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Tourists travel to Hawaii in greater numbers than officials expect, and many wander without masks in Waikiki, despite a nationwide mandate to wear them in public.
According to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, Hawaii’s ‘Safe Travels’ program flew about 28,000 people to and through the islands on Saturday. This is the highest number of travelers in a single day since the coronavirus pandemic began.
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Prior to the pandemic, Hawaii reached approximately 30,000 people daily. When the quarantine rules were introduced early in the pandemic, arrivals dropped sharply and the state’s tourism – dependent economy was tank.
In October, government officials launched a pre-trip test program that allowed visitors to circumvent quarantine rules. But travel remained sluggish until the second week in March, when tourists began arriving on the islands during the spring break.
Travel Manager Pleasant Holidays President and CEO Jack Richards told the Honolulu Star Advertiser that the agency’s bookings have increased by 30% over the past two weeks.
“We haven’t seen the demand for travel to Hawaii so strongly in over a year,” Richards said. ‘I thought we would get a U-shaped repair; it is V-shaped. January and February were terrible, but we went from zero to 150 km / h within two weeks. ”
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Hawaii News Now reported that officials are receiving complaints about visitors not wearing masks. With a few exceptions, people in Hawaii still have to wear masks while in public.
“I believe if you’re outside, you can remove it,” said Glenn Day, an Indiana visitor.
Visitors said rules in their home countries are different from those in Hawaii.
‘We wear our masks and if we walk into an institution, we will wear one, and if people seem uncomfortable with us, we put on one. But otherwise, as I said where we come from, people are not really expected to wear it, “said Wisconsin visitor Larry Dopke.
“I’m not wearing one, I’m outdoors,” said Todd Hasley, who was visiting from Idaho. ‘Boise city has a mandate for a mask inside. The rest of the state has a mask recommendation. ”
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Some lawmakers have expressed concern about the possible backlash from residents.
“I think we should all be prepared for a potential increase in tourism,” said State Representative Scott Saiki, a Democrat. “I think we need to be prepared, because the public can react to a sudden upsurge.”
Such a response could hamper economic recovery.
“Going back against tourism is the same as telling your neighbor that they may not have a job,” said Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaii’s economic research organization.
Hawaii requires all visitors and returning residents to do negative COVID-19 tests before flying to the state to be exempt from the 10-day quarantine rule.
The island of Kauai has additional measures that will apply until April 5th. All visitors to Kauai must spend three days on another island or in a quarantine in a province-approved resort for three days and then do the second tests upon arrival.
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Violation of the state’s coronavirus orders, as outlined in David Ige, the latest Hawaii emergency proclamation, is a felony punishable by a $ 5,000 fine, one year in prison, or both.
The police of each island are responsible for enforcing the rules. Messages from The Associated Press commenting on the Honolulu Police Department’s application of mask rules in Waikiki were not immediately returned.
Tim Sakahara, a spokesman for Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, said in an email that the city recently put up banners all over Waikiki to remind people to wear masks and stay socially distanced.
“These banners are a tool to help Honolulu police officers do their job of complying with the COVID-19 rules,” Sakahara said. “The majority of residents and visitors comply with the rule or are cooperative when notified.”
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However, some residents are also opposed to wearing masks. Two people were arrested and two others were quoted during a weekend-against-mask protest in Waikiki.
Hawaii had the lowest number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the US