Hawaii Announces New Guidelines for International Travelers

1. Hawaii is now following federal requirements for international passengers traveling directly to the Aloha State.
2. These new requirements will go into effect beginning November 8, 2021.
3. For domestic travel, the Hawaii Safe Travels program will remain in place, and international travelers who enter the country elsewhere, will be treated as domestic passengers.

Last week, the federal government announced new requirements for international travelers entering the United States.

As of November 8, vaccination and testing requirements will be in place for all travelers entering the United States. As a result, the State of Hawaii will align with the federal requirements for entry into the United States for international passengers traveling directly to Hawaii as of November 8.

The Hawaii Safe Travels Program will remain in place for domestic travel. International travelers who enter the country elsewhere and will be transiting to Hawaii will be treated as domestic passengers for the purposes of the Safe Travels Hawaii program, which means that they must comply with our program’s requirements. So they must be either vaccinated or have a negative PCR test.

The Governor also announced the easing of some COVID-19 mitigation measures. Ige signed an Executive Order today to address statewide limits for social gatherings, restaurants, bars, social establishments, and gyms. As a reminder, indoor activities at restaurants, bars, and social establishments must continue to require patrons remain seated with their party, maintain 6 feet of distancing between groups, do not mingle, and wear masks at all times except when actively eating or drinking.

Effective November 12, two changes will take effect with regard to outdoor and indoor activity.

Outdoor activity at restaurants, bars, and social establishments will no longer be subject to these restrictions.

Regarding capacity for indoor high-risk activities, such as restaurants, bars, and social establishments, indoor capacity is set at 50% unless the County implements a policy requiring vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours, in which case there will be no capacity limits. This does include gyms, bars, restaurants, and social establishments.

For more information on the Hawaii Safe Travels program, visit the website.