The HAT weblog is headed to the Valley Isle for a working vacation with Honorable Spouse Individual and two in-laws. It’s been many months in planning (lodging and transportation secured in late 2020), and in all honesty, it’s a choice that comes with a substantial quantity of trepidation, even on the day earlier than the journey. We’ve got reservations and we’ve got reservations.
After all, we’ve been monitoring the COVID-19 scenario in Hawaii in minute element since its onset a 12 months and a half in the past. It’s a part of the gig now within the Hawaii journey business, and a menacing and pervasive a part of life in Hawaii (and all over the place else on the planet) in September 2021. Here’s what we’ve finished to attenuate our danger of an infection and of unwittingly transmitting the lethal COVID virus at house on Oahu and through our Maui journey:
We bought vaccinated. We did it as quickly because the vaccine, in our case Pfizer, grew to become out there. That was in April. We trusted the science behind the vaccine and the recommendation of our main healthcare supplier. It was a “no-brainer” for us. It definitely wasn’t a political determination. I used to be an ideological determination in that Honorable Spouse Individual and I discover not contracting or transmitting COVID to be ultimate. Easy, actually.
We signed up with Aloha Safe Alert. It helps us monitor our potential publicity, which we’ve got for 18 months restricted by masking in public and avoiding giant gatherings. It’s been tough declining invites to gatherings with household and associates for thus lengthy. However we would like them to be protected, too. And we fairly frankly haven’t been invited to many. Everybody we all know and love can also be making an attempt to restrict danger.
We signed up with the Hawaii SMART Card by way of the Hawaii Safe Travels program. It took 5 minutes to get our vaccination verified and obtain a QR code that grants us entre into no matter affected enterprise we select (in the event that they’ll have us!). With vaccine/testing necessities now in place for companies on Oahu and Maui, you’ll want a vaccine or unfavourable check verification to do, properly, just about something that entails commerce and different folks. It’s in my telephone. Piece of cake.
We talked with specialists. We picked HAT proprietor Aloha Bruce’s mind and tuned into the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast. “You’re vaccinated? Simply be wise and also you’ll be high quality,” he stated, the identical response we obtained from a pal who works at Hawaiian Airways, which we’re flying. We additionally talked with associates on Maui when Hawaii case counts surged by way of the summer time.
“Ought to we cancel the journey?” we requested just a few associates who stay on the Valley Isle. All of them provided the identical recommendation as Bruce. “You’re vaccinated? Don’t be silly, and also you’ll be high quality. Name us if you get right here.” They aren’t Hawaii journey business specialists, however they’re “on the bottom”. They know what Maui is experiencing on this pandemic. None have any compunction about telling strolling well being hazards, family and friends even, to maintain away.
So, we’re kitted-up with KN95 facemasks and ample hand sanitizer. We’ve reviewed and permitted of the protection measures carried out at our lodging and rental automobile firm. We haven’t but deliberate to dine out, however with vaccine/testing necessities in place for eating places and different companies, which will change. The plan is to haven’t any plan after 18 months of cautious consideration about our on a regular basis actions and interactions. We’re protected by the vaccine and put on the armor of frequent sense. Perhaps we’ll head Upcountry to go to with associates.
Full disclosure: this blogger will probably be completely blissful to easily loll about on the seashore and eat sandwiches and drink chilly drinks for every week, avoiding as a lot non-family or non-friend human contact as attainable. However it’s a working trip, and weblog updates from Maui will probably be forthcoming. There are plenty of issues we’d love to do, to eat, to see. Keep protected and keep tuned!
Posted by: Jamie Winpenny
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