It’s time, Hawaii: Put out the “We’re Open” sign, and welcome back travelers from across the Pacific.
The COVID-19 cases have trended downward, to a much safer and steadier place than in August, when the aggressive delta variant spiked infections and, sadly, deaths — and took Hawaii dangerously to the brink of health-care and hospital capacity. That prompted Gov. David Ige to issue a plea heard around the world: Stay away, tourists. And they did — which, coupled with local restrictions on gathering sizes and vaccination mandates, abruptly stalled economic recovery over the past two months.
But things are better now, thanks to a disciplined statewide effort to beat back COVID-19. Friday ended a good week that averaged a low 2.1% positivity rate, and brought uplifting news of a 70% full-vaccination rate. Heralding now that Hawaii is “open for business” — to vaccinated visitors, of course — is imperative. Travelers need to hear the message clearly — as does the entire tourism- industry ecosystem. From airlines, to hotels, to ground transportation, to vendors, to attractions, to retailers and restaurants, many moving parts need time to ramp up.
One major issue will be labor, a problem already being encountered without robust tourism. On Tuesday, a U.S. Labor Department report revealed that Americans are quitting their jobs in droves — and sectors most dramatically hit are those related to tourism.
Quits have soared in restaurants and hotels: nearly 900,000 people left jobs at restaurants, bars and hotels in August, up 21% from the previous month. Meanwhile, in industries such as manufacturing, construction and white-collar professions, quitting barely increased or was largely flat.
In Hawaii, with public health stabilized, fuller attention must now go to economic health, to address the complex issues of unemployed and underemployed. Indeed, the numbers of people living on the edge are revealed by sobering numbers, as reported Wednesday by Kokua Line’s Christine Donnelly:
>> Last month, Hawaii had 189,956 recipients of SNAP, so-called “food stamps” — down from the pandemic peak of 206,226 in July 2021, but higher than the prepandemic 152,252 total of February 2020.
>> In prepandemic 2019, an average of about $37 million in SNAP benefits were paid monthly; since March 2020, the monthly average has more than doubled to $79 million.
>> An “unprecedented” 427,839 people here received health insurance through Med-QUEST/Medicaid as of July 16, a 31% increase from before the pandemic, said the state Department of Human Services. That accounts for 30% of Hawaii’s overall population, and half of its children.
“Hawaii’s situation today is still one of really needing a tremendous amount of recovery,” said Carl Bonham, head of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, noting that jobs are still down 14% from before the pandemic.
And while state and county supports will continue, many large wells of federal relief funds have dried up, such as “plus up” unemployment payments.
Recovery in tourism-dependent Hawaii cannot occur without a robust return of travel — and this can be done safely.
It’s been a full year since Safe Travels Hawaii was launched on Oct. 15, 2020, with strict rules on pretravel COVID-19 testing or quarantine for arrivals, visitors and returning residents alike. A big game- changer came with effective and safe vaccines; travelers showing proof of immunization can easily waive quarantine/pretravel testing.
When it comes to travelers, a crucial fact needs to be underscored: For the most part, it has not been arriving tourists spreading the coronavirus — but returning Hawaii resi- dents, many of them unvaccinated and incautious, mingling in local communities. Upon return, responsible Hawaii residents should limit social interactions for a time and get COVID-tested at any number of free sites.
Of course, reopening of tourism must come with reinforced messaging on masking, physically distancing and good hand hygiene. Other states that have been less-cautious in reopening have seen positivity rates soar and health care pushed to rationing. On Friday, at least five states were still seeing 7-day average positivity rates of over 20%: Idaho, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas and Nevada. At 2.1%, Hawaii certainly should not grow complacent, but is undeniably in a good place.
Changing travel policies, too, show that Hawaii can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines.
On Nov. 8, the U.S. will reopen its land borders with Canada and Mexico to nonessential travel, for fully vaccinated visitors, and will similarly ease restrictions for international air travel. Ige last week expressed hopes to see a surge in international visitors, who will have to follow U.S. mandates to both be fully vaccinated and show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a flight to Hawaii.
Vaccinated travelers have taken an important step to protect the health of themselves and those around them. That is the sort of respectful visitors Hawaii welcomes back, those mindful enough to abide indoor masking and other safety protocols. To such travelers, the governor should now clearly announce for the headlines: E komo mai. Welcome back.
