Three Hawaiian Islands are considering creating "resort bubbles" so that visitors can quarantine with a vacationlike experience at hotel properties.
Officials on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island are thinking about allowing tourists to stay at properties on the islands with the ability to at least go outside for fresh air. The idea would be to geo-fence guests to the confines of the resort.
The state currently has a 14-day quarantine for visitors coming to the islands in effect until September. Those who are self-quarantining must reserve select hotels and motels and are not allowed to book vacation rentals. Visitors who don't observe the quarantine are arrested, and more than 200 visitors have been arrested during the pandemic.
"It's very early and it's complicated. ... All of us in the visitor industry support having a safe environment for our employees as well as our visitors," said Craig Anderson, chairman of the Hawaii Island chapter of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association and vice president of operations at Mauna Kea Resort.
"We're trying to be a lubricant to help surface solutions and help move things forward. ... It's another example of us all working with the uncertainly of this bizarre pandemic and how we create a new future for all of us."
Hawaii also plans to implement COVID-19 testing within 72 hours of arrival starting in September when tourism theoretically could resume.