Dr. Anthony Fauci, who spoke with Green in a
livestream video call Wednesday, said no matter
what, some COVID positive vacationers will get
into the state.
“The reality is, no matter what you do, there are
going to be infected people who slip through
the cracks. It’s inevitable,” Fauci said of Hawaii.
“I can understand the anxiety of people on the
islands saying, you know, if you just do a test 72
hours earlier and that’s all you do, then that’s not
going to be enough.”
Fauci said that adding some kind of secondary
screening would help.
“You’re not going to get everybody, but
statistically, you’re going to dramatically
diminish the likelihood that an infected person
enters,” he said.
Travelers will also face a list of restrictions upon
arrival in Hawaii — especially on Oahu which
has seen the bulk of reported cases.
Still, some county officials say the plan is not
ready. They want additional layers of protection
for their individual islands.
Big Island Mayor Harry Kim announced that his
county would opt out of the testing program
and continue to require all visitors to quarantine
for two weeks upon arrival. Gov. David Ige on
Monday denied a request from the island of
Kauai that would have established a post-arrival
testing program for visitors to that island. Both
island mayors said they want another layer of
testing for people arriving in Hawaii.
“A single pre-arrival testing program alone does
not provide the needed level of protection for
our Kauai community,” said Kauai Mayor Derek