Gov. David Ige on Wednesday signed a 13th supplementary emergency proclamation that extends the COVID-19 emergency period through Oct. 31.

The emergency proclamation leaves in place the 14-day mandatory quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers. However, beginning Oct. 15, a pre-travel testing option will allow travelers an alternative to the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

“Our response to COVID-19 has always been driven by the need to protect the safety of our residents and community. The pre-travel testing program allows us to do this while welcoming more people to our state. The increased economic activity will help strengthen our communities,” said Gov. David Ige.

Travelers who, upon entry into the state, provide written confirmation from a state approved COVID-19 testing facility of a negative test result from a test administered to the traveler within 72 hours from the final leg of departure, will be exempt from the mandatory quarantine.

A “state approved COVID-19 test” means a test to determine the presence of active COVID-19 infection that has been approved for use under these rules by the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH).

The approved tests must be processed by laboratories that are licensed or certified by Clinical Laboratories Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of specimens for nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT).  That would include the deep nasal swab test among others.  Click here for an FDA review of different COVID-19 tests.

The Governor has said the state has gotten agreement from CVS, Kaiser Permanente, and Walgreens that they can provide the required tests, with results within 72 hours.  However, in an online discussion with Yunji DeNies and Ryan Tsuji on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser website, Ige acknowledged that some testing sites will not test children under 12.

The inter-island quarantine for travelers arriving in the counties of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, Maui and Kalawao (Kalaupapa) remains in place. However, the proclamation empowers the counties to adopt a similar pre-test travel exemption.  In the Star-Advertiser discussion, Ige noted there still is a limitation to being able to test everybody within the state.

The proclamation also:

• Mandates that all persons must wear masks in compliance with the county orders, rules and directives approved by the governor.
• Extends the prohibition on evictions for non-payment of rent until Oct. 31.
• Extends the expiration dates of expired/expiring state IDs and driver’s licenses until Oct. 31.