2020-10-20 Hawaii County's Interisland Travel Policy Provides Two Negative Test Exception Options -- press release (2)

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Roy Takemoto Managing Director Harry Kim Mayor Barbara J. Kossow Deputy Managing Director County of Hawai‘i Office of the Mayor 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603  Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720  (808) 961-8211  Fax (808) 961-6553 KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Hwy., Bldg C  Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 (808) 323-4444  Fax (808) 323-4440 October 20, 2020 NEWS RELEASE Interisland Travelers to Hawai‘i Island Now Have Choices to Avoid Quarantine Interisland travelers to Hawai‘i County will have choices on how to avoid quarantine after they arrive. The new system, effective October 21, will enable interisland travelers to either test for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours before traveling to Hawai‘i Island, or be tested after arrival. A negative post-arrival test would allow the traveler to be released from quarantine. This means that Hawai‘i County will now be in line with the statewide interisland 72-hour pre-travel test policy. “The new system allows people to determine how long or if they’ll be quarantined,” said Mayor Harry Kim. “We wanted to come up with a policy that would address the current system’s problems, such as the large number of people that had to be quarantined for 14 days and the inability of the County to monitor and enforce the quarantine policies.” “This new policy is simpler, more sustainable and gives people a choice,” the Mayor said. “It will also lessen the number of people under quarantine.” Amendment No. 2 extends the Mayor’s COVID-19 Emergency Rule No. 12 and Amendment to Mayor’s COVID-19 Emergency Rule No. 12, and is effective from 12:01 a.m. October 21, 2020, through 7:00 a.m. November 30, 2020. For more information, please call Civil Defense at 935-0031. The online format for seeking modified self-quarantine or an exemption from the self-quarantine is: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e2f4ce19aa854964a8fd60bec7fbe78c . County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.