OLD/Closed General Discussion Thread: C-19/Hawaii. Will Hawaii re-open Oct. 15th? (+ NEW POLL)

[csodjd]

I think I am probably still leaning toward cancellation and rebooking, since it would not surprise me in the least if Ige changed course again in November or December, given the starts and stops so far. Makes it very difficult to plan with confidence, and I can imagine the frustration of the Hawaiian businesses as well, since they have work to do to get ready to accept guests. I suspect they are having the same discussions in their management meetings. Will this stick?

That's why I'm just sticking (no pun intended) with the Jan-Feb reservation. It gives them a fair opportunity to weasel a bit back and forth, delay, etc., and also get their systems and tools up and running, some restaurants reopened, and the hotels back in the flow. And if they reverse course, well, I have my March-April reservations still in place.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Hawaii to allow travelers to skip quarantine with virus test.

Hawaii to allow travelers to skip quarantine with virus test

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii Gov. David Ige said Wednesday that starting Oct. 15, travelers arriving from out of state may bypass a 14-day quarantine requirement if they test negative for...

apnews.com

.


Richard

 

[dougp26364]

Until this is better controlled, I’ll vacation somewhere else, if at all. Hawaii is to far away and to expensive to risk it IMHO.

 

[canesfan]

Yay! I just hope it works and they don’t shut down again. Hawai’i’s economy needs it badly.


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[CPNY]

Yay! I just hope it works and they don’t shut down again. Hawai’i’s economy needs it badly.


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I feel like these local governments that shut down put businesses in such a bad place to even re open. The Bahamas for example is one of those nations that shut down too long. Now they are pushing for a reopen and “vacation in place” (as if the spike was coming from tourists, which is wasn’t). Problem is, now their two largest hotels baha mar and Atlantis are too big to open and operate at a 20% capacity, if even that. They have shunned people away for so long that most people who would have went back to traveling soon after quarantine, will no longer be traveling. They created uncertainty in booking anything. I don’t see Atlantis or baha mar opening and if they do it will be extremely limited on what’s open. Is it really worth it? I booked Bahamas for thanksgiving week. If it does open a week or two before, I most likely won’t go. I can exchange for Aruba still, and I’ll at least know that restaurants are open. Same with Hawaii. Why travel all that way to sit at a resort? One can sit by any pool stateside for now

 

[csodjd]

More details. Note the arrival time, not departure time. So, need to do some math and consider flight details (not sure how time changes factor in or what "arrival" means, does that mean landing, or when you check in with authorities at the airport, and is that before or after you get your luggage? ).

Assuming one leaves Los Angeles at 5:52pm, scheduled arrival is 8:37pm (AA). Say it's a Friday flight. If you get tested on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. PST, that's 6:00a.m. HST. 72 hrs is Saturday morning. So, you'd have all day Thursday and all day Friday to get results back and you'd arrive before 72 hours.

Say instead you leave in the morning on Saturday, 8:00 am. You arrive at 11:45am HST Saturday. If you get tested at 3:30pm Wednesday that's 12:30pm HST. 72 hrs is 12:30pm HST on Saturday. So you'd have to rush over before the 72 hrs runs out. You'd be screwed if there's a 1 hr flight delay.

 

[bryjake]

And the what if game begins...
What if results are delayed...
What if results are false positive...

Roll the dice on one outcome
Risk $$$, resources, and time

 

[csodjd]

And the what if game begins...
What if results are delayed...
What if results are false positive...

Roll the dice on one outcome
Risk $$$, resources, and time

The worst result, I think, is if you land in Hawaii and it's been > 72 hrs since your test. The next worst is if you don't have your results yet and you land, and they come back positive. Those are the two outcomes that need to be avoided at all costs. It's okay, not perfect, but okay if you don't have your results upon landing and have to quarantine for a few hours or a day. But in that case you need to be sure they'll come back negative.

One approach would be to take two tests. One semi-close to the 72 hr window, the next a day later. That addresses the false positive concern, and gives you two shots at a negative you can run with.

The other thing is being sure you self-isolate the family for 5-7 or so days before the first test.

 

[klpca]

Re: covid testing. My friend's 7 year old daughter started running a fever on Friday night (plus the other symptoms - fatigue, headache) so she was in a panic to get her tested. It took some calling around but eventually she found testing with a 24 hour turnaround time (although because of the weekend they didn't get results until Monday - negative). She had her son tested on Monday when he started showing the same signs and he was also negative and his results were back early Tuesday - so not even 24 hours. So if you live in a city, there are probably quick testing resources available but it may take some leg work. Their tests were free - not sure if it was because they are kids or just because the place that she found is just a free testing place.

Also the kids had just gone back to school and even though their covid tests were negative, the kids have to stay home for 72 hours so they are already missing three days of school. Their school isn't messing around - they will send your kids home immediately if they have any symptoms of anything. And I am pretty sure that she said that she has to provide a negative covid test to send her kids back. Fast testing is going to be necessary for things other than travel so hopefully it catches up quickly.

 

[JIMinNC]

I am beginning to wonder about the testing accuracy though.

Our daughter is a senior at University of Florida. She lives in an off-campus apartment with three roommates. Right before classes started she and a friend went on a three or four night trip to the Tennessee mountains to hike. When she got back, she found out their new freshman roommate had held a big party in the apartment while she was gone. A few days later, that freshman had some mild symptoms and tested positive, as did several other people who were at that party. She went home to quarantine. Within a few days, the three other roommates - including our daughter - all developed identical but very mild symptoms like mild sore throat, loss of smell, body aches, mild shortness of breath when exerting or walking up steps. No fever.

All three remaining girls from the apartment got tested - one tested positive, our daughter and another girl tested negative. Our daughter actually had two tests about four days apart since she was concerned the first test was negative because not enough time had passed. But the second test was also negative. So, out of four roommates with basically the same symptoms, two test positive and two negative. Makes you go, "Hmmm....", Is the testing as accurate in the real world as it is purported to be based on the certification studies?

Makes me very concerned about a false positive before or after arrival in Hawaii as @csodjd alluded to above.

 

[GregT]

I can't figure out why this October 15th date will be any different from August 1/September 1/October 1 -- and yet the Hawaii article felt it was unlikely that it would be postponed again. I would be happy to see this date confirmed and not extended again, but I don't know why the Hawaii article is "so confident". Interesting stuff.....

Best,

Greg

 

[Tamaradarann]

More details. Note the arrival time, not departure time. So, need to do some math and consider flight details (not sure how time changes factor in or what "arrival" means, does that mean landing, or when you check in with authorities at the airport, and is that before or after you get your luggage? ).

Assuming one leaves Los Angeles at 5:52pm, scheduled arrival is 8:37pm (AA). Say it's a Friday flight. If you get tested on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. PST, that's 6:00a.m. HST. 72 hrs is Saturday morning. So, you'd have all day Thursday and all day Friday to get results back and you'd arrive before 72 hours.

Say instead you leave in the morning on Saturday, 8:00 am. You arrive at 11:45am HST Saturday. If you get tested at 3:30pm Wednesday that's 12:30pm HST. 72 hrs is 12:30pm HST on Saturday. So you'd have to rush over before the 72 hrs runs out. You'd be screwed if there's a 1 hr flight delay.


View attachment 26635

OK, so if I understand it correctly getting tested in the evening 3 days before your flight gives you some extra few hours time to get to Hawaii before the 72 hours are up. So for instance if you get tested at 7PM on Monday you have until Thursday 7PM HST for your flight to get there. The Hawaiian Airlines daily direct flight from JFK leaves at 10:00 AM and gets there usually at 4:00 during the winter months so that would work. If you went earlier in the day on Monday to get the test it could be a problem if the flight was late. If the results were not back yet you would need to quarantine until they were.

 

[csodjd]

OK, so if I understand it correctly getting tested in the evening 3 days before your flight gives you some extra few hours time to get to Hawaii before the 72 hours are up. So for instance if you get tested at 7PM on Monday you have until Thursday 7PM HST for your flight to get there. The Hawaiian Airlines daily direct flight from JFK leaves at 10:00 AM and gets there usually at 4:00 during the winter months so that would work. If you went earlier in the day on Monday to get the test it could be a problem if the flight was late. If the results were not back yet you would need to quarantine until they were.

Not as serious a problem, but keep in mind that the time of day you get tested may impact when you get results because the labs only pick up the specimens a couple times a day from an office or urgent care. Not sure about large public testing facilities. But if you go to an urgent care, if you have a 7pm test your sample probably isn't going to the lab until mid-morning the next day. That does increase the chances you won't have a test result before departure or arrival. (Departure is important because if it's positive, you still have the chance to not go, Arrival is important because that's when they evaluate the test results for quarantine purposes).

If results come in 24 hours, as they often do now, not a problem. But, another caution -- I was last tested on a Thursday afternoon. They said they hoped to have results Friday, but if not, it would be Monday because they don't get results on the weekend. Sure enough, it was Monday before I got my results. So, book flights for Thur/Fri and get tested Tuesday/Wednesday.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I guess i am happy to live on the west coast, so my travel time to Hawaii is about as short as it gets...

Will be glad when they finally release the final details to the program so I can see exactly how this will work out.

The current rules on the Big Island of no quarantining in a timeshare will be problematic if they stay in effect. But I am assuming that would change, but you never know.

 

[DeniseM]

Will be glad when they finally release the final details to the program so I can see exactly how this will work out.

See post #49. It could change, but that seems to be the plan.
Also - I don't know if anyone has posted this yet: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/coronavirus/

 

[controller1]

It's worse when you're coming from a location which requires multiple flights or an overnight connection. Our February 2021 reservation has us boarding our first flight 25 hours prior to landing in OGG. That really could place us in a bind if we don't have results prior to boarding our first flight. Also I wonder if there is any leeway if a flight that is scheduled to land in Hawaii prior to the expiration of the 72-hour deadline is delayed and therefore lands more than 72 hours after one's test.

 

[csodjd]

It's worse when you're coming from a location which requires multiple flights or an overnight connection. Our February 2021 reservation has us boarding our first flight 25 hours prior to landing in OGG. That really could place us in a bind if we don't have results prior to boarding our first flight. Also I wonder if there is any leeway if a flight that is scheduled to land in Hawaii prior to the expiration of the 72-hour deadline is delayed and therefore lands more than 72 hours after one's test.

I would not cut it that close. I'd be sure to allow for at least 4 or so hours of delay. I also think this is a good two-test situation. Get one in the area of 60-68 hrs before expected arrival, and another the day before departure. If that latter one becomes relevant it may save you.

 

[Foggy1]

I would not cut it that close. I'd be sure to allow for at least 4 or so hours of delay.

Last trip to Maui from the East Coast, our arrival was 22 Hrs later than planned due to weather/missed connection/resultant over night stay in SF. Total travel time from home was 42 hours. This is an argument for "Departure" time.

 

[blondietink]

I cancelled our end of October Hawaii trip a month ago. They are so inconsistent with their plans, and who can get a test back in less than 72 hours anyway, unless it is one of the rapid 30 minute test.

 

[csodjd]

Seems the Labor Day weekend bump has arrived. 160 new cases reported today, up from just over 100 yesterday and 60 the day before. Tomorrow and Saturday will be critical (I think) to that Oct. 15 date sticking. If it shoots to 250 or something, all bets are off.

7-Day average actually dropped because apparently there were a lot of new cases 8 days ago. Infection rate bumped just slightly back to 2.2%, still good.

 

[dioxide45]

I cancelled our end of October Hawaii trip a month ago. They are so inconsistent with their plans, and who can get a test back in less than 72 hours anyway, unless it is one of the rapid 30 minute test.

Will they even accept the rapid test? Aruba wouldn't, which makes the 72 hour requirement not always easy to hit. Someone else we know were trying to get to Hawaii and were having problems getting the right kind of test. I don't know what they ended up doing, but they made it so whatever they did worked.

 

[csodjd]

Last trip to Maui from the East Coast, our arrival was 22 Hrs later than planned due to weather/missed connection/resultant over night stay in SF. Total travel time from home was 42 hours. This is an argument for "Departure" time.

Under these circumstances I'm not sure I'd risk flying straight through from the East Coast. I'd stop for 2-3 days or so in SF or LA or Seattle and get a test done there. Add a bit to the vacation.

 

[DeniseM]

Will they even accept the rapid test?

This is the required test:

The pre-travel testing program for COVID-19 will start Oct. 15, 2020. Pre-travel testing enables travelers to avoid a mandatory 14-day quarantine if they are tested no earlier than 72 hours before their flight arrives with an FDA-approved nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), performed using a nasal swab, and can show proof of negative test results from a CLIA certified laboratory. Travelers also will have their temperatures checked upon arrival and must fill out the Safe Travels travel and health form. Upon arrival in Hawaii, passengers unable to provide proof of an approved negative test will be required to go into quarantine for 14 days or until they can provide proof of negative test results. For more information and an FAQ please visit https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/#travel-FAQs

 

[controller1]

This is the required test:

An NAAT test can be a rapid test with results in 5-15 minutes.

 

[DeniseM]

Cool!