Aloha State News

Hawaii currently requires a 14-day quarantine period for arriving travelers to certain areas, which can be difficult to enforce. But travelers to Kauai who test negative for COVID-19 before their flight might have to be tested again after their flight arrives. 

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami wants this requirement, in addition to visitors quarantining in Hawaii while waiting for test results, Hawaii News Now reported. Kawakami said he believes the state's current pre-travel coronavirus testing program, which begins Thursday, Oct. 15, does not provide enough safety. 

The program will allow trans-Pacific travelers to skip the mandatory quarantine period when landing if they test negative for the coronavirus within 72 hours before departure.  

Travelers not allowed to skip the 14-day quarantine period may be resisting quarantine, KITV reported. Evan Dorsey, 27, and Angel Henri, 30, were re-arrested earlier this month for violating the quarantine requirement after arriving in Waikiki. 

Dorsey posted on social media their defiance of Hawaii's law, then posted a second picture of the couple surfing at Kuhio Beach. 

Enforcing the quarantine may be difficult, but Hawaii's economy heavily relies on tourism and the quarantine will help contain the coronavirus. 

Kawakami does not believe the program will provide enough protection to the state from incoming tourists. State officials, on the other hand, believe it provides sufficient protection, with Lt. Gov. Josh Green saying 1 in 1,000 travelers testing negative before departure will end up being positive for the coronavirus upon arriving in Hawaii. 

Adding the second required testing and quarantine period would add an extra layer of protection against the virus, Kawakami said. This method would require all travelers to take a coronavirus test within 72 hours of arriving in the state. This would allow them to skip the quarantine period, Hawaii News Now reported. 

Green countered that this method will deter people from traveling to Hawaii, noting also that the state lacks enough tests to enforce the proposed requirement. 

Kawakami said the county has already purchased 15,000 rapid coronavirus tests for arriving travelers.

“This means all incoming travelers, local residents and tourists, would be treated equally and would quarantine for a minimum of three days before they have the opportunity to take a rapid [COVID-19] test," he told Hawaii News Now.

Kawakami said the county has seen 59 coronavirus cases and is ready to start his plan on Oct. 15, which requires the governor's approval.