Hawaii Preparing Plans for ‘Resort Bubble’

Hawaii will not reopen to tourism until at least October. The 14-day mandatory quarantine for both out-of-state and inter-island travelers (in Kauai, Hawaii, Maui and Kalawao counties) will remain in effect for now. That is virtually a ban on travel, unless you want to be locked in for two weeks.

But in an effort to bring in people and help out the state’s economy, the local government is floating a new idea. Details have emerged about a “resort bubble concept” for inter-island travelers and possibly even out of state visitors. Hawaii calls the program an “enhanced movement quarantine” that each county can develop to give residents and visitors the ability to travel between islands without a 14-day quarantine.

Travelers who enter the state as part of the program will be limited to specific areas, such as resorts and hotels that are a part of the program until the completion of their quarantine. Those areas will also ensure limited contact with those who are not subject to self-quarantine. Participating travelers will have to sign waivers to confirm that they are volunteering to be in the program. The program will also include safety, monitoring and enforcement measures.

Tracking devices in the form of wristbands, will be issued for  these ‘bubbles.’ The device will notify resort staff and local law enforcement if the visitor steps outside of the resort bubble.

The resort bubble is not mandatory for all resorts. Each property will have to opt-in on its own for this new option. There’s no clear timeline for when it will be launched yet. Besides the mainland, the ‘bubble’ concept could be available for some trans-Pacific travel as well for countries such as Australia and Japan and more, The Daily Mail reports.