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Speaker Saikiʻs Bill Will Hurt Kauaʻi and the State

Under Mayor Kawakamiʻs independent travel policies, Kauaʻi has the lowest COVID incidence in
Hawaiʻi.

Nonetheless, Hawaiʻi’s Speaker of the House, Scott Saiki, claiming that Kauaʻiʻs different travel
rules confuse travelers to Hawaiʻi, has proposed House Bill 1286 to force all counties to conform
to the State’s 1-test “Safe” Travels plan.1

The Stateʻs 1-test plan has shown itself to be clearly UNSAFE. After its start on Kauaʻi on
October 15, 2020, careful data tracking showed a DOUBLING of COVID cases in one month. In
the first seven months of the pandemic, Kauaʻi had 60 infections. After one month of the Stateʻs
unsafe travel plan, Kauaʻi’s total caseload spiked to 120. Of those post-reopening cases, 80%
were incoming travelers. The Stateʻs unsafe plan was unquestionably the cause.

Kauaʻi wisely opted out. Maui didn't--and went from 1% of the state's total cases to 18% today.

The Lt. Governor’s own Safe Travels Surveillance Study was quietly terminated after 18
positives out of 2,507 post arrival PCR tests from O’ahu, Maui, and Kaua’i showed that the
predeparture test missed at least 7 of 1,000 travelers--seven times the prediction of Stateʻs
travel plan.

The Stateʻs travel plan was never based in science.2 Infected people don't usually test positive
until Day 4 or 5 after exposure when the viral shedding becomes detectable. One pretravel
negative test does not mean a traveler is safe. A significant number of travelers test positive
AFTER arrival, seeding spread in Hawaii.3

For U.S. citizens returning to America (a category of travelers akin to returning residents or
visitors to Hawaiʻi), the Centers for Disease Control states: “Testing before and after travel is
a critical layer to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19.”4 It recommends a pre-
departure test, a second test between 3-5 days after arrival, and post arrival quarantine for 7
days.5

There appears to be a concerted effort to blame local residents for the COVID.6 Those
minimizing the role of travel are denying a basic pandemic fact: TRAVEL CAUSES SPREAD.

1 https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2021/bills/HB1286_.HTM
2 https://tinyurl.com/aloha12steps
3 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2015897, https://www.communitycoalitionkauai.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/09/A-Plan-for-Safely-Reopening-Hawai%CA%BBi-v1.3-200824.pdf
4 https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0112-negative-covid-19-air-passengers.html
5https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-
travelers.html#:~:text=CDC%20recommends%20that%20travelers%20get,stay%20home%20for
%2010%20days.
6https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/12/21/hawaii-news/residents-sentiment-toward-tourism-has-
worsened/
Coronavirus variants that could increase the danger come only through travel. Countries
successfully handling the coronavirus, like Taiwan, New Zealand, and Australia have
demonstrated that itʻs critical to keep infections out. It’s impossible to contain the virus when
there is a continuous incoming stream; the Stateʻs travel plan is likely a significant cause of the
triple digit 7-day new cases average that plagued Hawaiʻi throughout January.

The tragedy is that the 1-test plan is not only failing to keep Hawaiʻi safe; it is also failing to save
the economy. From President Biden to economists like Hawaiʻi’s Paul Brewbaker, there is
agreement that “You don’t solve the economic problem until the epidemiological problem is
solved.”7 The only way to revive the economy is to disable the virus.

The solution has always been a truly safe way to bring travelers in. Unfortunately, the Lt.
Governor and certain travel, medical, and business leaders have chosen to ignore science and
push a travel plan that puts the short-term economic interests of tourism over the health of the
people, yet continues to perpetuate the economic problem--the coronavirus. A recent poll
showed 67% of Hawaiʻiʻs residents agreeing that “the island is being run for tourists at the
expense of local people.”8

Stopping Mayor Kawakami from effectively protecting his constituents is unfathomable. If the
Speaker wants uniformity AND a solid plan to weather this pandemic, he would do better to
follow Kauaʻi’s lead and endorse a science-based plan by which to welcome visitors to Hawaiʻi
safely.

7https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/08/05/breaking-news/watch-live-paul-brewbaker-economist-at-tz-
economics-joins-honolulu-star-advertisers-spotlight-hawaii/
8https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/12/21/hawaii-news/residents-sentiment-toward-tourism-has-
worsened/

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