Hawaii in disarray over planned October 15th start of pre-travel testing program

It’s astounding that this late in the process, Hawaii leaders can’t agree on the way forward to test and allow visitors into the state. As we shared yesterday, Hawaii (Big) Island Mayor Kim has opted out of the pre-travel testing program. Could other islands follow?

In a statement on Facebook, Kauai Mayor Kawakami says,

“We have not yet made a determination. Decisions must be deliberate and we can’t commit to plans we don’t fully understand. Our goal from the beginning has been to supplement the Governor and Lt. Governor’s statewide travel plan. The option to opt out is a recent development. As we understand it, our proposal was denied in part because the state aimed for consistency across the board, so visitors would not be confused. How does the option to opt out achieve that goal? If each county were to opt out, where does that leave the statewide travel plan? We need more details on what an “opt out” means for the counties, and whether that provides the option for us to implement a single-test post-arrival program.

“If we were to remain in the program, the Lt. Governor has committed to implementing enhanced testing, such as a surveillance testing program, and we look forward to hearing details on how that will be implemented on October 15.

“Our goal is not to extend a mandatory 14-day quarantine in perpetuity. Our goal is to keep our community safe while we take a phased, responsible approach to reopening. We believed we could do that by offering an enhanced second-test program.”

Maui Mayor Victorino didn’t host a Facebook press conference or make any statements like the Kauai mayor did on October 6th, but has previously urged for a similar two-step opening.

The quickest way for you to get a glimpse of this state of disarray is to watch these two news segments:

Hawaii News Now: Neighbor islands not sold on plan to welcome visitors back
Hawaii News Now: Green: Second COVID-19 test not necessary for trans-Pacific travelers (For the inter-island travel and trans-Pacific travel testing discussions, fast forward to 2:40)

Why is it the expression “cat herding” now comes to mind?

We hope you enjoy a little cat humor to help us get though all these uncertain policies.

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