Couple separated after Hawaii does not accept the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 test
A Minnesota couple with Hawaii vacation plans was separated after state officials did not accept a negative COVID-19 test completed by a laboratory at the Mayo Clinic.
(FOX 9) – Hawaii is a dream vacation, with lots of sun, beaches and warm weather.
Travelers love it because you have access to luxury without flying abroad.
However, to obtain Hawaii, you need a negative COVID-19 test. But it can’t be at the Mayo Clinic, as a couple from Minnesota recently discovered.
Joan and Grant Christianson are now in two different states because Hawaii does not list the Mayo Clinic as one of its “trusted partners”.
“We said, ‘But it’s the Mayo Clinic, [one] of the largest research labs in the United States, “said Joan.
It was supposed to be the Christianson’s dream vacation after an exciting 2020.
“We had a very stressful year,” said Joan. “My family has had many deaths, including my 50-year-old sister and my father.”
The trip turned into a nightmare, where they have more questions than answers.
“My COVID-19 test was from Walgreen’s lab, where I sat in the car and wiped my own nose and Hawaii accepted that,” said Joan. “My husband’s test was done at a hospital by a registered nurse, and yet he was denied as an unreliable partner.”
Hawaii doesn’t offer tests for travelers, so Grant’s only option was to sleep in the car overnight and then fly to Los Angeles the next morning for an airport test because the hotel wouldn’t issue a key without proof that he was cleared. stay.
They contacted their state representative, Rep. Dave Baker (R-Willmar), who said he was disappointed with how the Hawaiian authorities handled the situation.
“The most trusted partner in the world is the Mayo Clinic and as it is not part of the result of the trusted laboratory it is shocking to us,” he told FOX 9. “I understand how to make sure people are safe, but [they could’ve] He picked up the phone and asked the Mayo Clinic. You would think that there would be a better process for doing this. ”
A Minnesota Department of Health spokesman told FOX 9 in a statement that he heard the same reports and is “in contact with the Mayo Clinic and Hawaii state officials to see what can be done”.
In an email, a spokesperson for the Mayo Clinic Laboratories stated: “As part of its COVID-19 protocol, the state of Hawaii requires that all incoming individuals report negative results for SARS-CoV-2. As part of state rules and regulations, specific laboratories have been designated as ‘trusted partners’. This status is granted based on government records, not on the safety or quality of tests. At the moment, Mayo Clinic laboratories have not been given the status of ” trusted partner “in Hawaii. We continuously evaluate the various requirements for COVID-19 tests to ensure all patients have access to high quality tests.”
As for Joan, she hopes to have her husband back on the island before Valentine’s Day. He plans to travel back to Hawaii after he obtains a negative test result at a test site near LAX.
“The crazy thing is that we allow people everywhere to come to be treated at the Mayo Clinic, but that is not accepted in Hawaii. I just assumed that the Mayo Clinic laboratory would be a reliable laboratory,” said Joan. “This is our first time in 30 years. I don’t think I can convince you to come back here.”
A spokesman for the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office said by telephone that the only way to get around the test requirement of its trusted partners is to request an exception online. If you don’t, you will have to follow a strict quarantine, which means that you will be confined to your accommodation for 10 days.