At a press conference on August 23, Governor David Ige asked visitors to stay away from Hawaii until the end of October. This press conference, combined with articles in the local press seems to have confused many people. Since that news conference many people have canceled their travel plans to the State. Ige acknowledged that “most” new cases of the virus are the result of residents traveling off-island and coming back home to spread COVID-19 in the community. He then went on to say, “I’m asking all residents and visitors alike to restrict travel, curtail travel, to Hawaii to essential activities only”.
In a follow-up press conference, on Monday September 13, the Governor announced that there are no plans for another full-scale shutdown in Hawaii, despite an ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases in the islands. Governor Ige stated that if he does enact additional restrictions, they will likely be in the form of curfews or further restrictions on the size of social gatherings.
At this time, hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients have remained stable and there are signs that the rapid rise in cases of the virus is abating. The seven-day average of new cases had dropped 37% from where they were two weeks prior, according to the state’s data and the number of tests coming back positive declined to 6.9% in the same time period.
As of September 13, There were 165,680 eligible Hawaii residents out of a total population of 1.42 million who had not initiated the vaccination process, according to state data. Children under age 12 still aren’t eligible for the vaccine. There are 76.6% of the eligible population in Hawaii now fully vaccinated, while 86.4% of the eligible population has received at least one shot. By comparison, 63% of the eligible U.S. population is fully vaccinated, while 74% has received at least one shot, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ige’s comments reflect a significant shift in public policy relating to the coronavirus. While prior to the vaccine, the focus was on controlling cases, now the emphasis is on ensuring adequate health care resources. In addition to the widespread availability of free vaccines, Ige noted that the treatment for COVID-19 has improved. While the state has ample hospital beds, staffing has been a major constraint, prompting the state to bring in an extra 600 nurses and other health care professionals to assist with COVID- 19 patients.
Effective February 25, the County of Honolulu (Oahu) moved to Tier 3 of their COVID-19 Reopening Plan. This is one step closer to the most relaxed step, Tier 4. Tier 3, as you can guess allows more activities and operations. A breakdown of some of the changes in Tier 3 are:
One thing that I thought was to be included in Tier 3 but is not, is the reopening of bars and nightclubs. It seems this does not happen until Tier 4.
Rick Blangiardi, the new Mayor of Honolulu pointed out that advancing to Tier 3 “does not mean we can let our guard down”. The wearing of masks in public, social distancing and staying home when feeling sick are all still very important. Should the number of new cases and the positivity rate increase, we could potentially move back down to Tier 2.
Below is an Infographic from the County detailing Tier 3
LIVE Tier 3 Honolulu Reopening Strategy – For more info go to oneoahu.org by Honolulu DEM
Thinking of a warm weather getaway? A place with beaches, sand and sunshine? Perhaps you’re thinking of the Caribbean, Mexico or the South of France. Well, a new CDC rule related to COVID-19 may have you re-thinking your plans.
Under this new CDC rule that becomes effective January 26, all international air passengers (two years and older) arriving into the US will be required to get a viral test for COVID-19 within three days prior to their flight departure to the US. If you live in the US, you might think “OK what’s that got to do with me”? Well, this rule applies to US residents as well as others. The rule states that passengers must provide the airline written documentation of their negative laboratory test results or documentation of recovery from COVID-19. If a passenger is unable or unwilling to provide the required documentation, the airline must deny boarding to the passenger.
Whoa, suddenly this makes things seem much more serious and complicated. Imagine flying to say, Mexico as an example, for a week of rest and relaxation at a nice beachfront hotel enjoying the warmth and sunshine. Then suddenly having to scramble to find a place to get a test and the accompanying paperwork before you can get on a plane to go home. This then begs the question, what happens if just one person in your party is unable to get the test and paperwork? Do you leave them behind or does the whole party stay?
What’s a person to do? You NEED to get away, you WANT a vacation to a warm place with beautiful beaches, warmth and sunshine. We at Ola Properties have the solution for you! Pack your bags and head to Ko Olina on the beautiful, sun filled Leeward Coast of Oahu! Ko Olina has some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet and the famous lagoons here are perfect for swimming, snorkeling and just relaxing.
Admittedly, if you’re coming to Ko Olina you will want to get a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival in Hawaii so that you can avoid the state’s 10 day quarantine. Find the latest Hawaii travel and entry requirements by visiting https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/
Personally, I would much rather get the COVID-19 testing out of the way before I go on vacation rather than dealing with it while there. I could imagine myself waking up on day five of a seven day vacation, suddenly remembering that the family needed tests and spending the remainder of our vacation scrambling to find a testing site in unfamiliar territory and hoping to get tested in time to get on a plane back home: with the entire family!
Why create additional stress for yourself by traveling outside the country? Hop on a plane and come to Ko Olina instead. We have weekly rentals at the Beach Villas at Ko Olina or if you are able to work and school remotely, consider one of our longer term rentals and stay for a month or more. Maybe you can ride out the worst of the pandemic here on Oahu where our infection numbers are much lower than most of the Mainland. Give us a call at (808) 726-2878 Ext 1, or you can book directly from our website if you prefer.
Hawaii’s pre-travel testing program for Trans-Pacific travelers is still on schedule to launch on Oct. 15, allowing trans-Pacific travelers to bypass quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 before arriving. While the tests for travelers are slated to be available through Walgreens, CVS, Kaiser Permanente and other partners, some airlines are also rolling out their own testing programs to woo travelers back to air travel.
Alaska Airlines
Beginning: Oct. 12
Location: Seattle
Alaska Airlines is partnering with healthcare provider Carbon Health to offer rapid COVID-19 testing in pop-up clinics across the West Coasts, beginning Oct. 12 in Seattle.
Cost: $135 for Alaska flyers, and will be ready within two hours
Testing is available for Alaska passengers 3 months and older.
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American Airlines
Beginning: Oct. 15
Location: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
American Airlines will offer three options for pre-flight COVID-19 testing to customers with flights from DFW to Honolulu and Maui.
Cost: $129 for the at-home option. American will release details later on the cost of other options.
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Hawaiian Airlines
Beginning: “Around Oct. 15”
Location: Labs located near Los Angeles and San Francisco International airports
Hawaiian Airlines will offer a drive-thru PCR test to customers traveling from California to Hawaii. Hawaiian Airlines said that more testing locations will be announced later at “other U.S. mainland gateways.”
Cost:
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United Airlines
Beginning: Oct. 15
Location: San Francisco International Airport
Cost:
Location: Oakland Airport
Beginning: Oct. 15
Location: Facility at the airport’s North Field terminal complex, 9070 Earhart Road.
Oakland Airport officials have also announced they will launch their own pre-travel testing program for passengers. Free tests will be conducted by appointment only by CityHealth Urgent Care.
Information provided by Hawaii News Now on October 1. Below is a link to their video & story.
Aloha everybody,
Larry here with Ola Properties with some good news. Yesterday on September 16th, Governor David Ige of Hawaii announced that effective October 15th, the 14-day quarantine for transpacific travelers would no longer be needed if they get a negative COVID test 72 hours prior to arrival.
Now, this may sound a bit familiar to you as I think this may be the third time he’s said it and I’m pretty sure that a couple of months ago, I made a very similar video saying very similar things and that didn’t happen. However, I’m much more optimistic about this one today. I just have a feeling that this one might actually stick and effective October 15th it will be much easier for us to welcome travelers back to the state. The governor has stated that the state has a contract with CVS pharmacies, as well as Kaiser Permanente to do the testing, and that’s all in place so that’s part of what makes me feel much more optimistic about this.
So let’s hope that everything works out and October 15th things will open up a little more.
Aloha.
If COVID-19 has resulted in you working from home, consider a change in scenery and start working remotely in Oahu! All of our rentals in Oahu come equipped with High-Speed Internet ensuring smooth Zoom calls, fast download speeds, and that e-mails are being sent and received! Having the flexibility to walk to the beach or relax on your own lanai will make your workdays much more bearable!
We have a fantastic selection of vacation rentals in Ko Olina, Makaha, and West Oahu, providing options that are perfect for everyone. Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions and be sure to book your stay today! We look forward to seeing you soon! Mahalo!
Beginning August 1, 2020, all out-of-state travelers will be required to obtain a valid COVID-19 pre-travel test before their arrival in Hawai’i, and to verify proof of a negative test result in order to avoid the 14-day quarantine.
Out-of-state travelers arriving in Hawai‘i must obtain a PCR test prior to their arrival from any Hawai‘i State Department of Health approved testing location. Evidence of a negative test result must be provided upon arrival in Hawai‘i. Without a negative test result, out-of-state travelers will be subject to the 14-day quarantine. Testing will NOT be provided upon arrival at the airport.
The Hawai’i State Department of Health is still developing this program but is anticipating that they will need an FDA-approved test from a CLIA certified laboratory. It is expected that travelers will be required to provide a printed or emailed pre-test document with evidence of a negative test result. Travelers will be responsible for the cost of these pre-travel tests.
Temperatures will also continue to be checked at airports across the state, and anyone with a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees, or is experiencing other symptoms, will be required to undergo a secondary screening at the airport with trained healthcare staff. Travelers will also be required to fill out the State Travel and Health form when visiting Hawaii.
If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to contact us, and be sure to visit our Facebook for more updates!