Interisland Travelers Can Now Avoid Quarantine Going To, From Big Island

PC: HDOT

Interisland travelers flying to and from the Big Island can now dodge two weeks in quarantine by following standard protocol announced by Hawai‘i County Tuesday.

The new system, effective Oct. 21, will enable interisland travelers to either test for COVID-19 within 72 hours before traveling to Hawai‘i Island, or to be tested after arrival. A negative post-arrival test would allow the traveler to be released from quarantine.

This means that Hawai‘i County will now be in line with the statewide interisland 72-hour, pre-travel test policy.

“The new system allows people to determine how long or if they’ll be quarantined,” said Mayor Harry Kim. “We wanted to come up with a policy that would address the current system’s problems, such as the large number of people that had to be quarantined for 14 days and the inability of the county to monitor and enforce the quarantine policies.”

“This new policy is simpler, more sustainable, and gives people a choice,” the mayor continued. “It will also lessen the number of people under quarantine.”

For more information, call Civil Defense at 808-935-0031. The online format for seeking modified self-quarantine or an exemption from the self-quarantine can be found online.