Safe Travels Quarantine Changes – Monday, January 3

• On January 3, Safe Travels Mandatory Quarantine period will be reduced from 10 days to 5 days.
  • For travelers who are currently on 10-day quarantine, if they’ve hit their 5-day “mark” on January 3 or later, they will be released from quarantine after the 5th day. For example, if January 3 is their 5th day, they will be released from quarantine on January 4.
• Travelers who arrive on January 3 and don’t have a pre-travel test result or aren’t fully vaccinated, their quarantine period is five days.
  • Day 1 is counted from day of arrival, i.e., arrives on January 3 -> quarantine through January 7; released on January 8.
  • This effects only domestic travel from the U.S. and its Territories. (Direct international travelers fall under Federal CDC guidelines.)
• Revised COVID positive isolation and quarantine policy – details may be found here: https://health.hawaii.gov/news/newsroom/doh-revises-states-isolation-quarantine-policy/
  • Guidelines for COVID-19 positive travelers will change:
    If COVID-19 positive regardless of vaccination status
    • Isolate for at least 5 days and until symptoms are gone.
    • Continue to wear a mask for five days after isolation.
  • If traveler is still symptomatic on day 5, traveler is advised to seek medical attention and quarantine until a COVID-19 test can be taken. If it’s positive, isolate in place for an additional 5 days and don’t travel.

Safe Travels Health Questionnaire Changes – Tuesday, January 4
Beginning January 4, the completion of the Health Questionnaire prior to departure will no longer be required. Travelers who wish to be exempt from the 5-day mandatory quarantine must submit the same documentation as is currently required. Once their exemption documentation has been accepted, their QR code will turn green as shown below. The green QR code is a tool to help expedite screening operations. The traveler must still be screened and a green check mark will appear next to “Screened: Yes” after the screening process is completed. This is what the updated “Trips” page will look like when hotels and rental car agencies check traveler’s exempt status. If traveler has minors on their Safe Travels trip, those minors must also be exempt in order for the QR code to turn green

Source: Click here

​HONOLULU, Dec. 7, 2021 >> Readers of The Wall Street Journal were provided a diagnosis over the weekend about what has been ailing Hawaii's healthcare system.

Keli'i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, said Hawaii's dangerously diminished healthcare capacity is due to the state's high taxes, its so-called certificate-of-need laws and other forms of government intervention into the medical marketplace.

His article, "Hawaii Is No Paradise if You Need Medical Care," was published online Friday and in the newspaper's print edition on Saturday. The Wall Street Journal is one of the nation's most respected newspapers, with a circulation of almost 3 million readers.

"It's wonderful that a publication such as The Wall Street Journal has allowed us to tell Hawaii's story about the pitfalls of government interference into healthcare," Akina said. "Our experience is a warning as to what other states should not do, if they wish to make healthcare more available and less expensive. It also will help policymakers in Hawaii realize that they are not operating in a vacuum; their counterproductive policies are being noticed nationwide, and maybe this will help motivate them to get on the right path."

Here is how Akina's Wall Street Journal article begins:

"When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, the only thing Hawaii had going for it was that it could strictly control who came and went. The Aloha State, however, was ill-prepared to handle the increased burden on its medical system, and authorities used that as an excuse to impose lockdowns on all economic and social activity—to 'flatten the curve' and prevent excess demand at local hospitals.
"Nineteen months later, some of those lockdown measures are being lifted, but many remain. COVID-19 eventually will morph from a pandemic disease to an endemic one, and presumably Hawaii’s constitutional balance of powers and freedoms will be fully restored. But Hawaii’s healthcare capacity shortage will continue, at least until the state’s political authorities tackle with earnest its multiple causes. 
"Hawaii has among the fewest hospital beds per capita of any state and the 10th longest emergency-room wait times. For years it has wrestled with a severe doctor shortage and a lack of specialty care in its rural areas. These shortages are the result of decades of high taxes, voluminous regulations and certificate-of-need laws."

To read more, you can access the full article here. However, it is behind a paywall, so you will have to either subscribe to The Wall Street Journal to finish reading it or wait until early next month when it will be posted on the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii website.

For more information, or to arrange an interview with Akina, please call Mark Coleman at 808-386-9047 or email mark@grassrootinstitute.org.

Public Health Emergency Rule updates


Please find here the updated County of Maui Public Health Emergency Rules, effective December 1, 2021. Highlighted changes include:

• Rules go into effect 12:01 am December 1, 2021
• 6-foot distancing rule removed for indoor restaurant capacity, allowing for 100% occupancy provided they ensure all customers are in compliance with the vaccination, testing or post-COVID-19 infection verification
• Buffet, salad bars, and other types of self-service of food are allowed
• All restrictions for outdoor activities have been removed
• There are no social gathering restrictions except for indoors and if over 75 persons
• Commercial events held exclusively outdoors no longer need to apply for an exemption
• Commercial events held indoors including weddings and luau must apply for an exemption if larger than 75 persons
• Commercial exemption requests should be sent to: Exemption.Request@co.maui.hi.us

 
Read more in Mayor's press release below.
 
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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Nov. 30, 2021
 
Mayor Victorino announces easing of COVID-19 restrictions
Maui County to continue monitoring Omicron variant developments
Mayor Michael Victorino announced today that Maui County will allow restaurants and bars to return to full, 100% capacity without physical distancing requirements as of Wed. Dec. 1, 2021. Patrons may dine indoors with proof of full vaccination, verification of a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours or, have a signed letter from a medical provider confirming full recovery from a COVID-19 infection.
 
“We are able to relax these restrictions because the people of Maui County have been mindful of the health and safety of others,” Mayor Victorino said. “With our low positivity rate and the ability to conduct outdoor activities in a safe manner, we feel comfortable loosening these restrictions. At the same time, we are aware of the new Omicron variant and are actively monitoring developments. We will continue to act thoughtfully according to the advice of medical experts.”
 
After Dec. 1, all outdoor restrictions will be lifted as an expansion of Maui County’s “Safer Outdoors” initiative. Indoor commercial events planned for more than 75 participants will still require an exemption, and entities are encouraged to submit plans early to exemption.request@mauicounty.gov
 
Mayor Victorino’s announcement comes after Gov. David Ige stated last week that Hawaii mayors will determine their own public health emergency rules, as appropriate for their communities. The governor has retained the Safe Travels program for out-of-state travelers and a statewide requirement for all to wear face coverings indoors.
 
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Read the full press release here
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