As Hawaii moves to re-open to tourists with testing prior to arrival, new legislation was introduced (.pdf) to grant additional powers to the state’s Department of Health.
The bill adds a new term, separate from quarantine (which arriving passengers have been required to do for fourteen days on arrival). That word is “isolation” which isn’t clearly defined in the text of the bill, but appears to allow the state to remove someone who tests positive for the virus and require them to stay in a designated facility (apart from their families).
While this isolation would be “at the expense of the person entering the State,” the text of the bill allows money in the “travelers screening special fund” for isolating and “other related actions.” Local critics have likened the idea to a “camp.”
Benefits include the determination of whether quarantine or isolation is necessary for the wellbeing of the public, including travelers, travelers’ households, and traveling companions, as well as the opportunity for timely treatment to prevent or lessen symptoms or to shorten the duration of the disease.
In addition the legislation would exempt testing and health information that’s gathered by the state from subpeona, making it difficult to challenge quarantine and isolation orders. It would also allow the Department of Health to mandate in-school vaccinations for children once those become available.
While safe and effective vaccines are the best path out from COVID-19, and overall anti-vaxxer ideas are wholly unpersuasive (NSFW), this authority is being granted prior to the introduction of a vaccine, the determination of the method the ultimate choice of vaccine will use to produce immunity, or the conducting of phase three trials.
Hawaii, by the way, is reportedly partnering with CVS for validating pre-arrival testing. The CVS nearest to me offers testing at the drive through pharmacy window where you collect your own sample. I anticipate a lot of false negatives.
That video is NSFW? Maybe in anti-progressive workplaces. At Amazon, a huge employer, people say shit and fuck all the damn time. But an internal document recently collected a list of offensive phrases that you should not say:
– Cakewalk (referring to an easy task) because the original cake walk was a dance that slaves were forced to do
– Peanut gallery (referring to hecklers) because actual peanut galleries were predominantly Black
– Whitelist/blacklist because it coincides with white supremacy (white = allowed, black = denied)
Hawaii working hard to kill the tourism industry forever.
Killing the tourism industry forever? LOL
Hawaii will have no shortage of visitors once they open back up, even with the mandate of a test prior to entry.
Not referring to the test. I am referring to the forced isolation.
Waiting for a vaccine? We have no vaccine for HIV after 40 years.
Hahahahaha
Enjoy the collapse of your economy, Hawaiian geniuses.
Have AA first lie flats booked to Maui in August for 35th wedding anniversary. Forget about it. This is too onerous to deal with. Understand the local concerns, but tourists like us will find another destination.
Maybe if tourists are forced to stay away long enough, Hawaii will revert to the idyllic days of the 1950s, uncrowded beaches, lazy island life and widespread poverty.
“…offers testing at the drive through pharmacy window where you collect your own sample. I anticipate a lot of false negatives.”
Come on, Gary. Self-administered testing COVID testing is common. There’s even at home tests. It’s basically a Q-tip you rub around your nostrils. We’re not talking the big nasopharyngeal swabs here.
With the self-administered tests of the type CVS is doing, someone trained watches you administer the test, and tells you if you’re doing it wrong. No reason to anticipate a bunch of false postivites.
Here’s a hint: think or do 30 seconds of research before posting this dreck.
Are you anticipating false negatives just because you don’t think people will self-administer correctly? Or are you alleging that people who are feeling sick and think they may have it will purposefully cheat on the test so that they can…..spend a lot of money to be sick in Hawaii far away from their home comforts and medical professionals? Because I just don’t see the latter happening in any great numbers.
Hey Bob, the “reason to anticipate a lot of false negatives” in self tests is because people don’t want to test positive so they can go to Hawaii. They will figure out how to not get any coronavirus on the stick.
Aside from all those topics that go and back forth on this blog about Hawaii, the only issue that just burns my butt is the first class airfare I paid to Alaska Airlines that they will not refund – they have it in what is called a wallet account.
It’s of no concern to me what their cash burn rate is – my vacation money is in their pickets for the time being. I realize that I have access to it for a flight purchase until July of 2021, but it’s a poor business model to have to deal with.
Here in South Carolina, Myrtle Beach has what is called the Grand Strand – i.e., 60 miles of beach front property fully accessible to the public complete with weather very similar to Hawaii. It looks like we will be enjoying our vacations much closer to home and will now develop a new appreciation of what we have access to.
We will definitely not be returning to Hawaii until the social distancing and mask issue has been removed. I know – good luck. So be it. Damn shame.
“The CVS nearest to me offers testing at the drive through pharmacy window where you collect your own sample. I anticipate a lot of false negatives.” Ugh they haven’t got more effective tests yet?
If people are unhappy with Hawaii’s rules feel free to spend your stimulus money elsewhere. …Can’t fault a state for trying to protect its citizens. You cannot put a price tag on lives.
Have to chuckle at the “Hawaii is killing tourism crowd” ….Hawaii is a very safe place right now, they want to keep it that way as best they can. This testing protocol is very doable and travel to Hawaii will be less cumbersome then many International destinations were prior to all this. The people that will be staying away will be primarily the “my rights trump the safety of society!” ….it will be good to have less of the narcissistic crowd and more thoughtful caring people coming to Hawaii.
What Hawaii will be is one of the safest places on the planet you can have a quality vacation and for awhile anyway, beautifully unspoiled by overcrowding issues. Expect some killer bargains and people quite grateful for the return of their jobs.
There is no perfect solution, but this comes close.
This sounds like what China did. They sent anyone with a fever to a station that checked if their fever was from COVID, flu, or something else. If COVID, they went straight to a facility for COVID patients. No exceptions.
I’m not sure you can do that in the USA.
I might add I saw a story of someone at a Starbucks demanding service without a mask, it backfired…..
https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/san-diego-starbucks-barista-support-woman-shames-wear-a-mask-policy-lenin/509-e075465b-9816-45e2-86d8-6d7d539ff6b8
The people that donated are the kind of people that will be coming to Hawaii, the minority of people like the woman in this story are like the people complaining about Hawaii protecting itself.
As I’ve said before, beware travel the next year
I’m DYING to travel. I live for it
And I understand that COVID has been over exaggerated by some, under appreciated By others
But anybody buying a plane ticket to a place that can only be reached by air is playing Russian Roulette
Economies are going to open and close and open again
Restrictions will do the same
It’s like in March where many in this blog and others said “well I’ll just go to XX because Coronavirus isn’t there”
Only to be trapped when all international travel just stopped on a dime
Expect more of this especially this Fall
Have thousands of dollars of cash available to pay for the one way medical evacuation flight
People are not rational
Don’t expect them to be rational if/when ICU beds are full and there are 3 mile long car lines to get a test
Well if we are talking rational….traveling to place with minimal exposure that only gets passengers who have been tested for Covid before they travel is a pretty safe bet.
Being afraid to go anywhere is also a threat to your overall health as that has consequences too.
My growing impression of the US airline industry is that they will all continue to further become the Greyhound bus system of the skies. Compared to economy class of the 1960’s the downward pressure on decreasing levels of service in the sky has no where to go but down. The current crisis will only exacerbate this trend.
I now see a real advantage, if not flying internationally, to not be concerned about award miles programs and focus more on just flat cheap flights. Flying to Hawaii on Southwest now, for me, is beginning to look like the way to go. At least I got to experience some of the golden age of commercial airline service.
I realize this has no bearing on this specific article – just a little stream of consciousness I guess.