Hawaii’s COVID-19 Quarantine Requirement and Pre-Travel Testing Exception

While there is no Federal quarantine requirement for those entering the US, some states have quarantine requirements in place with their own respective requirements and exceptions. For example, both Hawaii and New York have mandatory 14-day quarantine requirements. You can read more about the New York quarantine requirement in our previous blog.

As of October 13, 2020, Hawaii has implemented a pre-travel testing option as an alternative to the state’s 14-day quarantine requirement. Unlike New York, who applies their quarantine requirements to those from certain high-risk states and countries, Hawaii is currently applying their 14-day quarantine requirement to all travellers entering the state, regardless of nationality, citizenship, or whether travel is domestic or international.

To be exempt from Hawaii’s 14-day quarantine requirement, the traveler would have to have tested negative of COVID-19 within 72 hours before entering Hawaii, completed and submitted the mandatory travel form, and passed temperature screening upon arrival at one of Hawaii’s airports. To qualifying for this exemption, Hawaii will only accept COVID-19 test results from one of the state’s trusted testing partners. As of now, the trusted testing partners are only in the United States and no international testing is accepted.

It is important to note that Hawaii’s quarantine exemption does not override the Federal ban on entry to the US for those who have been in certain countries within the 14 days prior to travel to the US, including the following:

• China;
• Iran;
• Schengen countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City);
• United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland);
• Republic of Ireland; and
• Brazil

The immigration legal team at Moodys Tax continues to stay on the pulse of changes in immigration law and policy. Stay tuned for the latest.