Kauai has the most stringent restrictions for incoming travelers who want to safely visit without a quarantine. As you may already know, in addition to the statewide requirement for travelers to obtain a negative, pre-travel COVID-19 test result, visitors to Kauai must take extra steps to limit quarantine time.
As a reminder, here are the procedures for visiting Kauai without a quarantine or with a reduced-quarantine period per their website:
Kauai’s COVID-19 Travel Rules: Resort Bubbles, Interisland Travel, or 10-Day Quarantine
Visitors and residents traveling to Kauai have several options under the current COVID-19 emergency rules.
If you have been in the State of Hawaii for more than 72 hours, you are eligible to take an approved pre-travel test for interisland travel to Kauai.
If you are traveling from out of state, you can take a pre-travel test, stay in a “Resort Bubble” for 72 hours or more, then take a post-travel test to be released from quarantine.
Otherwise, you must quarantine for 10 days after arriving on Kauai.
These emergency rules went into effect on January 5, 2021 after Governor David Ige approved Mayor Derek Kawakami’s Amended Emergency Rule 23 on interisland travel, and Emergency Rule 24 on Enhanced Movement Quarantine (EMQ) “resort bubble” properties.
Yesterday, on Facebook, Kauai published a marketing-style video touting their “resort bubble”system with tracking devices. If you are considering this option to visit Kauai, you may find their video to be interesting and helpful.
After you’ve watched the video, let us know what you think about this system in the comments section. Are you more likely to visit Kauai after seeing the video?
Sheila Beal
5 comments
It is my understanding that all resort bubble employees go home every day and that people not staying at the resort can visit and eat at the onsite restaurants. If either of these is true, how is this a bubble? We come to Kauai to hike and explore. There is no way I am staying 3-4 days as a prisoner. We have rebooked for the third time for october. Hopefully by then the proposed bill to make all Hawaii’s rules the same passes and Kauai joins the Safe Travels. We are going ot Mauai in April. That sems even worse to me that Kauai is losing business to another island. Not that Kawakami cares
I also don’t feel that once my family & I have tested 3 days prior to coming to Kauai from the mainland then do 3 days of quarantine staying at a resort bubble that we have to test again before visiting the Big Island after staying on Kauai for 8 days….also, my family and I will have had both our vaccines prior to coming to the islands at the end of March……
I love Hawaii but being stuck in a resort bubble & wearing a mask the entire time seems to take the fun out of a vacation there. I’ve been 14 times but will not return until I get the vaccine & can fully enjoy another Hawaii vacation . BTW, why would anyone in their right mind go to Kauai when the other islands have less onerous restrictions ?
I love Hawaii, but no way, no way would I go to Kauai under these circumstances. Being a prisoner and coming home with a bad tan line on my wrist. I don’t go to Hawaii just for the resort and beach.
When it first came out, I hated the entire thought of it. And…… I’m not sure how I feel about it still. But I will say, that the video makes it look, seem, appear to be quite nice. But we are only in Hawaii for 6 nights/7 days. One day is getting there and one day is leaving, so really, we’d only have 5 full days. I wouldn’t want 3 of them tied up in a bubble. But again, the video was nice looking! 🙂