Hawaii has had some of the most stringent COVID-19 restrictions in the country, but officials there are looking to lighten those in the coming months, both for incoming travelers as well as for island-to-island travel within the state. This would be through a vaccination passport.
Lt. Gov. Josh Green said that if intra-Hawaii vaccination plans proceed as expected between now and then, vaccinated tourists from elsewhere could receive approval to travel to the nation’s 50th state without needing to adhere to any other related guidelines.
Before that can occur, however, a similar measure needs to be put into place for intra-Hawaii travel. The goal, according to Green, is to do so by April 1.
Currently, those who are at least 75 years old or work in healthcare or as essential front line workers are being vaccinated in Hawaii. That group will be extended to those ages 70-74 on Monday.
The hope is to move on to individuals from the ages of 65 to 69 by the end of March. That is also when those who are younger and have health issues related to cancer, dialysis or oxygen would be vaccinated.
According to Green, the state receives about 53,000 vaccine doses a week, which he believes is enough to reach those timetables, particularly since that rate is expected to increase in the coming weeks.
However, vaccinated individuals who are looking to travel from the mainland and not experience any travel restrictions should note that the governor and the five counties’ mayors need to agree on this as well.
One recent change that increases hope of that occurring was Kauai County being approved to join Hawaii’s Safe Travels program on Friday. This will become effective on April 5. At that point, travelers will not need to go through any additional hurdles in order to travel from elsewhere in Hawaii to the islands of Kauai, Kaula, Lehau and Niihau.
Also of note, those who are not vaccinated are expected to still need to provide at least one negative COVID-19 test result and/or quarantine before being allowed to enter and freely move around Hawaii for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, those who are traveling to Hawaii today are able to experience an increasing number of attractions as more and more of them are opening as vaccinating efforts accelerate. One recent development that has many golf enthusiasts excited is the reopening of Mauna Lani Golf’s North Course, which occurred on Feb. 24.