ~200 positive tests out of 200,000, although I’d assume those positive #s are from those confirmed with the second lab based test they give you if you test positive on the first antigen test at the airport. It would be interesting to hear how many of the first antigen test are coming back positive, but the follow up lab-based test is negative.

FlyerBeek

Very good points. I’m curious what Maui’s plan is for the numerous false positives that will arise on a daily basis given the number of passengers who will be subjected to this unnecessary and less accurate testing. Will Maui be paying for - and honoring - the results of an additional molecular test? In some cases, this will be the 3rd COVID test within 24hrs for a COVID-negative and fully vaccinated traveler. Complete lunacy.

-FlyerBeek

Taikucing

I hope Kauai doesn't get this idea anytime soon.

1KChinito

Visitor has the option of not vacationing on Maui. We know some friends end up visiting Oahu instead of Maui even before this upcoming new requirement.

Kauai is taking a different approach to secondary testing for inbound travelers. Hawaii's Garden Island recently launched a travel discount program that it hopes will encourage visitors to take an additional COVID-19 test while boosting local businesses. Travelers who take an additional test in Kauai will receive the Kokua Kauai Card, which uses a QR code to provide discounts at dozens of hotels, restaurants, and more on the island.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/tra...%20the%20state.

LIH Prem

They've always known and still know that a small percentage of true positives will get through the safe travels program. Because a 72-hour pre-departure test doesn't prove you don't have it. It shows you probably don't have it and therein lies the problem ... a secondary test will give them more info and they can decide to keep it if warranted or get rid of it later after they have more data.

I don't know which test they will give at the airport, probably a rapid antigen test, and if that's the case, if you test positive you'd have to confirm or refute the antigen test results with a PCR test.

Most visitors won't care about this, but positivity rate is high on Maui, and despite low COVID-19 case loads in the one hospital, that rate has been rising over the last month or two.

-David

scottinaz

My guess is that everyone who gets a false positive will care.

So let me understand how this will work. I get a negative test before I leave but test positive at the airport so my only option is to quarantine. I am not allowed to rent a car, my hotel makes sure I do not leave my room but I am supposed to get a third test on my own and somehow get this to some authority in HI to lift my quarantine. Is this really how this is going to work?

Weatherboy

If you flunk the rapid test provided by the island, they'll issue you a PCR test that could take up to 24 hours to get results. Like the initial airport test, the follow-up test is paid for by the county. But you would need to stay in quarantine until that second airport test clears you. Not every hotel in Hawaii accepts COVID guests and timeshares and AirBNBs/VRBOs are not permitted to house quarantine guests, so you may need to stay someplace else for that first day/night if you do test positive. When/if the secondary PCR test comes back negative, you're free to go about.

The process was bumpy at the start of KOA but it's a well oiled machine now. Made easier by the fact they don't make you wait around for the airport test results; they only call you back if you're positive. Yes, there are false positives...perhaps a thousand from which less than 200 verified as positive, but it has kept that many positives from mingling with the population.

I have a friend who flew into KOA with a negative pre-travel test but tested positive at the airport (and tested positive again with the secondary test) --she had no symptoms until the following day and she's been pretty sick since. But if she hadn't been stopped by the airport test, there is easily 10-20+ people she could have infected during her first day back at KOA.

scottinaz

I am amazed you seem to be justifying this ridiculous process. By your own numbers 80% of the positive tests at the airport are false positives. So 80% of the people who test positive are going to have their vacations ruined for no reason. As for your friend unless the immediately put them in quarantine they had already come into contact with dozens of people on the plane and in the airport. Then once they tested positive they have to go someplace, I assume they do not lock them in a closet at the airport. So wherever they go they come into contact with other people. I understand this is a dangerous virus and everyone ;must take precautions. But this type of screening is over the top and will provide no benefit to the residents or visitors of HI.
My guess is once this becomes public the number of visitors to Maui will plummet and rightfully so.