Maui County to require second, post-arrival COVID-19 test (Kahului: how much, hotel)

[whtviper1]

Well - I suspect this will cause people to book away. Nothing like landing, being asymptomatic, then being forced to quarantine and ruin your vacation.

https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-...covid-19-test/

Trans-Pacific travelers participating in the Safe Travels program — which allows travelers to bypass quarantine with a negative test from a trusted partner — will be subject to a rapid COVID-19 test upon arrival at the Kahului Airport, Mayor Michael Victorino said during a news conference Wednesday.

The new rule will apply to anyone traveling directly from the Mainland to Maui. Those who refuse will be subject to the mandatory 10-day quarantine.

[WaikikiBoy]

My guess is that, because of the 72-hour testing requirement already in place, there is likely very little Covid coming in via tourists. I think many people all over the country have been loosening up and gathering in larger Family & friend groups, without masks. And this has increased spread. But of course, this is just my speculation.

I know I personally would not go through all the trouble to arrange travel and get tested 72-hrs prior just to risk still arriving on Maui, getting a false positive test on arrival, and being put into quarantine.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by WaikikiBoy

My guess is that, because of the 72-hour testing requirement already in place, there is likely very little Covid coming in via tourists.

I know I personally would not go through all the trouble to arrange travel and get tested 72-hrs prior just to risk still arriving on Maui, getting a false positive test on arrival, and being put into quarantine.

The same story says this:

Maui County has been offering free voluntary testing for travelers upon arrival and has so far administered 31,547 tests with 797 positive results — a test positivity rate of 2.5 percent, Deputy Managing Director Josiah Ni****a said Wednesday.

797 seems like quite a lot (a mix between residents and tourists)- but doesn't state how many false positives. Rapid testing does produce false positives - PCR testing does not (but PCR can show false negatives)

So, if you have a potential false positive - they do a PCR test and you need to wait 2-3 days for the result while quarantining. If you are really positive - now you are really hosed and must pay out of pocket for at least 10 days in quarantine.

No way would I recommend anyone going to Maui (and Big Island) with the test on arrival risk

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

..

No way would I recommend anyone going to Maui (and Big Island) with the test on arrival risk

No kidding. They're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist by creating a disincentive for traveling? Brilliant.

Won't stop me though. I'm fully vaccinated and will have a negative test in hand, which is administered for free here. So, it would be just my luck if one of the damn airport tests fingers me as an illness riddled intruder.

[Weaubleau]

I wonder how much of a CF this is going to be when two or three planes land within minutes of each other. Where will everyone wait for their bogus test results? Also, one question I always had about this whole ridiculous program is, how do you get to quarantine if you DO test positive? If this is such a deadly disease, do you get transported by hermetically sealed ambulance to your hotel? Or do you just grab an Uber/Lyft and potentially(not really... but let's humor the globalists by thinking this through using their mentality here) infect your Uber driver?

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Weaubleau

how do you get to quarantine if you DO test positive? If this is such a deadly disease, do you get transported by hermetically sealed ambulance to your hotel?

You don't wait at the airport while waiting for your test result - you can leave the airport. If your test is positive, they contact you - you take a PCR test - and you quarantine until the PCR test comes back.

[Futuremauian]

It doesn't seem to be stopping the flow of tourists to Maui. The roads seem like they are busier than ever before.

[TimTheEnchanter]

According to Maui News Now, Mayor V said fully vaccinated people wouldn't need the arrival test. I wonder how many true positives the BI has found in their arrival test. You'd think that info would be readily available, it isn't. And the BI is winding down its post arrival testing just as Maui starts theirs. What does that tell you?

[teqp]

I'll have to keep an eye on this. We just booked our hotel for August.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

You don't wait at the airport while waiting for your test result - you can leave the airport. If your test is positive, they contact you - you take a PCR test - and you quarantine until the PCR test comes back.

Really? That sucks. Then again, so does waiting at the airport "15 minutes" for results, as is the case on the Big Island with their rapid testing.

When I arrived two weeks ago they cared not at all that I was "fully vaccinated", had to do the second test.
We were instructed to wait for a text message with results due within 15 minutes. After more than 15 minutes had elapsed I was becoming quite impatient and just walked out to the curb for a ride from friend, taking the risk of being apprehended. Just as I sat down the text arrived with negative result.