Mufi's Message - October 1, 2021

Gov. Ige's Proclamation - A Clarification

Aloha,

I've been receiving numerous calls and texts about Gov. Ige's press conference this afternoon and want to provide some clarity on what the emergency proclamation means.

Gov. Ige's previous emergency proclamations were all in effect for sixty days, and his previous proclamation was set to expire on Oct. 4. By signing a new proclamation today, he has extended all emergency rules including limits on gathering size and the use of masks indoors. You may recall that Gov. Ige had previously announced that Safe Travels would be shut down when the state reached 70% vaccination. However, due to the Delta variant's spread, he made clear that this would not be the case, and the emergency proclamation would have to be updated.

In regard to our coalition meeting with the Governor and our request for him to make clear that travel to Hawai'i is welcome, he had this to say during today's press conference: “I have been meeting with the visitor industry- we just met this past week. We are looking at and working to identify just like the last time when we had launched Safe Travels on Oct. 15, the industry did let me know that it does take time to ramp up. They would like at least two-weeks notice ahead of any significant change. I am committed to working with them and actively promoting just as we did in August when we asked not to travel to the islands. Certainly I will be working with the industry, airlines, hotels, to deliver the message. We want to ensure that travelers are vaccinated, they are respectful of our requirements here. And certainly we would be looking at messaging that Hawaii continues to welcome visitors at the appropriate time.”

To be clear, Gov. Ige's August 23rd request for nonessential travel to halt was not a mandate and was stated while the State was under emergency proclamation. This extension of emergency rules does not preclude the Governor from announcing that nonessential travel to Hawai'i can resume.

The Star-Advertiser noted this, writing that, "with case and hospitalization numbers trending downward, [Ige] said 'we will be considering getting to a point where we will be inviting visitors back to the islands.'"

I hope this clarification helps. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, Jared Higashi, or Jared Ellis at any time. They can be reached at jhigashi@hawaiilodging.org and jellis@hawaiilodging.org.

Mahalo,
​Mufi