Last week, Hawaii Governor David Ige hinted that the state could soon update its tourism policies to change the definition of fully vaccinated to require the booster shot.
Now, several mayors around the island chain have come out in support of the idea, and one went as far as to announce a target date for the new regulations.
Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino and Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth both issues statements this week backing booster requirements, and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi took it a step farther by announcing his preferred timing for its rollout.
“The targeted date for [incorporating the booster shot into policy] is Feb. 18, we are going to look at that, we are going to look at that very carefully,” Blangiardi told media on Wednesday.
The policy change would not mean that visitors are required to have a booster shot to visit Hawaii. It would mean that visitors wanting to be considered fully vaccinated - and thus avoid taking a pre-test and/or bypass quarantine - would need to have received three shots instead of the current two.
Unvaccinated visitors would still be welcome under the new rules (as they are now), although they would need to take a pre-test or quarantine for 5 days upon arrival.
A spokesperson for Governor David Ige’s office told KHON2 that they hope to share more information soon regarding the updated policies. As of now, no official change has been made and Hawaii’s COVID-19 restrictions remain unchanged. You can visit HawaiiCovid19.com for the latest information.
