Hawai‘i County Scales Back on Post-Arrival Testing

Hawaiʻi County is scaling back its post-arrival testing program citing logistics, and the unsustainability of financial and resource commitments necessary to continue this program in its current form.

Under an amendment to Mayor Harry Kim’s COVID-19 Emergency Rule No. 12, a scaled-back number of travelers arriving on Hawai‘i Island from out of state who have chosen to participate in the State’s pre-test program to bypass the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine period will be required to take a County administered COVID-19 test upon arrival.

Under Amendment No. 3 to the Mayor’s COVID-19 Emergency Rule No. 12, up to twenty-five percent (25%) of arriving passengers participating in the State pre-test program will be required to undergo a second COVID-19 test on arrival on Hawai‘i Island.

Mayor Kim explained that the financial and logistical costs of testing, and the lack of adequate space made testing all passengers in the State pre-test program unsustainable.

“We’re testing 25% of passengers instead, and we believe we’ll still get a picture of how much spread of COVID-19 there is among incoming passengers,” the Mayor said. “The importance of this testing is unchanged. The goal is to secure funding and go back to full testing of everyone under the State pre-test program.”

The cost of the rapid COVID-19 arrival test is borne by Hawai‘i County via Federal CARES Act funding.

The 14-day self-quarantine period imposed by the State on inter-island travel from O‘ahu and between the Neighbor Islands remains in place.