Hawaiian Islands Considering “Resort Bubble” For Quarantined Tourists

by SharonKurheg

Although it almost re-opened a few times, Hawaii currently still has a mandatory 14-day quarantine in place. Even when they eventually reopen the island to tourism, currently scheduled for September 1st (but still subject to change), a COVID-19 test is going to be required. And for those who refuse the test, quarantine will still be mandated.

The problem with quarantine is that some people just don’t want to stay in their hotel or motel rooms for 2 whole weeks (and really, who can blame them? Who WANTS to be quarantined?), so they sneak out. Here’s what officials are doing in response, and this what some hotels have done, as well.

But what if you could figure out a way for people in quarantine to be cooperative and just do what they’re supposed to do? Welp, they may have figured out a way for that to happen.

As reported in West Hawaii Today, officials on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island are considering a plan of allowing tourists to stay at resort properties on the respective islands during their quarantines. They’d have to stay within the confines of the resort, but at least they could leave their rooms. It would sort of be like a “travel bubble” but is more of a “resort bubble,” where visitors who were quarantined would have the freedom to roam within the confines of a “geofence” that would track their movements.

“(It’s) another idea we’ve been tossing out there,” said Hawaii County Managing Director Roy Takemoto. “They would be allowed to stay at selected resorts and the resorts would control where the visitors would be allowed to range.”

There are, obviously, a lot of “ifs,” the most important being IF visitors would allow their movements to be tracked on a resort for 2 weeks, to ensure they didn’t go past the geofencing. But there are also questions regarding how much space a resort could devote to people who are quarantined, and how places like resorts restaurants, shops and pools would be handled. So right now there are lots and lots of questions.

But IF they could get this system to work, it could potentially help with people who in quarantine staying quarantined.

#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands #wearamask

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

7 comments

James July 30, 2020 - 4:15 pm

Hawaii should could all tourists to Kalaupapa, Hawaii. The island was used for leprosy patients.

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Island Miler July 30, 2020 - 6:55 pm

To me, the biggest IF is how do you track people if they ditch their phone in their room? Because I’m sure we can’t force them to wear an ankle bracelet.

As a local, I appreciate the creativity. But, this plan has quite a few holes in it

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Ghostrider5408 July 30, 2020 - 8:53 pm

I think given the past few days thus maybe a dead issue

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Nancy July 30, 2020 - 9:02 pm

Hawaii treats tourists like criminals. Let the state’s economy implode. There are other places to visit.

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SharonKurheg July 30, 2020 - 10:06 pm

Oh, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY disagree. They have done a beautiful job of keeping their citizens safe, while most states in the mainland have let the virus run rampant. I don’t blame them for wanting to ensure it doesn’t happen there. And if that means quarantine, so be it. Same as all the other places in the world that require it.

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Hawaii Considers ‘Resort Bubbles’ for Quarantined Tourists. August 5, 2020 - 11:36 am

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