Angela Margos was among the first passengers in San Francisco to get on a plane headed for Hawaii, where travelers who test negative for the coronavirus will no longer be required to self-quarantine for two weeks. “Vacation, peace of mind,” said Margos, a nurse from San Carlos, California, of why she
1 / 35Virus Outbreak HawaiI Travel TestingHawaii Lt. Gov Josh Green speaks at a press conference at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Honolulu. A new pre-travel testing program will allow visitors who test negative for COVID-19 to come to Hawaii and avoid two weeks of mandatory quarantine goes into effect Thursday. The pandemic has caused a devastating downturn on Hawaii's tourism-based economy.
Margos ran into hiccups with getting her test. She first did it at the hospital where she works, only to find out it wasn’t an approved site for United Airlines and the state of Hawaii. She then paid $105 for a drive-thru test, but was later informed there was an error with that test. Opponents of the testing program have said a single test 72 hours before arrival — especially when coupled with the option to fly without a test and still quarantine — is not enough to keep island residents safe.
"We've been traveling and we just take precautions,” she said, adding that they had already done one quarantine in Hawaii about two months ago. “The restaurant and service industry has suffered so much during this pandemic," Toguchi Ryan said. “Restaurants have not received any federal relief since the spring and are struggling to pay their expenses. Some restaurants have closed entirely, unable to pay for their rent, food supplies and staff wages.”
County mayors have criticized the state's plan for a single test prior to flying and want a mandatory second test for all arriving passengers.
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