New intercounty exception for fully vaccinated residents
Posted on Apr 26, 2021 in Capitol Connection, Featured, Main
A summary of the Vaccination Travel Program steps.
A new Vaccination Travel Protocol Program will launch Tuesday, May 11 to allow fully vaccinated individuals who received their shots in Hawai‘i to fly between the islands without pre-travel testing or quarantine. “Fully vaccinated” is defined as being beyond the two-week period from the completion of a shot series. If a traveler arrives before they are fully vaccinated in Kaua‘i, Maui or Hawai‘i counties, they will be subject to mandatory self-quarantine for 10 days, unless they meet the criteria for other exceptions. The program is the first step to setting up a broader system for trans-Pacific (continental U.S.) travel, if logistics can be worked out for later this summer. “We decided to start with an intercounty travel program for those vaccinated in the state because we’re able to verify the information,” said Governor Ige, who was joined at an April 20 news conference by Lt. Gov. Josh Green, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara and county mayors.
Travelers will need to provide the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card for each of the vaccine doses received by uploading a digital image to their Safe Travels Hawai‘i online account, as well as showing the original vaccination card to airport screeners, if asked. Trans-Pacific travelers arriving in Hawai‘i – both visitors and residents – will still need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test result to bypass the state’s mandatory quarantine. Travelers under age 5 may bypass quarantine requirements, provided they are traveling on the same itinerary as a parent/guardian who has met vaccination verification requirements. Travelers aged 5 and over who are not yet eligible for vaccinations may participate in the pre-travel testing program.