We know everyone is interested to know when Hawaii is going to open back up for visitors. It’s unclear when that will happen. More time is needed before the Hawaiian Islands can open back up for tourism.
In the meantime, we wanted to provide relevant information and data to show you where Hawaii stands to date.
How has COVID-19 affected Hawaii?
Through April 20, 2020, here is the data reported by the Hawaii Department of Health.
- 584 people have tested positive for the coronavirus. Here’s how those cases are distributed across the islands.
- Oahu: 385 (Hospitalizations 47)
- Maui: 106 (Hospitalizations 7)
- Hawaii (Big) Island: 64 (Hospitalizations 0)
- Kauai: 21 (Hospitalizations 1)
- Molokai: 2
- Lanai: 0
- Of the positive cases, 423 have been released from isolation. That’s a 72.4% recovery rate.
- Sadly, there have been 10 deaths in the state due to COVID-19.
- 24,543 people have been tested in total.
Is the curve flattening in Hawaii?
Thankfully, yes, it appears that the curve is flattening. We have been tracking the daily coronavirus case reports and have created the following chart based on those reports.
In a press conference on April 20, 2020, Lt. Gov. Josh Green said, “I know people are getting anxious to get back to ‘normal.’ I want to acknowledge that I am so impressed and pleased with the way our residents have stepped up for each other to help prevent a catastrophic surge of cases in our state… We did a great job of flattening this curve, but there is a risk of additional spikes in cases if we’re not careful. We are diligently working to ensure we reopen Hawaii in a careful, thoughtful way that keeps people healthy and safe while jumpstarting our economy as much as possible.”
How is Hawaii’s rate of COVID-19 infection in comparison to the rest of the US?
Another bit of good news is that Hawaii’s rate of cases per capita is far below the national average and one of the best in the country. The following chart is sourced from Time. The green line represents the U.S. total while the pink line indicates Hawaii. (You can check how your state compares with the national average at this link.)
Is the mandatory quarantine still in effect in Hawaii?
Yes, the 14-day quarantine is still required for both visitors and returning residents. We list the details of the quarantine here. At this point in time, government officials are not indicating any timeline to lift the quarantine.
Are stay-at-home orders still in effect in Hawaii?
All persons not deemed essential, are to stay at home in Hawaii. That emergency proclamation is in effect through April 30, 2020, for now. In the April 20, 2020 press conference, Gov. Ige said that he will extend the stay-at-home order beyond April 30 per HawaiiNewsNow.
Post publishing update: On April 21, 2020, Oahu announced an extension of the stay-at-home orders to continue until May 31, 2020.
What are government officials saying about when Hawaii will reopen to visitors?
In Governor Ige’s March 17, 2020 press conference, he asked visitors to postpone trips to Hawaii for “at least 30 days.” Obviously that 30-day period has come and gone and the islands are still not ready to host visitors yet. In a video Q&A with Governor Ige hosted by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, I asked if the governor if he could provide any new timelines. His response is that Hawaii is closed for tourism “at least through April 30th at the earliest…Travel will be restricted for at least a period of time longer.” What is that “period of time longer”? No one can say right now.
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We’ll continue to monitor this situation. We will post an update if there are any indicators when Hawaii tourism is opening.
