HONOLULU (AP) — Tourists are traveling to Hawaii in larger numbers than officials anticipated, and many are wandering around Waikiki without masks, despite a statewide mandate to wear them in public.
Hawaii’s “Safe Travels” program reported that about 28,000 individuals flew into and throughout the islands on Saturday, the highest number of travelers in a single day since the pandemic started, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday.
Before the pandemic, Hawaii had about 30,000 arrivals every day. When quarantine guidelines were put in place early within the pandemic, arrivals plummeted and the state’s tourism-dependent economy tanked.
In October, state officials launched a pre-travel testing program that allowed visitors to sidestep quarantine guidelines. However, travel remained sluggish till the second week in March when spring break tourists began arriving within the islands.
Travel firm Nice Holidays president and CEO Jack Richards advised the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the agency’s bookings increased 30% over the last two weeks.
“We haven’t seen travel demand for Hawaii this strong for over a yr,” Richards stated. “I thought we’d have a U-shaped restoration; it’s V-shaped. January and February were terrible, however, we’ve gone from zero to 150 mph in two weeks.”
Hawaii News Now reported that officials are receiving complaints about visitors not wearing masks. With a few exceptions, individuals in Hawaii are still required to wear masks while in public.
“I’m a believer that if you’re outdoors, you can remove it,” stated Glenn Day, a visitor from Indiana.
Guests said the rules of their home states are different than those in place in Hawaii.
“We carry our masks around and if we walk into an establishment we’ll put on one, and if individuals look like they’re uncomfortable with us around, we’ll put one on. However otherwise, like I stated where we come from, individuals are really not required to wear them,” Wisconsin visitor Larry Dopke stated.
“I’m not wearing one right now, I’m outdoors,” stated Todd Hasley who was visiting from Idaho. “Boise city has an indoor masks mandate. The rest of the state has a mask recommendation.”
Some lawmakers expressed concern about a possible backlash from residents.
“I think we’re all going to have to be prepared for a potential surge in tourism,” stated Hawaii state Rep. Scott Saiki, a Democrat. “I feel we have to be prepared because the public may have a response to a sudden surge.”
Such a reaction could hinder economic recovery.
“Pushing again against tourism is the same thing as telling your neighbor they shouldn’t have a job,” stated Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaii’s Economic Research Organization.
Hawaii requires all visitors and returning residents to get negative pre-travel COVID-19 tests before flying to the state to be exempt from the 10-day quarantine rule.
The island of Kauai has additional measures that will be in place till April 5. All visitors to Kauai must either spend three days on another island or quarantine at a county-approved resort for 3 days and then get second, post-arrival tests.
Violating the state’s coronavirus mandates, which are outlined in Hawaii Gov. David Ige’s latest emergency proclamation, is a misdemeanor that’s punishable by up to a $5,000 fine, a yr in jail, or each.
Every island county’s police are responsible for enforcing the rules. Messages from The Associated Press seeking comment from the Honolulu Police Department regarding enforcement of mask rules in Waikiki were not immediately returned.
Tim Sakahara, a spokesman for Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, stated in an email that the city recently put up banners throughout Waikiki reminding individuals to wear masks and remain socially distanced.
“These banners provide a tool to assist Honolulu Police officers to do their jobs in gaining compliance with COVID-19 guidelines,” Sakahara stated. “The majority of residents and visitors are compliant with the rule or are cooperative when informed of it.”
However, some residents have also opposed wearing masks. Two individuals were arrested and two others were cited throughout a weekend anti-mask rally in Waikiki.
Hawaii has had among the lowest rates of confirmed coronavirus infections within the U.S.
