Since February, Michele Liedtke has been preparing for her first vacation. For this, she booked a Maui holiday package with a friend who was with her in her eighth grade. She is a nurse at the Veterans’ Home. She was booked for a boat ride in Molokini. Purchased new luggage, swimwear, outfits, and gear for a boat trip and other necessities. She teamed up with the Maui Facebook team to get Covid-19 travel advice. Moreover, for a photo of a tropical fish, she changed the background of her phone. She left the group on Wednesday and also changed her aquatic picture.
Her weekend trip to Hawaii was set to begin the day after Labor Day. But in October, Hawaii Governor David Ige asked tourists to refrain from visiting his country. One of the reasons for this demand was the weakening of the limited hospital capacity of the government due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 patients. So Liedtke canceled the holiday two days later. She was able to balance her Costco vacation package but had to pay a $ 400 cancellation fee. As a result, she said, “I can’t even look at pictures of Hawaii right now. “I can’t even think about it.”
Liedtke, vaccinated against Kovid-19, said it was a moral right to cancel the vacation. As a nurse working with increasing covid-19, it is not how she protects herself from covid. “I take care of COVID people all the time,” she said. “I teach people how to use PPE correctly. There’s no way I’m taking COVID to that island. ‘But there’s no way that they’re going to know that by looking at me.” At the request of the governor, Hawaii ticket holders will have to face travel calculations. Maui Mayor Michael Victorino suggested that tourists who come voluntarily limit their activities to their resort.
Hawaii governor announcement: What it means for tourists?
Currently, entry requirements for Hawaii have not changed drastically.t does not impose a ban on tourists or closures as in the previous covid epidemic; Currently, entry requirements for Hawaii have not changed drastically.t does not charge a ban on tourists or closures as in the last covid epidemic; Strict repayment policies, especially for last-minute cancellations, activities such as airlines hotels, vacation rent; and many of the governor’s previous statements to the Covid-19 risk are bound to residents only and not visitors.
USA TODAY held talks with several people who had planned trips to Hawaii in anticipation of weddings and long vacations but had to cancel those trips. According to them, some are planning to go back. However, some are hesitant to return unless the government officially closes or imposes strict beaches and resorts.
The Boston couple continues to plan their trip to Hawaii: ‘We’re not going to lose the money we invested in it.’
Had booked flights from Boston to Maui on Thursday for Leslie Reitz and her boyfriend. That was for a holiday they had set aside in May. All 20 of them are interested in international travel. They chose Hawaii for the tour this year as Europe is in the process of reopening. Another reason was that Hawaii offers a mix of leisure and adventure.
This week she got to read the governor’s announcement.
Reitz contacted three vacation rentals booked on Maui via Airbnb and Vrbo to inquire about a refund.” One didn’t respond, and the other two said no,” she said. Because of this, they are continuing their tour of Hawaii.
“We have these plans and would happily cancel if we could receive any form of a refund, but we can’t,” she said. However, she also said there was no need for them to postpone the tour until the end of this year or for a year from now.
Reitz said she had been fully vaccinated for the last Covid-19. Some people who know about her vacation plans call her and her boyfriend selfish people. They started the tour on the first of August. Despite those formidable Kovid-19 defenses. And even the governor had asked tourists a few weeks ago to postpone the time. So they stopped going to bars and eating inside the restaurants. It should have been checked before their visit, but it was not necessary for the vaccinated guests.
“We feel like we’ve gone up and beyond to be as cautious as possible,” she said. And she also said, “I don’t feel comfortable, and I know I can’t enjoy it to the fullest (due to COVID-19 restrictions), but also, we’re not going to lose the money we invested in it.”
Washington family postpones visit to Hawaii until May 2022
Heather lee Clark’s planned trip to Hawaii with her family on Wednesday has been canceled. Delta strain is spreading from covid-19 patients among unvaccinated people in Bellingham, Washington, and her husband, an intensive care physician, is tired. For these reasons, they decided not to visit. The governor’s appeal was a reason for that.” We respect the governor’s plea and the islands of Hawaii and the people that live there,” Clark said.
It was too late for them to refund money from Airbnb. Therefore, their bookings were extended to May. They lost about $ 700 they had set aside to rent Turo car. However, they could afford it. She said she could not take the risk, especially with two unvaccinated children aged 2 and 6 months.
She said, “I know there are people out there that they can get a refund, and it’s frustrating, and it’s expensive, and they spent thousands of dollars, but to me, I think, ‘My childrens’ lives, you can’t even put a worth to that.'”
The Kansas City family will be touring Hawaii in October unless strict restrictions are imposed.
Kate Magee and her husband and two other friends obtained air tickets for a trip to Hawaii in early October. They reserved a period in Maui and planned to travel to Honolulu for a few days. This tour has been rescheduled since last year. Magee has been watching the Hawaiian news for the past few weeks. Despite a reduction in the epidemic, 1,035 patients were reported last Friday. It’s a day record. That’s twice the number registered daily a few weeks ago. Magee realized that strict travel restrictions were coming. Visitors who have been vaccinated may also need to repeat the covid-19 test.
She dismissed the governor’s notice not to visit because the governor had not changed entry requirements. Magee, 34, lives in Kansas City. She said her current plan is to make the visit. She recently got a particular vaccine. So she could travel safely to Hawaii (which was postponed due to a reaction to certain drugs). However, she plans to get a test before the trip.
Saying that money is another factor, she added, “I completely understand locals and their views on it, but at the same time there are people like my friends and me who have thousands of dollars in this, and we can’t get refunds unless ( the governor) completely locks the state down,”
She also said she would decide whether to go to Hawaii to consider whether it will bring back tourist restrictions such as beach closures and resort closures. Magee, calling the condo company and Trilogy, the operator for a day trip to Lanai, to search for answers for coming restrictions.
“I know you guys can’t predict the future; I’m just trying to get a feel if we are still going to be still able to do stuff,” she said. “They said they’re waiting to see what the governor says. I can’t imagine what they’re going through.”
Phoenix couple in doubt: ‘I’m conflicted.’
Scott Clapp canceled a VRBO rental for a tour of Maui in mid-September and spent until Tuesday getting the total amount. Both he and his wife have been fully vaccinated. Southwest Airlines announced a regular flight from Phoenix., Booking cheap tickets to Hawaii in May.
Despite the governor’s request to stay away, he tended to travel. Clapp works in a local government. He also sees some political nature in the governor’s proposal as not tightened travel restrictions. But there is no need to limit their rent if restrictions are imposed in the next few weeks.
“I’m conflicted,” he said. “One second I fe, el like I think I’m going. And then another second, I’m like, ‘no maybe,e you should cancel.” He obtained travel insurance at the last minute from Vrbo to see if it would be reimbursed in the event of a state lockdown. He plans this weekend. That allowed him to decide beyond Tuesday. He has $ 2,500 to stay alone in a lodge. But if without a ‘safety net’ in monetary policy, he said it could even lead to a currency cancellation.
Clapp does not consider it a risky journey if the couple decides to make their first flight to Maui this pandemic season. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for domestic travel say it is less risky for vaccinated travelers. This policy was announced in April before the Delta variant emerged, and events have increased but have not changed significantly since.
I said in recent discussions that the covid-19 travel requirement for all travelers, including those who have been vaccinated, could not be easily replaced. He also said that he and other governors were trying to update the CDC’s guidelines. “CDC is constantly reviewing our COVID-19 travel guidance with the emergence of the Delta variant, but at this time, we have not made any changes to our travel recommendations,” CDC spokeswoman Caitlin Shockey Said in a statement.
“If you’re unvaccinated and you want to travel and do these kinds of things, I think that’s not wise. You might be a little selfish,” Clapp said and added, “If you’re vaccinated, you may be less selfish. To me, I’m vaccinated, and I had COVID, and I don’t think I’m selfish.’