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Tourists are traveling to Hawaii in greater numbers than the authorities have predicted, and many are wandering around Waikiki without masks, despite a state order to use them in public.
Hawaii’s Safe Travels program reported that about 28,000 people flew in and across the islands on Saturday, the largest number of travelers in a single day since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, reported the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Monday -market.
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Before the pandemic, Hawaii had about 30,000 daily arrivals. When the quarantine rules were put in place at the start of the pandemic, arrivals plummeted and the state’s economy, dependent on tourism, plummeted.
In October, state officials launched a pre-trip testing program that allowed visitors to circumvent the quarantine rules. But travel remained slow until the second week of March, when spring break tourists began to arrive on the islands.
The president and CEO of the travel company Pleasant Holidays, Jack Richards, told Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the agency’s bookings have increased by 30% in the past two weeks.
“We haven’t seen such strong travel demand for Hawaii in over a year,” said Richards. “I thought we would have a U-shaped recovery; it’s V-shaped. January and February were terrible, but we went from zero to 150 mph in two weeks. “
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Hawaii News Now reported that authorities are receiving complaints about visitors who do not wear masks. With a few exceptions, people in Hawaii are still required to wear masks in public.
“I believe that if you are outdoors, you can remove it,” said Glenn Day, a visitor from Indiana.
Visitors said the rules in their home states are different from those in force in Hawaii.
“We take our masks around and if we go into an establishment, we will wear one, and if people seem uncomfortable with us around, we will put one on. But on the other hand, as I said where we came from, people are really not obliged to use them, ”said Wisconsin visitor Larry Dopke.
“I’m not wearing one right now, I’m outdoors,” said Todd Hasley, who was visiting from Idaho. “The city of Boise has an internal mask mandate. The rest of the state has a mask recommendation. “
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Some lawmakers have expressed concern about a possible reaction from residents.
“I think we all have to be prepared for a potential increase in tourism,” said Hawaii State Representative Scott Saiki, a Democrat. “I think we have to be prepared because the public may have a response to a sudden increase.”
Such a reaction may hamper the economic recovery.
“Retreating against tourism is the same thing as telling your neighbor that he shouldn’t have a job,” said Carl Bonham, executive director of the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii.
Hawaii requires that all returning visitors and residents obtain negative COVID-19 tests prior to travel 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 effect until April 5. All visitors to Kauai must spend three days on another island or quarantine at a county-approved resort for three days and then take a second post-arrival test.
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Violating state mandates for coronavirus, described in the latest emergency statement by Hawaii Governor David Ige, is a misdemeanor that can be punished with a fine of up to $ 5,000, a year in prison, or both.
The police in each county on the island is responsible for enforcing the rules. Messages from the Associated Press seeking comments from the Honolulu Police Department on the application of Waikiki mask rules were not immediately returned.
Tim Sakahara, spokesman for Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, said in an email that the city recently put up banners in Waikiki reminding people to wear masks and remain socially distant.
“These banners provide a tool to help Honolulu law enforcement officers do their job to achieve compliance with COVID-19 rules,” said Sakahara. “Most residents and visitors comply with the rule or cooperate when informed about it.”
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However, some residents are also opposed to wearing masks. Two people were arrested and two others were summoned during an anti-mask rally in Waikiki.
Hawaii had one of the lowest rates of confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S.