Hawaii will lift its strict entry requirements this month, eliminating its self-quarantine rule and allowing domestic travelers to enter the state more easily.
Starting March 26, domestic visitors no longer will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test result to bypass a mandatory five-day quarantine as part of the state’s Safe Travels program, Gov. David Ige (D) announced Tuesday.
International travelers to Hawaii will still be subject to the U.S. requirement of proof of a negative test taken no more than 24 hours before departure and proof of vaccination.
“We started the Safe Travels program to protect the health, lives, and livelihoods of the people of Hawaiʻi,” Ige said in a statement. “The program put in place safety protocols that included a multi-layered screening and testing approach that kept our communities safe during the COVID-19 surges that endangered the most vulnerable of our citizens. Right now, we are seeing lower case counts, and hospitalizations are coming down.”
The state’s mask mandate will remain in place, and Ige said that officials are “watching disease activity closely across the state, the country, and globally, and we will adjust accordingly to keep our entire community healthy.” Hawaii is the only state that has yet to drop a statewide indoor mask mandate.
The Safe Travels program started in October 2020 and required testing and other steps to enter the popular destination. Lt. Gov. Josh Green (D) told The Washington Post in February that officials were considering eliminating all entry restrictions by spring, in the absence of any additional coronavirus surges. New cases in the state have trended downward after a spike caused by the highly contagious omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
Last year, officials had said Hawaii would lift travel restrictions after the state was 70 percent vaccinated, but omicron derailed that plan. According to tracking data compiled by The Washington Post through Wednesday, 77.2 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated…
