HONOLULU – Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) Wednesday called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to confirm the State of Hawai‘i’s ability to impose and enforce COVID-19 prevention public health conditions on air travel to the islands.
In his letter to FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, Case asked for the FAA’s “cooperation in confirming Hawai‘i’s ability to impose and enforce conditions on air travel to Hawai‘i which are critical to ensuring (a) the health of Hawai‘i’s residents and visitors and (b) the safe recovery of Hawai‘i’s economy and in particular our travel and tourism industry.”
Case continues: “These conditions would be as reasonably determined by the State of Hawai‘i as necessary to protect public health. This could include requiring testing of all intended passengers (including crew) on any direct air travel to Hawai‘i before boarding.
“Such testing could include at least fever testing and, as available, on-site rapid COVID-19 testing, as now required by international airlines such as Emirates on some flights. The requirement for enforcing these conditions would be borne by the airlines as a condition of accepting any intended passenger on any direct flight to Hawai‘i, and any airline would be required to deny boarding to any intended passenger with a fever which, under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, indicates potential COVID-19 infection or who tests positive.”
Case continued: “I further understand that the State of Hawai‘i imposed the 14-day incoming quarantine requirement in large part because it understood from the FAA, in its March and April guidance and otherwise, that the imposition of such pre-board conditions was not authorized by existing statutes and regulations and would jeopardize federal funding.
“I also understand from discussion with the FAA to date that in fact the FAA is focused on the safe and efficient use of the nation’s airspace (with safe not generally including protection of general ground populations from COVID-19 and efficient generally referring to maximum use), that the protection of the general public health in addition to air-related risks is not within FAA’s mandate, and that absent superseding authority in other federal agencies such as the CDC, the FAA is unwilling or unable to authorize the State of Hawai‘i to impose reasonable public health-related restrictions on travelers as a condition of travel to Hawai‘i.
“I ask and urge you to revisit these issues and assist me, the State of Hawai‘i, the people I represent, the visitors to Hawai‘i and the destinations to which they will return in finding a solution allowing the State of Hawai‘i to impose reasonable public health pre-board conditions on intended passengers to Hawai‘i.
“This could include flexibility within existing statutes and regulations, identification of superseding authority in other federal agencies, and proposed changes to existing regulations and statutory authority. In the latter case, I ask that you initiate any required rule changes under expedited authority, and propose to me specific statutory amendments which would provide you with the necessary authority.
“I ask that you do so on an emergency basis considering the continued public health threat to Hawai‘i from our inability to impose and enforce effective mitigation requirements. But I also ask that you do so because these questions will have to be answered and the necessary changes will have to be made for Hawai‘i to reopen to any great extent to air travel.
“Simply put, if passengers do not feel safe coming to Hawai‘i because they fear contracting COVID-19 on the flight or in Hawai‘i, or if Hawai‘i residents do not feel safe with passengers getting off planes in Hawai‘i, air travel to Hawai‘i will not recover leading to many consequences to include FAA and airport-supportive revenues. The same is true throughout the country and so the necessity of safe travel is in all respects a national one which FAA should better face now.
The letter concludes: “Considering the urgency of protecting Hawaii’s current and future public health, I ask for your specific response by no later than Wednesday, May 20th. I stand ready, together with the State of Hawai‘i and other interested parties both in Hawai‘i and nationally, to work with you on fashioning an effective solution to this critical matter.”
Meanwhile, Lt. Governor Josh Green is proposing a “Travel with Aloha” program that would help he state mitigate possible importation of coronavirus from traveling visitors and residents. A key component of Green’s proposal is having visitors and returning residents voluntarily getting COVID-19 tests within 72-hours of their departure to the islands. People who decline to get tested would undergo additional testing and screening upon arrival at State airports.
In a Wednesday statement about the program, Green said: “This could cut several hours from their vacation or return home and they could be required to undergo a possible 14-day mandatory quarantine.”
He added: “It’s imperative we do everything we can to safeguard our state from importing coronavirus through travel, while maintaining our community’s aloha for visitors.”
No way are we traveling to Hawaii if you have a quarantine of any kind.
OK
Outstanding proposal to get Hawaii back on its feet. The airlines could certainly perform temperature checks prior to departure, but there’s nothing stopping Hawaii from doing the same thing today when they arrive, no FAA approval required, just do it! If concerned over missing someone not showing symptoms yet require everyone to present themselves somewhere for a verification temperature check two days later. Once quick tests are available you could also administer them at arrival too for confirmation but that isn’t necessary to begin reopening. This temperature screening coupled with robust contact tracing would keep the exposure and risks well under control and allow Hawaii to restore the economic powerhouse that tourism fuels, restore tens of thousands of jobs, income, and desperately needed tax revenue for the state.
Our current strategy of locking everyone out is completely fear based, self destructive and clearly unsustainable, we need to move to a sensible risk managed approach to stop the bleeding and get us back on our feet.
Though everyone understands Kauai needs to reopen, our vulnerable island can’t manage an outbreak that will overwhelm our limited healthcare system. Test for Covid19 before getting on a minimum of 5 hours to calm flyers and keep residents with an Aloha mentality. To simply overwhelm our island with tourists will surely push us into an unnecessary second shutdown. Let’s get this right the first time for everyone concerned.
“we need to move to a sensible risk managed approach”
Please let us know when you come up with one. What you just described certainly doesn’t meet the criteria.
Achtung! Papers, bitte!!
in order to be safe…….all air travel and shipping to Kauai and the State of Hawaii needs to cease now !
we can make it on our own, grow our food and use solar power….!
Hawaii is truly between a rock and a hard place. First, kudos for locking down harder than any other state. It worked. Science wins again. But now the only way to employ people is to increase visitor numbers. Try paying the rent or your mortgage with home grown mangos or fresh caught fish. All US visitors pose a health risk and the honest ones will stay home before lying that they will pay thousands to stay in a room for 2 weeks. There is no easy answer.
You need to up your meds. Hawaii produces nothing. When it is cheaper to go to COSTCO than the Farmers market, then there is a problem. The Plantation Days are over for a reason.
Austrian authorities has already implemented a testing plan which allows travelers into Austria avoid a 14 day quarantine. Austria has about as many airplane visitors coming through Vienna airport as does Hawaii. If they can do it, we can too ! Rebuild the Economy now !
If elected officials can not abide by the highest letter of the constitution of the United states and our Hawai’i Revised statues, the people may impeach and remove the inept person….
We may be spiraling out of control and into anarchy and rebellion very, very soon…..
Has the Queen’s unanswered prayer finally been answered? To return to the Hawai’ian Kingdom government is a logical choice for many highly educated and native people…
1959 was the chance. Over 95% supported statehood. Please give it up.
My wife and I are coming July 4th to stay at our condo for a week. We will quarantine the entire time at the condo, if the 14 day quarantine is still in effect. We have no problem with getting our temperatures taken, or a on-site rapid Covid-19 test; especially if this would end the 14 day quarantine. IMHO, everyone just needs to wear masks while inside any type of retail establishment and if you’re smart use hand sanitizer before entering and after exiting. If you’re a visitor, you’re not allowed to eat inside a restaurant at this time, but locals can. Social distance outdoors, but let people (visitors & locals) enjoy fresh air and movement.
“If you’re a visitor, you’re not allowed to eat inside a restaurant at this time, but locals can”
You really think an infected visitor is somehow more contagious than an infected local? Will each visitor be given the choice between either a tattoo or an armband? Maybe they can ride in the back of the bus, too. And for buying things, how about if locals only have to pay 70cents for every dollar that a visitor pays.
Seriously unbelievable.
Congressman Case,
Is your intent to keep the number of active covid cases in Hawaii zero? Or is your intent to keep our hospitals from getting overrun with patients?
If you are simply trying to keep our hospitals from being overrun, consider this:
Domestic and international air travel was happening, as usual, between December 2019 and February of 2020. Infected people were traveling to and from the islands the whole time. Some had covid. Some had influenza. No masks. No temperature checks. No saliva swab tests. No blood tests. No disinfecting seats between flights. Nothing. And the hospitals were not overrun. Even when allowed to run free the virus just doesn’t spread very well in Hawaii. In addition, USNS Mercy just left the port of LA and could easily be used in a crisis. That’s its purpose.
If your intent is to keep active cases at zero, haven’t we been told that masks and distancing accomplish that goal? Does “our inability to impose and enforce effective mitigation requirements”, your words, not mine, mean that masks and distancing and house-arrest don’t work? If they don’t work, why are we doing them? Why do we need to adopt further restrictions, at considerable cost? If these mitigations do work, it makes me wonder why we need a 14 day quarantine…If only there were a scientific study showing how well fabric masks work against a virus…hmmm…
I realize your letter is primarily posturing; giving the appearance that you have done everything you can to protect our residents. But, and I’m sure you have considered this, who is liable if the virus gets through? Who will be held accountable if an infected tourist spreads the virus at the spa at the Aulani? (I’ve never been to the Aulani). Surely you don’t expect Hawaiian Air to accept that liability because they transported the tourist? And if nobody is accepting liability, who is going to take it seriously?
Something else for you to consider, your proposal would, or at least ‘should’, apply to residents returning from trips to the mainland. If I go on my annual clothes shopping trip to Vegas and test positive, or have a fever from late night shenanigans before I return, where will I stay? Sounds like it could be expen$ive. Sounds like you are inhibiting citizens from moving freely within the states without just cause. Do you think many people are ‘warm’ when they show up at the airport in Vegas? Better show up early and get an iced coffee before you get your temperature taken. Is it possible to have a fever and still pass the temperature check? What if the test actually MAKES me sick!?! How about when a passenger develops fever mid-flight? Do you quarantine the entire plane because all passengers and crew have been exposed?
Let’s pause the drama and come back to reality for a minute. An infected resident, showing symptoms, flew from New York to Kauai in mid-March 2020. No doubt it was several full flights, including the leg from Honolulu to Kauai (assuming that was the route). And yet, only 21 confirmed cases in Kauai and only 1 could not be linked to travel. From what we have been told, none of the 20 other cases was linked to the case I just mentioned. If this is a true story, how can you consider air travel to be a threat to public health? No amount of quarantines or temperature checks is going to be completely effective and sooner or later everyone is going to get this virus. A few will end up in the hospital. Almost all will recover.
I can already hear the rebuttals, “You say unnecessary! They will bring the virus (because all those filthy mainlanders have it)! Visitors are the biggest threat to us! You want to kill us all!” “OK, then, YOU sit next to them on the plane! I hope you get infected and there’s not a ventilator for you” Gladly. I just showed you a real life example that infected people flew to the islands in March with no precautions and, literally, zero of us died.
And I can promise you this, tourists will take their vacation dollars elsewhere if they have to pay for ineffective, inaccurate and unnecessary testing that can de-rail their vacation to a destination that makes them ultimately feel unwelcome.
Enough. The beach is calling.
WELL SAID !!!!!!!!!!! 10000 TIMES WELL SAID
DANGEROUS AMBITION MOST OFTEN LURKS BEHIND THE SPECIOUS MASK OF ZEAL FOR THE COMMON GOOD
-ALEXANDER HAMILTON
Best part about your comment was “posturing” by politicians. They couldn’t care less about peoples lives being destroyed, businesses failing, jobs that will never come back, state and county budget deficits that will be passed on for two generations. Nope, you don’t want to be charged with “Why didn’t you do it sooner?” in the media or by constituents……burn the economy to the ground.
Convert affordable housing projects into additional care / quarantine facilities for those who get the virus.
Prepare for the virus to return.
The problems our state and county leaders are creating by trying to avoid the virus are bigger than they understand!
The good ‘ole boy network of politicians in Hawaii is not smart enough to know how to handle this problem. They are hurting more than they are helping!