Hawaii’s 14-day mandatory COVID-19 quarantine to continue until May 31, 2020

*** UPDATE: Quarantine Extended through June 30, 2020. See this link: Hawaii traveler restrictions extended through June for the entire state.  Also, in late May, the governor indicated that the quarantine will be extended beyond June. ***

The following information is largely based on the quarantine extension announcement through May 31, 2020 that was made in a press conference in April. Since that announcement, quarantine restrictions have been extended even further. See the above link for the extension through June 30, 2020. The quarantine could be extended even further. 

On April 25, 2020, Gov. Ige announced a new supplementary emergency proclamation to continue the mandatory 14-day quarantine for all persons traveling to the state of Hawaii and/or traveling inter-island. This quarantine is to continue through May 31, 2020. As a reminder, these are the quarantine requirements:

The mandatory 14-day self-quarantine orders are:

    1. Proceed directly from the airport to your designated quarantine location, which is the location identified and affirmed by you on the mandatory State of Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture Plants and Animals Declaration Form.
    2. Remain in your designated quarantine location for a period of 14 days or the duration of your stay in the State of Hawai‘i, whichever is shorter.
      • If you are a resident, your designated quarantine location is your place of residence.
      • If you are a visitor, your designated quarantine location is your hotel room or rented lodging.
      • You can only leave your designated quarantine location for medical emergencies or to seek medical care.
    1. Do not visit any public spaces, including but not limited to pools, meeting rooms, fitness centers or restaurants.
    2. Do not allow visitors in or out of your designated quarantine location other than a physician, healthcare provider, or individual authorized to enter the designated quarantine location by the Director of HIEMA.
    3. Comply with any and all rules or protocols related to your quarantine as set forth by your hotel or rented lodging.
    4. If you become ill with a fever or cough:
      • Continue to stay in designated quarantine location, avoid contact with others and contact a healthcare provider for further instructions on treatment or testing.
      • If you are older or have any medical conditions (e.g., immune compromise, diabetes, asthma), consult your regular healthcare provider.
      • If you feel you need medical care, contact healthcare provider and inform them of your travel history.
      • If you need urgent medical care (e.g., have difficulty breathing), call 9-1-1 and let the dispatcher know your travel history).

Failure to follow this order is a misdemeanor and punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than one year, or both.  Enforcement will be handled by each of Hawai?i’s four counties.

For further information regarding restrictions and declarations, see the alerts page at the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

If you have any questions regarding this quarantine order, email local government at: CovidExemption@hawaii.gov.

In addition to the continuation of the quarantine requirements, the governor’s new supplementary emergency proclamation also extended Hawaii’s stay-at-home orders through May 31, 2020. In his press conference, the governor said,

“The stay-at-home order means residents may leave their homes only for various essential needs, including healthcare, purchasing food, medicine, gasoline, taking care of the elderly, minors, or those with disabilities, returning to a place of residence outside of Hawai‘i, picking up educational materials for distance learning, receiving meals or other related services. Outdoor exercise is also permitted – including swimming, surfing and walking pets.

In addition, running, jogging or walking on the beach will be permitted, as long as social distancing requirements are observed.”

In the governor’s April 25, 2020 press conference, he did indicate that there’s a possibility of relaxing some restrictions before the end of May. That would be contingent on a further decrease in the number of cases, comprehensive testing and a surveillance capacity and a well-developed contact tracing system.

So, what’s going to happen in June and beyond? What does it mean for tourism? It’s all very speculative at this point. No one has experience in restarting tourism in the dwindling days of a global pandemic. There’s not a switch to flip everything back to normal starting June 1, 2020.

Here are some questions we have that no one has the answers to:

  • Could a visitor quarantine be extended past May 31, 2020? After the 14-day quarantine is lifted, could a different quarantine be required? Instead of 14-days, would a shorter quarantine be required? [UPDATE: Yes, quarantine was extended through June 30, 2020 and could be extended even further.]
  • Will any virus testing be required for incoming visitors?
  • When will restaurants, tours and attractions reopen?
  • When will beaches reopen for sunbathing and loitering?
  • What sort of social distancing requirements will there be in the early days of reopening and going forward?
  • How quickly can hotels, restaurants and tours restart and ramp up operations?
  • How quickly will the airlines be able to respond to increasing flights back to Hawaii?
  • Will visitors be welcomed to Hawaii? While some will be welcoming, others dislike visitors. Prior to the shutdown, there was a stigma building against visitors. We still see and hear the continuation of this stigma with some residents fully blaming visitors for bringing the coronavirus to Hawaii despite the fact that the vast majority of cases were brought in by Hawaii residents who traveled outside of the state.

As you can see, there are a lot of questions to answer in the coming weeks.

Related resources for a further understanding of the thoughts and plans to reopen tourism in Hawaii:

*** UPDATE: Quarantine Extended through June 30, 2020: See this link: Hawaii traveler restrictions extended through June for the entire state. ***

This situation is very much evolving and subject to change. Check our homepage, GoVisitHawaii.com, for ongoing updates.

 

13 comments
  1. Wife & I had planned our 8/12/2020 48th Anniversary for Kauai. Any speculation if we should “CHANGE” our plans?

  2. Depends on cancellation policies on all of your revs. I have a last week of July Maui trip with the family. Liberal cancellation policies on all everything (air/hotel/car) so I can wait until mid July if needed to make final decision on travel without too much out of pocket. If your cancellation policies are more restrictive then you are rolling the dice by waiting.

    I’m optimistic. The 14 day quarantine upon arrival has destroyed tourism. Pressure will mount to lift and I think July might be the month. We’ll see. Hopeful.

  3. Is it possible to quarantine on one island for 14 days, then travel to another island without having to restart the quarantine?

    1. Not at the moment. All inter-island travel requires a 14-day quarantine.

  4. I am a resident of the Big Island, I am planning to travel to Fort Collins Colorado May 30, 2020 to pick up my two granddaughters and bring them back with me on June 6. Previous years my husband and I have had them for the summer and this summer they would come stay with my husband and I until they return back to school as their parents are back to work. I understand the 14 Day quarantine rules – Myself and my two granddaughters are quarantined, we are not allowed to leave the residence until the quarantine is over. Can you please tell me what else I need to be aware of or What other relevant documents I need to follow to return to the Big Island with my 2 granddaughters. Thank you very much in advance for your assistance.

    1. We’re not a government official, so we can only share our understanding. So, as far as we know, you only need to provide proof of residence, such as your driver’s license with current address, when you return.

  5. I live on Oahu and plan to rent a hotel for when my girlfriend visits. Will I have to self quarantine for 14 days with her or will I be able to continue going to work?

    1. This part of the quarantine orders seems to somewhat, but not directly address your question:
      “Do not allow visitors in or out of your designated quarantine location other than a physician, healthcare provider, or individual authorized to enter the designated quarantine location by the Director of HIEMA.”

      Maybe you should seek clarification with either the mayor’s or governor’s office.

  6. Thanks for reply – for our August 2020 Anniversary trip to Kauai, Wife wants a nice sunset dinner cruise. Any recommendations?

    1. The only dinner cruises that we recall out of Kauai are tours of the Na Pali Coast, which is spectacular for scenery, but we’ve never had anything very fancy for dinner on one…mostly just sandwiches. I’m not sure why there’s nothing more special, it could be because of the tendency for rough waters around Kauai. If you opt for a restaurant dinner, sunsets at Poipu’s Beach House restaurant are lovely.

  7. “*** UPDATE: Quarantine Extended through June 30, 3030.”

    That is a LONG time! Haha

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