Thursday, July 16, 2020
Hawaii recently announced that it has decided to delay the reopening of the tourism sector by another one month and will now commence tourism on September 1. It was previously announced that Hawaii would welcome back tourists from August 1. The announcement arrives following a rising number of positive COVID-19 cases in the Aloha State.
Hawaii Governor David Ige made the official announcement, and stated that all travelers who enter the state, including the ones who have tested negative for Coronavirus, will be undergoing mandatory 14-day quarantine through September 1. According to the previous statement, tourists with negative COVID-19 results taken within 72 hours of entering Hawaii was exempted from the mandatory 14-day quarantine starting from August.
However, the rule has now been changed due to the rising number of cases and officials have concluded that it is nearly impossible to reopen tourism at the moment. Governor Ige mentioned in his statement that the latest decision extremely difficult to make. He said that he is aware that the delay will further hurt the state’s economy, but said that authorities are compelled to take such decisions keeping in mind the best available science and by prioritizing the health and safety of Hawaii residents.
He also mentioned that the virus outbreaks on the mainland are out of control and said that the situation is not likely to change dramatically by August 1. Various reports have also claimed that
that actual numbers of positive cases in the region are much higher because of unreported cases and testing shortages. This can also be deemed as another reason for postponing the reopening date for tourism.
Tags: Coronavirus, Covid-19, hawaii, Hawaii Tourism
