[Closed - new thread started] Will Hawaii Open by [OCTOBER???] [Please use this thread for all Hawaii Coronavirus discussions]

[Tamaradarann]

I wouldn’t bet... but I predict that Hawaii doesn’t extend beyond the Sept. 1 date. For one thing, it was probably not an easy decision for them to make to extend from Aug 1. Doubt they want to deal with that conflict again. Second, hopefully (optimistically) I think the “wave” now occurring will subside over the next four weeks if for no other reason than closing down some of the hot spots of transmission (bars, etc) and hopefully a renewal of mask use, especially in younger people. Recognizing the 14 or so day lag to see the change, I think by the end of July we’ll see new cases dropping.

That said, it also would not surprise me if Hawaii decides they need to get a bit selective and follow the lead of other states by restricting access and not allowing those whose trip originates in areas where infection rates are at 10% or more. Since everyone comes by air, that’s a relatively easy tool for them to use and gets away from the all-or-nothing of their current proposal. There’s quite a different risk today between a traveler from New York vs. one from Florida, and it would be quite easy for them to recognize that and allow for it.

As I have been saying I believe there are 2 key issues that need to be addressed adequately:

One is assurance that the testing and results are in a timely manner to comply with the requirement to avoid the 14 day quarantine.

The Second one is a feasible way to deal with those that may come without getting tested with the intention of violating the 14 day quarantine. I believe the annoucement and publicizing of a escorted trip to a guarded quarantine destination will eliminate most if not all who feel they don't want to get tested first but still come with the intention of violating the quarantine. Once there is the assurance that the testing and results will be available in a timely manner I can't see anyone coming and enduring a 14 quarantine in your room in Hawii instead of getting tested unless their intention is to go rogue so the escorted trip to a guarded quarantine destination will be more or a threat than a major necessity.

 

[PigsDad]

I wouldn’t bet... but I predict that Hawaii doesn’t extend beyond the Sept. 1 date.

Well, I will have to say you are more optimistic than I am. Everything to date that I have seen coming from the leaders in Hawaii makes me believe that they would rather stay closed for an extended time, and the Aug 1 date only came up as a possibility because in early June, the mainland was showing a major reduction in cases across the board. Now that they have seen how fast cases can spike across multiple / a majority of the states in such short time, they may dig their heels in again. The longer they stay closed, the longer being closed becomes "normal". And we are seeing polls of Hawaiians overwhelmingly support not relaxing the quarantine requirements (last one I saw was on the 80% in favor level).

Maybe I'm being too pessimistic, but I don't see that tide turning soon, and I think Hawaii may end up being fundamentally changed for years to come.

Kurt

 

[Fredm]

Well, I will have to say you are more optimistic than I am. Everything to date that I have seen coming from the leaders in Hawaii makes me believe that they would rather stay closed for an extended time, and the Aug 1 date only came up as a possibility because in early June, the mainland was showing a major reduction in cases across the board. Now that they have seen how fast cases can spike across multiple / a majority of the states is such short time, they may dig their heels in again. The longer they stay closed, the longer being closed becomes "normal". And we are seeing polls of Hawaiians overwhelmingly support not relaxing the quarantine requirements (last one I saw was on the 80% in favor level).

Maybe I'm being too pessimistic, but I don't see that tide turning soon, and I think Hawaii may end up being fundamentally changed for years to come.

Kurt

Kurt, I agree with you. I posted this yesterday in the Travel thread.

 

[csodjd]

Well, I will have to say you are more optimistic than I am. Everything to date that I have seen coming from the leaders in Hawaii makes me believe that they would rather stay closed for an extended time, and the Aug 1 date only came up as a possibility because in early June, the mainland was showing a major reduction in cases across the board. Now that they have seen how fast cases can spike across multiple / a majority of the states is such short time, they may dig their heels in again. The longer they stay closed, the longer being closed becomes "normal". And we are seeing polls of Hawaiians overwhelmingly support not relaxing the quarantine requirements (last one I saw was on the 80% in favor level).

Maybe I'm being too pessimistic, but I don't see that tide turning soon, and I think Hawaii may end up being fundamentally changed for years to come.

Kurt

Well, there's room for a wide range of optimism here. One thing I note though is that one of their major concerns was Hawaii's own increase and the concern that if THEY are increasing, adding new cases from the mainland might be more than they can handle. But, when you look a bit deeper, a crazy large amount of their new cases are apparently traced to a single person that was infected and went to two gyms and the HA training, infecting a whole bunch of people. Hawaii authorities appear to have been able to trace it all down pretty well, and so the spread and new cases should quickly subside. If so, it may improve their comfort level. (I'm a lawyer... rationalizing an argument is what I do for a living. )

Anyway, I prefer to be optimistic, but not unprepared. So I'm hopeful a trip in Oct/Nov will happen, but I already know when and how I'll proceed if it doesn't. Since we/I can't control any of the decisions that Hawaii will make, all I can do is remain nimble and not allow myself to get caught off guard or frustrated.

 

[klpca]

I have pretty much given up on our Sept trip (and honestly don't care) but I am going to ride this one out until the end because I already had to pay another exchange fee to SFX because *I* changed the trip, but they seem to be waiving the fee if Hawaii makes the change. So I will be sitting tight. With my II week, I have eplus and will be asking them to waive the flex restriction as well. If they don't, then I will take my lumps. Our airfare is booked with points on Hawaiian so they will just put my points back. Oh well. Our jobs are safe. Our kids are grown and we don't have to worry about the school situation. We can work from home, which is lovely and has a beautiful back yard in which to spend our time. I am trying to be grateful for all that we have because there are some who are struggling - economically, socially, emotionally - you name it, and I really feel for those folks. I don't know how some of them are going to survive. My hairdresser said that she is barely making ends meet and that was before CA shut down again. There are single moms who work at the same salon and they were already having to utilize the food bank to feed their kids. I can't imagine how they must be feeling to be shutting down again. It is just emotionally devastating. I just hope that we can turn this around soon for their sakes. My trips can wait.

 

[csodjd]

I have pretty much given up on our Sept trip (and honestly don't care) but I am going to ride this one out until the end because I already had to pay another exchange fee to SFX because *I* changed the trip, but they seem to be waiving the fee if Hawaii makes the change. So I will be sitting tight. With my II week, I have eplus and will be asking them to waive the flex restriction as well. If they don't, then I will take my lumps. Our airfare is booked with points on Hawaiian so they will just put my points back. Oh well. Our jobs are safe. Our kids are grown and we don't have to worry about the school situation. We can work from home, which is lovely and has a beautiful back yard in which to spend our time. I am trying to be grateful for all that we have because there are some who are struggling - economically, socially, emotionally - you name it, and I really feel for those folks. I don't know how some of them are going to survive. My hairdresser said that she is barely making ends meet and that was before CA shut down again. There are single moms who work at the same salon and they were already having to utilize the food bank to feed their kids. I can't imagine how they must be feeling to be shutting down again. It is just emotionally devastating. I just hope that we can turn this around soon for their sakes. My trips can wait.

All true. And the stress many will experience may be made that much worse if they return to unemployment without the benefit of the federal $600/wk add-on. Most in the low-wage arena cannot afford to pay their bills on unemployment benefits alone.

 

[geist1223]

We are hanging on to our 9/5/20 - 9/26/20 Kaua'i trip.

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

We have 2 months booked starting in Jan so hopefully by then things will be more clear. If not I would quarantine but my husband would never agree. He needs his daily bike ride or hike.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

We are hanging on to our 9/5/20 - 9/26/20 Kaua'i trip.

We are booked to leave for Kauai on Sept 29, then move to the Big Island Oct 3rd. I am conflicted if keep the booking as is, or cancel before i incur any cancellation restrictions / penalties.

Most worried about the Kauai portions as its only 4 nights, as so far they have been the most restrictive. Not to mention that 4 nights does not allow for much of an delay in test results.

 

[csodjd]

We are booked to leave for Kauai on Sept 29, then move to the Big Island Oct 3rd. I am conflicted if keep the booking as is, or cancel before i incur any cancellation restrictions / penalties.

Most worried about the Kauai portions as its only 4 nights, as so far they have been the most restrictive. Not to mention that 4 nights does not allow for much of an delay in test results.

The great unknown over which none of us has any control -- the time it takes to get test results back. My plan (we'll see) is to get tested (family) about 5-6 days ahead of the trip and to self-quarantine starting a couple days before that first test. Then get a second test within the 72 hr window. I will ASSUME that the 2nd test will produce the same results as the first. If anyone comes back positive from the first test, trip is off before we leave. If everyone comes back negative, then we can head to Hawaii even without the results of the 2nd test back in time with high confidence that those results will also be negative. We can handle a day or so of quarantine in Hawaii if we have to wait for test results.

 

[Luanne]

The great unknown over which none of us has any control -- the time it takes to get test results back. My plan (we'll see) is to get tested (family) about 5-6 days ahead of the trip and to self-quarantine starting a couple days before that first test. Then get a second test within the 72 hr window. I will ASSUME that the 2nd test will produce the same results as the first. If anyone comes back positive from the first test, trip is off before we leave. If everyone comes back negative, then we can head to Hawaii even without the results of the 2nd test back in time with high confidence that those results will also be negative. We can handle a day or so of quarantine in Hawaii if we have to wait for test results.

Someone we know was exposed. He got tested on Friday and is still waiting for results. It seems the first test might have gotten lost so he got tested again on Monday and was told he'd get the results in 24 to 48 hours. He's still waiting.

That would be what would drive me nuts about having to depend on getting a test done and have results in hand before traveling.

 

[csodjd]

Someone we know was exposed. He got tested on Friday and is still waiting for results. It seems the first test might have gotten lost so he got tested again on Monday and was told he'd get the results in 24 to 48 hours. He's still waiting.

That would be what would drive me nuts about having to depend on getting a test done and have results in hand before traveling.

As would arriving in Hawaii only to learn that someone in your family tested positive. Hopefully this surge will subside and the labs will be able to catch up and get into a routine they can manage. If you have to wait for test results as long as the quarantine, it rather defeats the purpose of the test.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Someone we know was exposed. He got tested on Friday and is still waiting for results. It seems the first test might have gotten lost so he got tested again on Monday and was told he'd get the results in 24 to 48 hours. He's still waiting.

That would be what would drive me nuts about having to depend on getting a test done and have results in hand before traveling.

I have been sick since last Thursday. My Dr ordered a covide test, i was tested on Friday July 10th, at 9:00 am. Got my test results back at 5:00 PM Sunday. So in theory i would have received them leaving if i was traveling.. But not lots of room for delays...

 

[Tamaradarann]

The great unknown over which none of us has any control -- the time it takes to get test results back. My plan (we'll see) is to get tested (family) about 5-6 days ahead of the trip and to self-quarantine starting a couple days before that first test. Then get a second test within the 72 hr window. I will ASSUME that the 2nd test will produce the same results as the first. If anyone comes back positive from the first test, trip is off before we leave. If everyone comes back negative, then we can head to Hawaii even without the results of the 2nd test back in time with high confidence that those results will also be negative. We can handle a day or so of quarantine in Hawaii if we have to wait for test results.

Testing people and getting the results back after they have already travelled by plane, or relying on a 2nd test on arrival is NOT the ideal way to prevent this virus spread to Hawaii. Only reliable testing and results before the flight is the way to go. If you have already travelled to Hawaii with the virus the possibility is that you have already spread the virus in the airport to other travellers, on the plane, in the Hawaii airport, in the Cab or Uber, and in the accommodation check in and bag handling.

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Cancellation is not a possibility right now for me. Bay Club office is still closed, and as a direct booking owner (not part of HGVC) I can't change anything. . .

 

[csodjd]

Testing people and getting the results back after they have already travelled by plane, or relying on a 2nd test on arrival is NOT the ideal way to prevent this virus spread to Hawaii. Only reliable testing and results before the flight is the way to go. If you have already travelled to Hawaii with the virus the possibility is that you have already spread the virus in the airport to other travellers, on the plane, in the Hawaii airport, in the Cab or Uber, and in the accommodation check in and bag handling.

Hence the initial test with results BEFORE traveling. Not sure, but you appear to have missed the point of my post/process. It is to address the REALITY that you may not have or be able to obtain test results within the 72 hour (or less if that’s 72 hrs from landing) timeframe. You offer no solution to that problem.

I completely disagree with your post, however. If you believe what you post, then nobody should ever go anywhere. If its okay to travel with one negative test, why would it NOT be okay to travel with one negative test and a second test result pending? The key to making it work is to self-quarantine — stay home — between tests so there’s ZERO risk of new exposure. In that scenario the only “risk” is the risk of a false negative — but that’s a risk that exists on any test. So, your concern and hypothetical scenario of infecting everyone in the airport, on the plane, in a cab, etc, makes no sense at all. Can you explain how TWO tests, one negative and one not yet known, with no exposure risk between them, INCREASES the risk over one test alone?

 

[GeorgeJ.]

If I owned the Halekulani I certainly would not be doing any upgrades to it....they are betting that travel will ever resume to Hawaii..

 

[jjking42]

We are booked in to WKORVN via an II exchange for check in 9/18.

Still want to go but not looking good on quarantine. I have never canceled an II exchange. I booked this way before Covid. Should I cancel now or wait to see if they extend the quarantine. I have never canceled an II exchange before. I did not buy insurance or the ability to switch resorts. I forgot what they call that.


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[amy241]

We are booked in to WKORVN via an II exchange for check in 9/18.

Still want to go but not looking good on quarantine. I have never canceled an II exchange. I booked this way before Covid. Should I cancel now or wait to see if they extend the quarantine. I have never canceled an II exchange before. I did not buy insurance or the ability to switch resorts. I forgot what they call that.


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I believe you need to cancel at least 60 days prior to check in for a better result — you are really close! I cancelled within 60 days because I did not know better and got hammered.

 

[LisaH]

I believe you need to cancel at least 60 days prior to check in for a better result — you are really close! I cancelled within 60 days because I did not know better and got hammered.

We have an exchange to Westin Nanea with check-in date of July 24. Tomorrow (July 17) is the last day that I can cancel and get a replacement week. Still working with Vistana and II to get it done as I have sold the week I used for this exchange and II can't cancel until Vistana does something with my corporate Vistana membership. Tomorrow is the last day...

 

[klpca]

We have an exchange to Westin Nanea with check-in date of July 24. Tomorrow (July 17) is the last day that I can cancel and get a replacement week. Still working with Vistana and II to get it done as I have sold the week I used for this exchange and II can't cancel until Vistana does something with my corporate Vistana membership. Tomorrow is the last day...

If you haven't reached out to our TUG rep at II, Mark Delcampo, I suggest that you involve him in the situation. He has the ability to solve issues. See this thread: https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/i...s-direct-email-for-tug-member-support.198023/

 

[Tamaradarann]

Hence the initial test with results BEFORE traveling. Not sure, but you appear to have missed the point of my post/process. It is to address the REALITY that you may not have or be able to obtain test results within the 72 hour (or less if that’s 72 hrs from landing) timeframe. You offer no solution to that problem.

I completely disagree with your post, however. If you believe what you post, then nobody should ever go anywhere. If its okay to travel with one negative test, why would it NOT be okay to travel with one negative test and a second test result pending? The key to making it work is to self-quarantine — stay home — between tests so there’s ZERO risk of new exposure. In that scenario the only “risk” is the risk of a false negative — but that’s a risk that exists on any test. So, your concern and hypothetical scenario of infecting everyone in the airport, on the plane, in a cab, etc, makes no sense at all. Can you explain how TWO tests, one negative and one not yet known, with no exposure risk between them, INCREASES the risk over one test alone?

You are missing my point also. First of all I don't know where you got this thought from since I certainly didn't say that one negative test was NOT OK, with a second test pending!!! If its okay to travel with one negative test, why would it NOT be okay to travel with one negative test and a second test result pending? All I wanted is ONE NEGATIVE TEST. I don't care if you get one test, two tests or a test everyday from now until you come home from Hawaii if that makes you happy. All I am saying is that for the system to assure that people are not travelling to Hawaii and contaminating people all along the way with the virus ONE TEST WITH RESULTS THAT ARE NEGATIVE NEEDS TO BE WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM THE REQUIRED 14 DAY QUARANTINE.

 

[jjking42]

I believe you need to cancel at least 60 days prior to check in for a better result — you are really close! I cancelled within 60 days because I did not know better and got hammered.

Should I call or do it online ? Will the result be the same either way ?


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[csodjd]

You are missing my point also. First of all I don't know where you got this thought from since I certainly didn't say that one negative test was NOT OK, with a second test pending!!! If its okay to travel with one negative test, why would it NOT be okay to travel with one negative test and a second test result pending? All I wanted is ONE NEGATIVE TEST. I don't care if you get one test, two tests or a test everyday from now until you come home from Hawaii if that makes you happy. All I am saying is that for the system to assure that people are not travelling to Hawaii and contaminating people all along the way with the virus ONE TEST WITH RESULTS THAT ARE NEGATIVE NEEDS TO BE WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM THE REQUIRED 14 DAY QUARANTINE.

Agree. But, it is inaccurate or incomplete to say "one test with results that are negative needs to be what keeps you from the required 14 day quarantine." It is inaccurate because it ignores the CRITICAL point that the "one test" must be within 72 hours of arrival. You're ignoring that. But I'm not addressing keeping Hawaii free of COVID. I'm addressing a solution to the problem of potentially not having your test result within 72 hours of you boarding the plane. How to "know" it is okay to go anyway.

If you KNOW for sure you'll have the test result back in 1-2 days, great. We're on the same page. But if you cannot know that, which is often going to be the case, one may not want to head to Hawaii and risk landing and finding out someone was positive. Then you have the problems you described of potentially infecting others, and the problem of having to quarantine for 14 days in Hawaii. All I was trying to do was lay out a plan for helping make that a very unlikely thing to happen and still be able to go.

Where I got that from was your comment, "relying on a 2nd test on arrival." My entire post was about NOT "relying" on a test after arrival by knowing what those test results will be. So, instead of "relying" on that test, you are merely "waiting" for it. By taking an earlier test and quarantining before the "required" test you can know with a high degree of confidence that the "required" test (within 72 hours) will be negative, eliminating the risk of flying over without having your required test result.

It's not perfect, but it (I believe) greatly reduces your risk of a surprise positive test result while still allowing you to go.

 

[amy241]

Should I call or do it online ? Will the result be the same either way ?


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I would suggest calling so you can ask questions of them, find out what you are getting as a result of cancellation, etc.