Hawaii's Safe Travels program is ending
As of March 26, domestic travelers to Hawaii will no longer have to comply with the state's Safe Travels program, ending testing and vaccination requirements for those arriving in Hawaii from within the U.S.
Come 12:01 a.m. GMT March 26, passengers arriving in Hawaii on domestic flights will no longer need to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or submit negative results of a pre-travel COVID-19 test to the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi portal. Additionally, the mandatory five-day quarantine for travelers who possess neither will be dropped.
International arrivals to Hawaii will remain subject to U.S. law requiring all air travelers age two and older to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within one day of departure to the U.S. Additionally, these travelers age 18 and older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the country by air.
"We started the Safe Travels program to protect the health, lives, and livelihoods of the people of Hawaiʻi. The program put in place safety protocols that included a multi-layered screening and testing approach that kept our communities safe during the COVID-19 surges that endangered the most vulnerable of our citizens," Hawaii Gov. David Ige said in a statement on March 1. "Right now, we are seeing lower case counts, and hospitalizations are coming down."
Despite removing nearly all COVID-19-related protocols, Ige will keep the state's mask mandate in place for now, which he said was in line with individual counties who have continued mask mandates despite the removal of state-wide mandates by governors.
Read more: Update: Proof of vaccination or recent test no longer required to access indoor spaces in Maui
From now through March 25, incoming travelers to Hawaii are subject to Safe Travels requirements, which include uploading proof of vaccination or results of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure or quarantine for five days.
Across the state, most individual counties, including Maui, have also dropped previous COVID-19 requirements prohibiting unvaccinated individuals from accessing indoor spaces such as restaurants and bars.