Starting on Sunday, the Biden administration dropped the COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound air travelers from abroad, ending one of the last government mandates on travel since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago. That means negative COVID-19 tests are no longer required from travelers coming into the U.S.—including Hawaiʻi—from international cities. The Centers […]
After a federal judge in Florida struck down a nationwide mask mandate on airplanes, buses and other public transportation on Monday, many U.S. airlines—including Hawaiian Airlines—announced they would stop requiring masks aboard their flights. Masks are also no longer required at Hawaiʻi airports. This ends a two-year-long mask requirement from the Centers for Disease Control
Among easing COVID-19 restrictions across the country and Hawaiʻi counties, Governor David Ige announced the Safe Travels Program will no longer be in effect beginning March 26—exactly two years after the state’s first travel mandate. “Today, I am announcing that the Safe Travels Program will end when the current emergency proclamation ends on March 25,”
On March 4, 2020, the City and County of Honolulu enacted an emergency order to fight against COVID-19. Businesses were closed—and later reopened under strict guidelines—and the Safe Access Oʻahu program was put into effect, which required restaurants, fitness centers and event organizers to verify that employees and customers were fully vaccinated or had a
While we are far from being out of the woods with the COVID-19 pandemic, cases have begun to see a gradual drop since the state saw record-high numbers in December and January. Because of this, Maui Mayor Mike Victorino has repealed the county’s booster shot requirement to be considered “fully vaccinated”—which you need to be
In response to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, which has dominated COVID-19 news headlines for weeks, Hawaiʻi state officials have officially changed the Islands’ rules and regulations regarding quarantine mandates to align with CDC guidelines. One of the biggest changes, especially for travelers, is that the 10-day mandatory quarantine for arriving visitors without vaccination documentation
Amid record-high numbers of COVID-19 infections in Hawaiʻi, Maui County is revising its definition of being “fully vaccinated.” It’s the first county in the state to require a COVID-19 booster to be considered completely vaccinated. Starting Jan. 24, to enter “high risk” establishments including restaurants, bars and gyms, patrons will need to show proof of
It’s the first episode of the “Have Aloha Will Travel” podcast in 2022, so you know what that means. Kevin, Grace and Taylon talk about some of their New Years’ resolutions, from reading more books to getting out of their comfort zones and seeing everything the Islands have to offer. If you have any New
For a while, things got better with COVID-19. Case numbers were low, folks were getting vaccinated and it looked like things were returning back to normal. However, due to the omicron variant, as well as increased social gatherings due to the holiday season, Hawaiʻi is seeing its highest COVID-19 counts to date. On Sunday, December
One of Oʻahu’s most beloved festivals will be called off once again this year due to the ever-present threat of COVID-19, and its various mutations. The Honolulu Festival Foundation announced today—via press release—that it would not be holdings its annual festivities in person from March 11 to March 13, 2022, citing COVID-19 as the festival’s
It’s “da comeback” many have been clamoring for. Da Kitchen, Maui’s popular restaurant serving local comfort food, has reappeared in Kīhei, along with its signature, heaping plates of chicken katsu and kalbi ribs. After closing its three locations in 2020 amidst the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, a reimagined Da Kitchen Café began operating
