Starting July 8, the State of Hawaii will no longer require pre-entry COVID testing and quarantine for fully vaccinated domestic travelers.

In an announcement from Gov. David Ige, travelers must upload their CDC issued vaccination record card to the state’s Safe Travels Program website and have that card with them upon arrival. The governor believes that state will reach 60 percent vaccination rate by that date, which brings with it a partial relaxation of some COVID restrictions.

Social gatherings are expanded to 25 people indoors and 75 people outdoors. Also, restaurants may increase capacity to 75% – with maximum group sizes of 25 indoors and 75 outdoors, 

While certain elements of domestic travel are starting to return to normal, Hawaii is struggling to accommodate the influx of travelers. Over-tourism is a real concern for many locals, especially on Maui. The island is experiencing a shortage of hospitality workers and restaurants are having difficulty keeping up, even with limited capacity.

For a little perspective, Maui had just 1,054 visitors last May according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. May 2021 those numbers swelled too over 215,000.

If you are planning a trip to Hawaii be prepared for large crowds as pent up travel demand is swamping many of the islands’ resources.

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