Starting Thursday, all visitors and returning residents to Hawaii will be required to complete a mandatory, 14-day quarantine in what the governor on Saturday called an “extreme action” aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus in Hawaii.
The mandate stops short of the shutdown that a number of Hawaii leaders had been calling for, but authorities believe it will effectively bring tourism in the islands to a standstill.
“We need to come together as a community to fight this virus,” Ige said, adding that the quarantine rule would be in effect indefinitely.
“This mandate is the first of its kind in the nation. We want this action to send the message to visitors and residents alike that we appreciate their love for Hawaii but we are asking them to postpone their visit.”
State officials said the delay in the quarantine going into effect was aimed at giving people time to postpone upcoming travel and to prevent chaos and large crowds at airports.
Here’s how the governor said the mandate would work:
* Visitors would be responsible for any costs associated with quarantine.
* Those who break quarantine would face a $5,000 fine and a year in jail. However, Brig. Gen. Kenneth Hara, the state’s adjutant general, acknowledged “we think it’s going to be very difficult to enforce this.”
* The quarantine would apply to international and mainland flights. Inter-island travel is not affected.
* The mandate would not apply to emergency responders and other essential workers, including those who are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. It would also not apply to flight crews.
* Residents would quarantine in their homes.
* The rule would not apply to any of the visitors already in Hawaii.
When asked why he wasn’t instituting a broader shutdown or shelter-in-place order, Ige said he could take that action if the virus continues to spread.
“Mandatory staying in your homes is an extreme measure that we may implement here,” he said. “But it really is appropriate when there is widespread community spread of the virus.”
He added, “I would like to remind everyone that it’s in our best interest that we voluntarily self-isolate right now. We can do that. We all need to take action that we have within our powers to self-isolate.”
Mayor Kirk Caldwell, representatives from the hotel industry and Hawaiian Airlines and others attended the news conference Saturday to offer their support for the quarantine measures.
Caldwell said the mandate was “appropriate” and would keep people safe. “These are the most difficult times the state of Hawaii, the Territory of Hawaii, the Kingdom of Hawaii has ever faced,” he said.
The news comes as the number of coronavirus cases in Hawaii continues to grow by double digits.
Source: Hawaiinewsnow
