#HAWAII SAFE TRAVELS BOOSTER REQUIREMENT HOW TO#
#HAWAII SAFE TRAVELS BOOSTER REQUIREMENT FULL#

Meanwhile, the funds could go towards something more useful, such as providing isolation facilities. I really don’t think it’s doing anything to help us anymore. That’s why I’m now of the opinion that the program should end. Plus, our own residents aren’t really helping contain the spread either. Because of this, the program has been far less effective – especially without the booster requirement. However, Omicron is an entirely different animal. I’ve long been a proponent of the Safe Travels program. If Congress doesn’t renew that funding, Hawaii will have to find a way to fund the program itself, or we’ll need to discontinue it altogether. However, that funding expires on April 1, 2022.

Currently, the program heavily relies on federal funding to operate.

#HAWAII SAFE TRAVELS BOOSTER REQUIREMENT FULL#

Oahu leads the way in vaccinations, with 78% of its population completing a full course, followed by Kauai at 71%, Maui County at 68%, and the Big Island at 67%.Īs far as the long-term continuation of the Hawaii Safe Travels program is concerned, that’s less clear. As of this writing, 75.2% of Hawaii’s total population is fully vaccinated, while just 35.8% are boosted. Governor Ige states that Hawaii’s robust vaccination rate and declining hospitalization rate influenced his decision too. He no longer plans to add a booster requirement, though the statewide indoor mask mandate remains for the foreseeable future. Only, he took so long to decide that our cases were already trending down by the time he did.įinal Thoughts No Booster Requirement for Hawaii Safe TravelsĬiting falling infection rates around the world, Governor Ige announced on Tuesday that Hawaii Safe Travels would remain as-is. Nevertheless, he eventually decided that we needed the booster requirement. What’s more, he was concerned with breaking with the CDC’s guidance on vaccine requirements. However, he stated that the Safe Travels program couldn’t handle the additional information. Thanks to the higher transmission rate of Omicron, medical experts and epidemiologists implored the Governor to implement a booster requirement. Regardless, the recent Omicron surge brought back discussions about the program. Others view it as government overreach or a charade with various interpretations in between. Cautious locals see the program as a way to help protect Hawaii and its people.

The roughly year-old Hawaii Safe Travels program is a contentious topic. In fact, the entire program is at risk of shutting down prematurely. Ige said there are currently 413 cases of Covid-19 in hospitals.Despite stating he’d make the change just weeks ago, Governor David Ige now says no booster requirement for Hawaii Safe Travels. But the 7-day average of daily case counts has dropped 14% over the last two weeks. Hawaii reported 2,050 new cases Wednesday.

Ige said he’s hopeful for the overall pandemic situation in Hawaii, noting that rising cases across the state and in hospitals appear to have plateaued. He said hotels and airlines have expressed concern over requiring booster shots.Ībout a third of the state’s population has received a booster shot, according to the state Department of Health. The state needs to reprogram the Safe Travels application and website, Ige said, adding that process has taken longer than expected.

#HAWAII SAFE TRAVELS BOOSTER REQUIREMENT HOW TO#

However, that mandate has not gone into effect yet while the state works out how to implement the new requirement, Ige said during the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” program on Wednesday.

David Ige said the state could require booster shots to skip Hawaii’s travel quarantine. David Ige said the state is still considering a requirement that travelers to Hawaii receive a booster shot to be considered fully vaccinated and eligible to skip a 10-day quarantine or negative test on arrival.

Hawaii safe travels booster requirement