Great news, friends! As of October 15th, travelers to Hawaii can forgo the 14 quarantine with the State’s new pre-travel testing program for COVID-19 or by being fully vaccinated for COVID. Read on to learn more about how the testing program works, what to expect while on island, plus safety measures we are taking at My Hawaii Hostel to protect our guests.
How it Works: Travel to Big Island
1) Vaccination: Travelers entering the state from the U.S. and its Territories who have been fully vaccinated in the United States (including its Territories) may bypass quarantine without a pre-travel test. The vaccination record document must be uploaded to Safe Travels and printed out prior to departure and the traveler must have a hard copy in hand when arriving in Hawaiʻi. The State of Hawai‘i will also accept vaccine records that are digitally validated by Digital Health Pass Partners (AZOVA, CLEAR and CommonPass). Travelers who use one of the State’s partners to link their digitally validated vaccine records with Safe Travels may enjoy expedited processing at the airport (no secondary visual inspection of paper vaccine records). Travelers who were fully vaccinated in Hawai‘i are already eligible for this exception.
2) Travel with Testing: Travelers wishing to use the pre-travel test to bypass quarantine must have a negative result from a test taken from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner no more than 72 hours BEFORE beginning the final leg of their trip. Anyone without a negative test result or U.S. vaccination PRIOR to departure must quarantine upon arrival for 10 days. The State of Hawai‘i will also accept test results that are digitally validated by Digital Health Pass Partners.
The negative test result must be uploaded onto Safe Travels or printed out prior to departure and hard copy in hand when arriving in Hawai‘i.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The State of Hawaiʻi will accept test results ONLY from TRUSTED TESTING AND TRAVEL PARTNERS. You must use an approved testing partner or you will need to quarantine!
If you did not get a pre-arrival PCR test or you tested positive and still chose to travel, you will have to quarantine for 10 days. If you pre-tested but did not receive your results before travel you will need to quarantine for 10 days.
For international travelers arriving in the State of Hawai‘i from Japan, Canada, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines and Tahiti, only tests from Trusted Testing Partners will be accepted for purposes of bypassing the State’s 10-day traveler quarantine including any tests verified through the State’s Digital Health Pass Partners – AZOVA, CLEAR and CommonPass. Travelers originating from any other international destination and coming directly to Hawai‘i do not have the ability to test for purposes of bypassing the State’s 10-day traveler quarantine.
BEFORE arrival be sure to log on to Safe Travels and create an account. This will save you time at the airport. The Hawaii Department of Health has an informative FAQ page with more information.
Safety Measures at My Hawaii Hostel
Here are a few steps we are taking to keep our guests, staff, and Kona community safe.
No quarantining at the hostel. We DO NOT host anyone who needs to quarantine. To stay with us you either need to have entered the state with a negative test or have been vaccinated.
We keep things squeaky clean. We always clean, COVID or not! Duh. We also have cleaning supplies available for guests to wipe down their own spaces.
We have hand sanitizer available.
We spread guests out between rooms to keep room occupancy as low as possible.
We have plenty of outdoor hang out space so you aren’t crammed inside breathing everyone’s germs.
Masks and Distancing
Please note: we DO NOT require mask wearing on our property. We want people to feel at home and most people to do wear masks in their own homes. If you are NOT OK being around fellow guests who are not wearing masks on the hostel grounds, then we kindly ask you to stay elsewhere. However, if you want to wear a mask you are welcome to do so.
We do ask that our guests be considerate and follow local regulations regarding mask wearing when out and about as well as rules on gathering size, etc. Taking these precautions can help protect yourself, other guests, and our staff!
What to Expect While You’re on Island
Here on the Big Island, our community is still taking the threat of COVID-19 seriously. Please help us keep our community safe and Hawaii open to visitors! Here’s a snapshot of what to expect around town from businesses to beaches.
Restaurants and Businesses
Businesses are adapting to the pandemic and operating differently to protect everyone’s health. All businesses require a mask to enter. Most restaurants are open for dine-in service with socially distanced seating both indoors and outdoors however they are operating at lower capacity so be patient as you may have to wait! Dine-in restaurants allow patrons to remove their masks while sitting and eating, but masks must be worn at all other times. In general businesses such as shops are open. If its somewhere out of the way you may want to call ahead and confirm first. Not everyone keeps their Google hours updated.
Restrictions mean uncrowded beaches for wandering! Pictured: Makalawena Beach in North Kona.
Parks and Beaches
Hawaii Island’s state and county parks (including beach parks) have been subject to sporadic closures and re-opening since the beginning of COVID. As of October 1, beaches and parks are open for all activities: exercise and lounging about. Even if the beaches do get closed again- the ocean is always open! You are always permitted to walk across the beach to get into the water. All ocean activities - surfing, swimming, snorkeling, paddle-boarding are still permitted and considered to be exercise.
For updates on park accessibility, check the state park website. Once re-opened, parks will likely remain day-use only until further notice, meaning no camping at parks with designated campgrounds. Hawaii County Civil Defense has updates on emergency proclamations and rules regarding COVID-19.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is currently open to visitors with some restrictions. Hiking trails are open! You can read more about the restrictions on their website.
Inter-island travel
A lot of folks like to come to Hawaii and Island hop. Once you enter Hawaii with vaccination or testing you are able to travel inter-island without further testing.
Ways you can help
Wear a mask.
Wash hand frequently.
Social Distance
Avoid large gathering or places where people are not wearing masks.
Follow county specific mandates regarding beach/park openings, gathering size, etc.
If you experience COVID symptoms while traveling such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of smell consult a physical and get tested. In Kona, free testing occurs at the Kona Aquatic Center Tuesday and Friday from 11 am to 4 pm and at these locations.
Download the Alohasafe Alert App. AlohaSafe Alert will alert you if you have come in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID.
Travel with Aloha
Travel with Aloha is the name Lt. Governor Josh Green coined for the travel with testing initiative. However, we think it applies to more than that. Hawaii has been through a lot these past months. The economy has been crippled, businesses have been devastated (many have closed never to reopen again), many people have lost their jobs. Even though things have started to rebound Hawaii is still operating with uncertainly and limited capacity. So just be sure to be mindful of travelling with aloha. Be kind, be generous, be patient, and be forgiving if things aren’t exactly the way you want or expect. Even with restrictions on businesses and beaches you will still have an amazing time here and will feel the aloha that Hawaii is famous for!
Other resources
For more information or updated information check out County of Hawaii COVID-19 Resources.
The state of Hawaii has created a very helpful website: https://hawaiicovid19.com which can also answer many questions concerning travel to Hawaii.
Flying United Airlines? Here is the latest on what they are offering in terms of testing at the airport and best ways to get ready for your flight.
Flying Hawaiian Airlines? They are offering an at-home COVID-19 test through VAULT. (Not free)
Flying Delta Airlines? Here are their helpful FAQ’s (including wearing masks on the plane)
Have more questions about traveling to Hawaii or staying with us? Contact us! Ready to book your stay? Book with us here.