Restaurants, bars, and other "social establishments"in addition to abiding by those gathering limitsmust also require patrons to be seated and masked when not actively drinking or eating. Hawaii dropped its statewide mask mandate for indoor settings in late March. The carrentalshortage is not limited to the Hawaiian Islands; it is also happening at major vacation destinations. Be sure to also check our Hawaii Adventures section below for a list of sustainable tour companies opening for business in Hawaii. "It would be different if we had another major export. This could mean everything from respecting local mandates (and those who theyre designed to protect) to patronizing local businesses. TRAVEL + LEISURE is a registered trademark of Travel + Leisure Co., registered in the United States and other countries. TATTOO SHOPS & ARTISTS - HAR Chapter 11-17, HRS Chapter 321 Sections 371-383. Capacity. The city will not require businesses and events to submit mitigation plans. The county added indoor commercial events planned for more than 75 guests will still require an exemption and are encouraged to submit plans early. All inter-island travel restrictions including testing and quarantine requirements will end on June 15, 2021. Prior restrictions included a social gathering limit of 10 indoors, the closure of large event venues, and physical distancing. All Hawaii county parks and beaches are open on all islands with some restrictions. All Rights Reserved. Indoor gyms, fitness facilities, exercise activities or high-risk activities are still subject to Safe Access Oahu guidelines, and facial coverings/masks are required. More information can be found at coronavirus-response-county-of-hawaii-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com. Our popular Summary Guidesheets are now included. Hawaii has the most precious and unique culture, people, and history," adds Keen. Food Safety Branch | Rules - Hawaii Department of Health While you certainly can travel to Hawaii right now, does it mean that you should? Any information published by Cond Nast Traveler is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Rightfully, they worry that relaunching tourismas cases surge on the mainland, no lesswill result in a spike of coronavirus cases on the islands. 5.1.2023 4:00 AM, Peter Bagge and Charles Oliver Mahalo! The following information is some of the information they shared with us last year We will continue to monitor the situation with rentals cars in Hawaii closely and update this section accordingly. Were very excited, he said. Restaurants were already required to operate at 75 percent capacity, Matsuoka said. Follow her adventures on Instagram. Like the . But other locals argue it's not as simple as shutting visitors out. Terms Of Use, Regulators Seize First Republic Bank and Sell It to JPMorgan Chase, Pro-Lifers Pushed Too Far and Doomed 2 Abortion Bans, Biden Has Added 220 Million Hours of Regulatory Paperwork Since His Inauguration. The new variant is extremely transmissible and is spreading quickly.. Participants should wear masks whenever they are indoors and if its difficult to maintain physical distancing. According to Governor Ige, the state of Hawaii will drop the current 'Safe Travels' program for domestic travelers at midnight on March 25, 2022. Find more information on vaccine and testing sites at hawaiicovid19.com. While distancing requirements will no longer be in place, Oahu restaurants, bars and gyms will still be under the Safe Access program, meaning proof of vaccination or a negative test will be required. For all high-risk activities, indoor capacity is set at 50%. Event requests will still be required for gatherings greater than the county restrictions. According to many Hawaiian localsdespite how devastating the pandemic has been on the economythe answer is not yet., This is not a time to travel, says Angela Keen, a veteran TV journalist and the co-founder of the community action group Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers. Rules ranged from social gathering limits to requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test result to enter restaurants and bars. Prior restrictions included a social gathering limit of 40 people indoors, and proof of vaccination or a negative test at professional events. (It's not entirely clear to me whether this half-capacity cap supersedes the indoor gathering limits bars and restaurants are also supposed to comply with. There are also many reputable tour operators that offer designated hotel pick-up and drop-off options. On Tuesday, Hawaii Gov. But I'd rather you come when it's safer for everyone.". Victor Lim, the Hawaii Restaurant Association Government Affairs Chair, said its not enough. The mandate came to an end the same day as Hawaii's Safe Travels program expired. Social gatherings indoors will be capped at 10 people, but there will no longer be a limit for outdoor gatherings. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the restaurants, were going with the same rules. Hawaii County Social gathering limits are still in place, but at 25 indoors and 100 outdoors. Ige's executive order allows for "professional events"which the Honolulu Star-Advertiser says includes weddings, meetings, banquets, and conventionshave to follow state and county rules regarding their operation, but not the new state gathering limits. This includes bars, restaurants, gyms . Hawaii reinstates 50% capacity rule for restaurants, bars and gyms Though replacing the 50% capacity limit with the 6-foot distancing rule will help Dave & Busters, Shimabukuro said, it doesnt benefit small restaurants at all. This new limit is in effect until January 28, 2022. Rules and Regulations: Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) FOOD - HAR Chapter 11-50. Travel to Hawaii: What COVID restrictions remain in place These Small Towns in France Are Straight Out of a Storybook. Whatever the case, the fact remains that the situation in Hawaii is still volatile, and the islands healthcare system is limited and ill-equipped to handle another surge. All of Hawaii's parks, beaches, and trails are also open, though visitors must practice physical distancing and wear a mask at all times. Keep it Clean: Always disinfect shared items and surfaces such as lunch tables after each use. Hawaii to Lift COVID-19 Testing, Vaccination, Quarantine Requirements, Hawaii Extends COVID-19 Protocols What to Know If You're Heading to the Aloha State, Hawaii's Safe Travels Form No Longer Required for Domestic Travelers, Maui Has Become a Go-to Destination for Pandemic-era Travelers Here's How to Experience It Beyond the Beaches, Canada to Drop All COVID-19 Travel Restrictions on Oct. 1 What to Know, Hawaii Sets Plan to Lift All Travel Restrictions Based on Vaccine Rates, Thailand to Eliminate All Pandemic-related Travel Restrictions This Week What to Know, Maui Will No Longer Require Proof of Vaccination or a Negative Test for Indoor Venues, Belize Just Dropped All COVID-19-related Entry Restrictions What to Know, The British Virgin Islands No Longer Requires a Pre-Departure COVID-19 Test, NYC's Broadway to Lift Mask Mandate July 1 What to Know, Hawaii Drops Plan to Require Booster Shots for Tourists, Puerto Rico Lifts All COVID-19 Travel Restrictions for Travelers What to Know, Hawaii May Require COVID-19 Booster to Skip Quarantine What to Know, NYC Lifts Vaccine Mandate for Restaurants, Bars What to Know, Cayman Islands to Eliminate All COVID-19 Travel Restrictions What to Know, according to Hawaii's state health department. Kauai is also increasing its gathering limits to 40 people indoors and 100 outdoors. If you have an issue with any of your unemployment or any divisions at the Department of Labor addresses, they can come in and we will service them Wednesday through Friday of every week, said Anne Perreira-Eustaquio, the director for the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Before, gatherings were limited to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors. We have put our personal luxuries aside in order to protect the health and safety of our community.. Rules axed in prior months included event capacity limits, social gathering limits and more. A dashboard run by the state's Emergency Management Agency shows that 65 percent of ICU beds in the state are occupied. Indoor spaces such as restaurants, bars, gyms and indoor sporting events may operate at 100% capacity, but patrons 12 and older must provide proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 . Copyright 2021 Hawaii News Now. In any case, the test must be taken at least 72 hours before the flight's departure, and the negative test result must be uploaded to the portal before boarding. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched items such as keyboards, cash registers, equipment, and anything else touched by other employees or customers. County mayors will now be responsible for their own regulations respective to their counties. Social gathering cap has been raised to 40 people indoors and 100 outdoors. We've updated the packets with a lot of new great information for potential visitors (and for those who've been a time or two as well). We will continue to update these lists as we learn more about each property's plans for re-opening. Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. Elizabeth Nolan Brown Aspects of the state's Safe Travels program will remain in place. Iges emergency order remains in effect until Nov. 30. Download it here. On Hawaii Island, there has been a seven-day average of 66 cases, and 66% of residents have had their initial series of COVID-19 vaccinations. On Oahu, both indoor and outdoor large events will be allowed to operate at full capacity, also starting Dec. 1, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said. As long as tourism remains regulated, government mandates are clear and visitors respect them, I think we can achieve something of a balance.. A husband's dread during an abortion ordeal in Oklahoma, JPMorgan Chase buys troubled First Republic Bank after U.S. government takeover, 'Succession' season 4, episode 6: 'Living+', EPA puts 'legally binding' stop to local company selling mislabeled disinfectants, UH population biologist stresses continued COVID risk, Those arriving from outside the country still must adhere to. More risk: Small outdoor and in-person gatherings. Guide of Hawaii, LLC is a privately-owned (non-government) business. As weve dropped restrictions on capacity for outdoor spectator events, we also would be looking to encourage for outdoor dining, that there would be no restrictions beginning November 12th, Ige explained. Theyre the life and blood where many make their living. Businesses said easing the capacity restrictions will help recoup revenue lost during the pandemic. On Hawaii Island, gatherings are now capped at 25 indoors and 100 outdoors. In two weeks' time, Hawaii will also increase indoor gathering limits from 10 to 25 people and increase outdoor gathering limits from 25 to 75 people. "We need to be able to have 3-foot distancing for dining, that will allow us to increase our dining capacity." Increasing capacity would. Hawaii is bringing back a whole swath of pandemic restrictions on social gatherings and businesses in response to rising COVID-19 cases on the island. *Please refer to baggage rules and other regulations while riding 'TheBus.' David Ige announced. Hawaii Limits Indoor Social Gatherings to 10 People. Will More States Kauai county says it will continue rules for professionally managed events and limits on social gatherings, but no other rules are expected. Event organizers/coordinators will no longer have to register event information with the county, but they are still responsible for collecting and maintaining contact information of all attendees. Out-of-state travelers are still required to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test in order to avoid a 10-day quarantine upon arrival. I think its time for the restaurants to move forward, Lt. Gov. The mayor has been in talks with the governor to lift restrictions for Oahus restaurants, bars and gyms that fall under Iges emergency proclamation. The sacrifices we have all made have prevented even further loss of life, Gov. Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami shared the latest COVID-19 snapshot with HPR's The Conversation click here for that interview. Hawaii will lift restrictions on bars, restaurants, and more this week, allowing each island to implement its own rules going forward, the state's Gov. In the past month, cases in the state have continued to rise, with an average of 99 cases per day in the past seven daysa 36 percent increase from the average just two weeks earlier. It's pretty widely accepted that requiring people to wear masks when entering a restaurant but not while they're sitting there talking and eating for an hour is useless. The first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in Hawaii on Dec. 3, and health officials have said it is highly contagious. Hiring enough people to keep up with a full dining room. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Find all of our coronavirus coverage and travel resources here. In fact, the state doesn't plan to allow cruises back to the islands until at least January 2022. Published: Dec. 30, 2021 at 5:21 PM PST | Updated: Dec. 30, 2021 at 7:24 PM PST. The Conversation The statewide indoor mask mandate also remains in place. Hawaii's indoor mask mandate and Safe Travel Program will still be in place. The survey found 19% of restaurants said they lost 30% of their workers. With capacity rules lifted, Oahu restaurants celebrate the return of full dining rooms. Nevertheless, Civil Beat reported today that intensive care units (ICU) in a number of hospitals in the state are at or nearing capacity thanks to a surge in new COVID-19 patients. See something we've missed or need to update the status on? More Hawaii County information can be found here. 5.1.2023 7:00 AM, Mike Riggs Kauai is also increasing its gathering limits to 40 people indoors and 100 outdoors. Facial coverings or masks are still required for indoor public settings. Contact him at charlow@hawaiipublicradio.org or on Twitter (@CaseyHarlow). If you're visiting Hawaii soon, be sure to download a copy of one of our updated 2023 Hawaii Visitor Guides.