Gov. David Ige said today that the mayors of Maui and Kauai have agreed to implement the state’s pre-travel testing program for interisland travelers, but a mandatory 14-day quarantine remains in place for interisland travelers to the Big Island.
“Travel between the counties is an essential part of staying connected with family and friends, and for conducting business,” Ige said at an afternoon media conference.
“So those going from Honolulu to Maui and Kauai will be able to get a pre-travel test 72 hours prior to departure (and) will be able to avoid a quarantine,” the governor added. “We’ll be adding more details on that as we proceed.”
Ige said he’s been working with Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami and Maui Mayor Mike Victorino on the inter-county pre-travel testing program “and they’re willing to implement it.”
According to Ige, Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim “is focused on the trans-Pacific pre-travel program” set to start Thursday.
“We have talked about different scenarios for inter-county travel, you know, and we are working to arrive at something that would be workable,” Ige said.
Kim announced today the county will administer the rapid-response test that trans-Pacific arrivals on the Big Island would have to take after pre-travel testing to avoid a mandatory quarantine starting Thursday to all three Hawaii Island airports, including Hilo International Airport and Waimea-Kohala Airport.
That applies only to travelers from out-of-state to Hawaii Island who have a connecting flight on another island and who don’t leave the connector airport before flying to the Big Island.
That’s a change from Kim’s previous stance that the post-arrival test would be administered only at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole, the only airport on Hawaii Island where flights originating from out of state are currently landing.
See Wednesday’s Tribune-Herald for more details.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com