Great news for Canadians who love Hawaii.
The state of Hawaii will welcome international travelers under the new federal requirements starting next Monday, Nov. 8.
Direct International Travel to Hawaii
NON-U.S. citizens traveling directly to Hawaii from an international destination must present BOTH a vaccination records AND a negative COVID-19 test result (NAAT or antigen) within three days of boarding a flight to the United States.
U.S. citizens flying directly to Hawaii from an international destination have two options:
Provide proof of vaccination OR
Provide proof of negative COVID-19 test result within one day of boarding flight to U.S.
There will be no additional State of Hawaii requirements for passengers flying directly into Hawaii from an international destination. The airlines will screen passengers prior to their departure to the U.S. If foreign passengers fail to meet BOTH requirements and if U.S. citizens fail to meet ONE of the two requirements, they will not be allowed to board the flight. Oncein Hawaii, the CDC will conduct compliance checks.
Canadians and other international travellers have had to show results from expensive PCR tests to enter Hawaii in the past. But they can now use much cheaper, rapid antigen tests, officials said.
As well, starting Nov. 8, state officials will accept vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and vaccines listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization, in line with previously announced rulings for the States. That includes AstraZeneca and mixed vaccinations, such as AstraZeneca followed by Pfizer or Moderna.
John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), issued the following statement in response to the State of Hawaii’s announcement ending the international portion of its Safe Travels program, starting November 8.
“The new federal requirements for international arrivals build upon the success of the Safe Travels program, reflecting the solid foundation upon which Hawaii has been welcoming visitors back. These uniform national requirements will allow us to welcome back visitors directly from international locations, complementing the Safe Travels program that will remain in effect for transpacific travelers arriving from the United States.
“We are only able to reopen the visitor industry because of the measures taken by the people of Hawaii throughout this pandemic to keep each other safe and keep our community healthy. Thanks to your efforts, we can now continue the work of bringing Hawaii’s economy back to support our local small businesses and kamaaina working families.
“The recovery of Hawaii’s international travel market will be a gradual process extending well into next year and beyond, so we advise our tourism industry partners to continue being patient as visitors become accustomed to these new travel guidelines.”
For the latest updates visit https://hawaiicovid19.com. Information on travel requirements to enter the United States is available on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel/index.htmlb
