Pressure is undoubtedly mounting for Gov. David Ige to ease the Safe Travels requirements with accommodations for fully vaccinated travelers. Currently Hawaii is the only state to require testing for those who have completed their COVID-19 shots.
Ige, famously cautious about easing restrictions, has said he is discussing with state health experts the way forward as the islands slowly climb out of the past 14 months of a devastating pandemic. While the state’s regulations need not mirror the latest federal guidance, they should at least be heading in the same general direction.
An update is due, and not just because the COVID testing system has cost $38 million for the past year.
First, Hawaii could persuade more people to get vaccinated if it entitles them to more ease of travel. Every state needs to implement incentives for taking the vaccine as a means to bolster the public’s protection against the disease. In a state where everyone travels by plane, this would be a big one.
Second, ensuring the recovery of Hawaii’s economy will depend on the state refining the travel process into something far less frustrating. Safe Travels now has travelers racing to secure a negative COVID-19 test within a very narrow window of time. Otherwise, there’s quarantine to ruin their vacation.
Without a doubt, Hawaii’s natural isolation has enabled the pre-flight testing program to insulate the state against far higher levels of coronavirus infection than most other locations. It’s been a powerful tool for lowering the potential for outbreaks.
It also hasn’t stopped visitor arrivals from rebounding, though still well below pre-pandemic levels. The coming Memorial Day weekend is expected to bring in a surge of visitors from the mainland.
But westbound trans-Pacific domestic flights are all that can be expected, and may themselves start to tail off after the pent-up demand for vacations is spent. International tourism is not expected to bounce back anytime soon, especially given the outbreaks in Japan.
And any traveler will tell you: The testing program is cumbersome and an added risk to travel planning. It has plainly has worn out its welcome.
Underpinning all the impatience with travel testing is recently updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On May 13 the CDC advised the fully vaccinated that they could dispense with masks in most circumstances — although on planes and public transportation, wearing one is still recommended.
And then on Sunday, the agency pointed to data showing that vaccinated people do not need a COVID-19 test in most cases, even if they have been exposed to an infected person.
Ige decided against dropping the state’s mask mandate — the right call, at least until the state’s vaccination rate has risen considerably. Face coverings are a minor inconvenience and have been shown to be effective in suppressing transmission.
He did authorize vaccinated residents to travel interisland without testing, enabling the uploading of their vaccine card to Safe Travels’ website as their evidence. He expects soon to extend that privilege to those vaccinated in Hawaii who are returning home from the mainland.
His main concern with extending the vaccine exemption to all inbound travelers is that there is still no foolproof way to screen out counterfeit vaccine cards.
While that’s true, at some point soon, the risk for new infections slipping in that way should be low enough that economic concerns should take priority — especially with a mask mandate still providing an extra layer of protection.
Preparations for easing travel should begin now, including setting a target threshold for vaccine levels.
Travelers make their trip plans months ahead, and Hawaii would seem a better choice if the state at least would make the landing a bit less bumpy.
