That dream Hawaii vacation is going to have to wait a bit longer, state governor says

If you’re weary of coronavirus stay-at-home orders and planning a vacation to Hawaii, you might want to hit the pause button.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige said that he plans to extend Hawaii’s mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement for all travelers, news outlets report.

“Certainly we will be extending the 14-day mandatory quarantine for all travel into the state until the end of June, but there are other businesses and activities … that are medium risk activities that we’ll look at reopening,” Ige said during a news conference, according to the Star Advertiser.

The 14-day self-quarantine orders have been in effect for all tourists since March 26. All travelers have to stay in one place for 14 days, not visiting any public spaces or allow visitors in or out of the quarantine space, according to the orders.

If the rules aren’t followed, travelers could be fined up to $5,000 or spend up to a year in jail, according to the order.

“These actions are extreme, but they will help flatten the curve and lay the groundwork for a quicker recovery,” Ige said in a statement. “We need everyone to comply with these quarantine orders to help protect Hawaii’s residents.”

Hawaii has 627 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 17 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Several people have tested the limits of Hawaii’s self-quarantine order. A California couple traveled to the state for their honeymoon and were arrested May 1, according to McClatchy News.

The couple left the hotel multiple times and refused to sign the quarantine acknowledgment, according to McClatchy News. They were charged with “unsworn falsification to authority and violation of the 14-day quarantine.”

“With the majority of Hawaiʻi’s COVID-19 cases linked to travel, it is critical that we further mitigate the spread of the virus by both residents and visitors who are coming from out-of-state,” Ige said in the news release. “This plan was developed in collaboration with our county mayors and Hawaiʻi’s business, community and visitor industry leaders.”

This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 4:15 PM with the headline "That dream Hawaii vacation is going to have to wait a bit longer, state governor says."