Mahalo to Irene Buggy who shared this lovely sunrise shot with us for Aloha Friday Photos. Irene tells us that this is her favorite picture from her Oahu vacation. It’s a wonderful photo, indeed!
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From all reports we’ve seen, it appears that the launch of Hawaii’s new safe/pre-travel testing program was mostly a success. As with any new program being implemented on such a large scale, issues are to be expected. Here’s a batch of news reports about the opening day:
KITV – Safe Travels Hawaii Program officially launches
KHON – Visitors face long lines, long wait times at airports on first day of pre-travel testing program
Star Advertiser: More than 8,000 out-of-state passengers fly into Hawaii on the first day they could test out of a travel quarantine
Star Advertiser: Hawaii or bust: A traveler’s notebook as he successfully navigates Hawaii’s pre-travel testing program
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If you are planning a trip to Hawaii, we recommend you review the following official resources to guide you through the processes:
- Start here –> Getting to Hawaii
- Safe Travels Digital Form and Help Page
- HawaiiCOVID19.com/travel
- List of approved testing partners
- GoHawaii.com/travel-requirements
- If you have a question that’s not answered in the websites above, call 1-800-GOHAWAII
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Happy Aloha Friday!
Sheila Beal
3 comments
I’m glad that the pretesting seemed to work, for most passengers. However, how did they not realize that passenger processing lines would be long at busy times ? It’s a good thing that Maui doesn’t have the covid test on arrival(yet?) Imagine how long that would take if (when) a test is added into the normal new processing procedures . This is a slow time, they better figure out something that will work efficiently before the holidays and then Hawaii’s busy winter season if they want to attract tourists.
In Kona, Airport, which is relatively small, they have a pretty busy time in the evening, so when a few flights come in together , especially if any are full , there will, potentially, be very long lines .
You’re right. They’re going to have to figure something out for busier times. If social distancing remains important, that could become a big issue to create enough space for plane loads of people.
You have to take the test within 72 hours of the time of the departure of the last flight segment before you arrive in Hawaii. So if you fly from Philadelphia to Chicago, Chicago to Los Angeles and then Los Angeles to Hawaii, it’s the departure time for the Los Angeles flight that counts. This will make it more difficult to get a test within the 72 hours. But when is it that you get the test? My view has always been that you don’t get the test when the sample is taken (from your nose or wherever). That isn’t a test, it’s a sample-taking. The test occurs when they run the test through the machine. I wonder if my view is that same view taken by the Hawaii authorities.