Dewd

Starting next week, all tourists arriving in Hawaii will be under mandatory quarantine for 14 days by Order of the Governor. You may not leave your hotel room. Penalty for violating this Order is $5,000 fine and/or one year in jail.

curiousgeo

Really feel for employees of the travel industry and small businesses here. Friends with 25-30+ years with their companies are being laid off or fearing it’s coming. The online system for filing State unemployment benefits crashed the other day.

Songdoc

It does not only apply to tourists. Residents who return to the islands are subject to 14-day home quarantine.
I live on Kauai and there are only (9) ICU beds and 77 hospital beds on the entire island. So this is being taken very seriously.

curiousgeo

Not surprisingly Honolulu mayor issues stay at home, work at home order starting Monday afternoon.

Songdoc

I just read that during the quarantine period you are permitted to leave your place of quarantine ONLY for medical reasons. That means having food delivered. Good luck with that in many areas!

Songdoc

Now that the quarantine is in place, yesterday planes arrived that had NO passengers -- or one passenger.
Here on Kauai, there are police checkpoints to enforce the stay-at-home mandate. But thankfully, travel to exercise (including swimming, walking, and surfing at the beach) is permitted.

ohiotraveler2020

Sad, as most people don't even have 14 days of vacation total. This will have a severe impact on the economy there. Was already super expensive!

Podie

Maybe sad to you, but we live here and are keeping our COVID19 numbers low. We don't need people bringing it in here. Nothing is open anyway, you can't even sit on the beaches.

Gretchen

Yes, OF COURSE!! I think I heard that Hawaii has had NO new cases. That is great and done correctly. The damage to the economy is when the the SECOND wave comes because of reopening too soon!

suze

https://health.hawaii.gov/news/coron...st-may-8-2020/

Please read the facts as far as the "NO new cases" comment.

Songdoc

The curfew has been dropped, but the 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving is being enforced here on Kauai. People who were subject to quarantine have been at arrested for shopping at Foodland. The police issued a warning to a group of workers staying across the driveway from me who were seen in places unrelated to their work.

Kauai has had no confirmed new cases in more than two weeks. With the exception of May 8th, most of the other islands are still seeing single digit numbers of new infections. Today there were a total of 4 new cases reported.

With the economy being so dependent on tourism people are desperate to reopen. Some businesses opened this week, but w/o tourists, many of them have no customers. Restaurants are still not open other than for takeout -- and the beaches remain open ONLY for exercise. This morning, the Lt. Governor said the key will be finding ways to screen tourists before allowing them into the islands. One possibility he proposed was that passengers would have to show proof that they had tested negative within 3 days of the flight. If they did not provide that documentation they would be subject to the 14-day quarantine. Of course that would not be foolproof because some people would contract the virus in that 3-day period -- and some tests will produce inaccurate results. Still, I wonder if the new abnormal will be a requirement to be tested before boarding a flight anywhere.

My heart aches for those who are in dire financial straits; those who are trying to feed their families; and for those who have invested so much in businesses that will not survive. But I believe what we need is real ways to help these people--not being short-sighted and exposing them and their loved ones to this virus so the economy can get back on track. During the Spanish Flu the 2nd wave was 10 times more deadly than the first. During that 2nd wave my grandmother lost her mother, brother and sister within a one-month period.

I'm hoping Hawaii comes up with solutions before opening its doors again.

Now ... it's gorgeous out and I'm off to walk at Hanalei Bay!

Gretchen

Well, Suze, please don't tell me that even if it is a lull, it is progress. Jeez. I was pretty happy for Hawaii. AND the curve has to keep flattening. AND unfourtunately there will probably be another oubreak in the fall.
I was actually being supportive of Hawai continuing their stringent regulations but I guess it was too subtle.

suze

I just think it's more helpful when we stick to facts rather than personal opinions or guessing what might happen.

Podie

The best fact is that in the past 15 days, we've only had 0-6 new cases per day on Oahu. That's in a population of one million! However, Unfortunately, I expect the numbers to start rising when stores are reopened this Friday.

Songdoc

The quarantine for anyone arriving in the islands has been extended through June 30th.

Meanwhile, the beaches opened this weekend for all uses, providing people keep their distance.
It was not a problem at Hanalei Bay today. Most groups set up their chairs and blankets 20 or more feet apart.
It was a gorgeous day and it was great to hear music and see families out enjoying the beach.

I sure hope they can find a way to allow tourists back without incurring big spikes in COVID-19 cases.

Dukey1

I just wish there were some recognized uniformity in terms of determining exactly what a "new case" is. Does it mean someone who is testing positive? Someone who is symptomatic? Someone diagnosed and admitted with symptoms? Someone who is testing positive and displays no symptoms?

Gretchen

I think it is all three of these.

It is obvious to anyone with a synapse that if we test more we will find more cases. But these can be contact traced and lead to finding more who don't know they are in danger. But that is how you stop the virus.

marvelousmouse

It seems to be that most go with positive tests. And I don’t think very many asymptomatic people are being tested. A lot of the people I know of who have been tested had to be very sick to be tested in the first place. Or they were tested because of a work out break. I don’t think “new cases” tell us much. Where there’s one “new” case, there are probably several others. Hence the need for tracing.