Hawaii and Italy, in two different situations are trying two different uses of Covid-19 testing as alternatives to isolation, quarantine or outright banning flights.
In Hawaii's case, starting October 15, out-of-state visitors will no longer be required to quarantine for 14 days on arrival if they test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours before boarding their flights. Gov. David Ige announced the plan Thursday, and said the state has lined up deals with CVS drugstores and Kaiser Permanente Healthcare to process and report results.
Italy, meanwhile, has announced a pilot program to use rapid-results testing at airports to ensure that passengers boarding a flight are all negative for the disease. The plan is being tested on two daily Alitalia flights from Rome to Milan. Passengers will still be required to keep their distance and wear masks.
Travel operators and especially hard-hit airlines have been urging European governments to turn to testing rather than quarantine as a means of recovering from staggering economic losses. If successful, the plan will be rolled out across other flights. One concern has been how accurate the 30-minute tests are, although they are based on the same nasal swab method as tests that take longer to process.
The testing regimen is not Hawaii's only move to revive its tourism business, which has sunk to about 10% of normal. The governor also recently signed an order allowing visitors to the northern island of Kauai to move freely about within the resort they are quarantined at, as long as they wear ankle monitors and observe all distancing and mask rules. Previously they had been limited to their rooms and could not use pools, restaurants or other facilities.
Photo: Surfing at Sunset, Waikiki Beach (DrFumblefinger/TravelGumbo)
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