Hawaii Governor Begs Tourists To Stay Away As Covid Rises: ‘Now Isn’t a Good Time’ | Hawaii

The governor of Hawaii has pleaded with tourists not to travel to the islands as the state works to control Covid-19 amid the growing spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

It’s “a risky time to travel right now,” David Ige warned on Monday, asking visitors and residents to limit their trips to essential businesses only. “I encourage everyone to restrict and reduce travel to Hawaii. Now is not the right time to travel to the islands, ”he said.

Hawaii’s Covid-19 cases have increased 36% in the past two weeks while hospitalizations have increased 78%, according to data from the New York Times.

In addition to urging tourists to stay away, the governor said restaurant capacity had been restricted and access to rental cars was limited. But Ige stopped before banning non-residents of the islands, arguing the situation was different now than last year, when strict travel rules that required quarantine essentially shut down the tourism industry from ‘Hawaii.

“Last year, in March, when I first asked visitors to postpone their trip to the islands, we saw a 60% reduction in traffic to Hawaii,” Ige said. “And then, certainly, ordering mandatory quarantine of all inbound visitors has reduced trips to the islands by 99.5%, essentially 100% of travelers.”

Tourists have returned to the islands as vaccines are widely available and with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saying fully vaccinated people can travel within the country.

The governor also urged people to get vaccinated. In Hawaii, 62% of residents are fully immunized, according to state data.

Ige has said he supports recent Covid restrictions enacted by Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi. The mayor announced that rules coming into effect on Wednesday would restrict indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 25. These rules will apply to weddings and other events.

When you look at how transmissible Delta is, we really need to control these large gatherings, ”said Hiro Toiya, director of emergency management in Honolulu. “The status quo is not working and it is not acceptable.

Several hospitals on the island of Oahu, where Honolulu is located, have filled their usual beds as Covid patients flock to emergency rooms. Honolulu set up a 25-bed tent outside Queen’s Medical Center – West Oahu on Friday to help manage the influx.