nnn

Thanks. Have they said whether the 2nd test will apply to all ages -- i.e., including children of vaccinated parents?

Also, if you know, is the second test another rapid test, or a PCR test? It would be unfortunate two have two false positives, both on rapid tests....

ETA: Never mind, both questions answered here: https://www.khon2.com/coronavirus/ma...lers-on-may-4/
1. Yes, they must test if over 5 y.o. 2. No, it's PCR.

grizindabo24

No, you are on a no-fly list for the duration.

Here is my take. If you have kids under 16 and/or are not vaccinated, the hesitation is warranted, and Hawaii might not be the place for you currently. But if you are fully vaccinated, I see no reason not to go and enjoy yourself.

darkrider

Based on the article it seems like there is a loophole where if you fly Mainland-HNL-OGG you avoid the pre-arrival testing? If I am reading this right you can do your test 72hrs before leaving the mainland and that test will carry you all the way over to OGG without further issue or or arrival testing?

mtofell

Interesting but I have to think going out of one's way to fly through HON would take far longer than just waiting it out in Maui. I'd also be surprised if they didn't find a way to close that loophole but not sure how... it seems like it would be kind of a tracking nightmare.

This whole thing just seems so goofy.... cases have been dropping (although yesterday there were 26 which is about 3X what it's been lately). But mainly, the same program on the big island was useless for the most part.

MCO Flyer

On the Big Island as apart of the arrivals process, they checked everyone’s Safe Travel account when they scanned their QR code on the inter-island flights. Anyone who had a mainland flight arrival at HNL in their trip profile the same day was given a card and sent to the testing line while everyone else was free to go. Perhaps Maui will do a similar “audit” for inter-island arrivals.

jtav559

We are headed to Maui in August. I know alot can change (and will change) between now and then, but I would be curious on a few things about this new implementation:

1. Did Maui County Gov indicate how long this add'l testing on arrival will be in place? Are we talking 4 weeks? 4 months? If the numbers are showing that arrivals from the mainland are NOT an outsized source of COVID cases... I find it hard to believe the added cost of this program will be justified.
2. For fully Vax'd individuals - do you need THE ORIGINAL CDC vaccination card that the clinic filled out when you got poked? Or does a copy of it work? I don't really want to haul my original card around with me for a variety of reasons.
3. Any word on if you could upload your vax record to the SafeTravels site like you have to upload your 72 hour pre-travel covid test results?
4. Are you allowed to leave the airport BEFORE securing the rapid test results? Or are you sequestered on site until results are back?

Curious how it plays out this week, any reports on the new measures would be appreciated!

1KChinito

https://www.mauicounty.gov/2393/Coro...portation-Rela

SCChris

For a trip in August, I would hope that we are in a very different place in terms of Hawaii requirements. Presumably they will at minimum have their Vaccine "Passport" system up for people vaccinated in the mainland.

That being said based on what I've pieced together:

1. No one knows how long the second test will last. The Big Island has eliminated their program already, so hopefully this one will be short lived.
2. It appears they will accept either the original card or a printout from the CDC VAMS system. Few states participate in VAMS and even for the ones that do, I'm not sure if pharmacy or doctor office vaccinations are there.
3. To get out of the second test on arrival, no, you need to present the card in person. Whenever Hawaii implements whatever vaccine passport system then we'll see what mechanism they use to capture proof of vaccination. For the inter-island vaccinations they are having people upload proof of vaccination into the Safe Travels system then they validate it with the State of Hawaii vaccine records. At this point we don't know how they will validate vaccine records from other states.
4. My understanding is they allow you to leave but advise you to avoid crowds until the results arrive.

It supposedly starts today so it will be interesting to see reports of how this works, particularly late morning when a dozen or more mainland flights arrive in a 1-2 hour window.

LIH Prem

Maui Now published a FAQ for the arrival testing on April 29 ...

https://mauinow.com/2021/04/29/break...y-travel-faqs/

According to the FAQ, both the antigen test and the 2nd test, if needed, are rapid tests with results within 15 - 20 minutes. No idea if you have to wait there or not, the FAQ says you get called back for the 2nd test if your first antigen test is positive.

I guess we'll find out more when somebody actually goes through it, with reports about it on Maui Now, etc.

More here:

https://mauinow.com/2021/05/04/maui-...-begins-today/

Apparently they are asking people to preregister at http://mauiarrivaltest.com/
Probably not a requirement, more a request to make things go faster when you arrive.

-David

Weatherboy

Today's testing went smooth according to the Mayor. No traveler tested positive and 1/3rd of arrivals didn't need to test because they proved they were fully vaccinated.

MCO Flyer

Seems like an absolute waste of money and resources IMO as the testing has to be costing Maui County a lot as the Big Island reported having to pay nearly $400,000 for just 10 days of testing. The average case rates on Maui have continued to drop over the past two weeks with no post arrival testing in place and now they feel that it’s suddenly necessary? The vaccine exemption to the test is also going to cause confusion on 5/11 for screeners and travelers when the inter-island vaccine quarantine exemption program rolls out as some vaccines for select travelers will be good to bypass quarantine all together while others will only be good for bypassing the mandatory second test. The Big Island which just announced its ending the post-arrival testing for everyone May 10th) said this was one of the main reasons (along with cost increases) on why they are deciding to end the program May 10th before the inter-island vaccine exempt starts. https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2021...ams-final-day/

nsx

Unless the true objective is to reduce tourism.

Weatherboy

The number of cases continues to climb on Maui, as this chart from Hawaii DOH shows.
The tests cost the county $25/passenger so they'll easily recapture that from taxes on visitors.

The biggest fault in Hawaii is the state never did anything to boost healthcare capacity during the pandemic: no program to incent doctors to stay here and no funds to increase the number of hospital beds. Because of that, what seems like a rounding error of new cases on the mainland becomes a crippling volume on the islands. In general, the state says it can't sustain 120+ new cases a day and Maui can't sustain more than 10. The state has been floating just under that metric while Maui has been nearly double. With more vaccinated people entering the mix, that calculus likely needs to be updated as it becomes more likely new cases won't require hospitalization or a become drag on an incredibly weak,.small, and fragile healthcare system.

The presence of new variants and breakthrough cases,.including a breakthrough case which required hospitalization herr, isn't doing anything to help put fears to rest. Which is also why the state is keeping mask mandates and capacity constraints in place while other states eliminate them all together.


Maui new daily COVID cases; target is to be <10.

MCO Flyer

I was using the Hawaii state health departments dashboard for my data which shows that on average, overall cases on Maui are down 13% from the previous 14 days.

nsx

Not if you consider the number of people who canceled their plans to visit because of the post-arrival test.