LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i District Health Office reported one new positive case of COVID-19 on Monday related to a traveler who participated in the state’s Safe Travels program.
The new case is a female visitor who traveled from the mainland. The woman took a pre-travel test, but received her positive test result after arrival. She is in isolation and close contacts are being identified, directed to quarantine, and offered testing. The investigation is ongoing.
This is the ninth confirmed case of a traveler who participated in the state’s pre-travel program but did not receive a positive test result until after arrival.
The county’s total number of active, on-island cases is 13, with two cases in the hospital. All are in isolation.
There are 66 close contacts of positive cases who are in Health Department-directed quarantine. The cumulative Kaua‘i case count is now 92, including one probable and 9 positive cases diagnosed elsewhere, since they had positive tests taken on the mainland but results were not received until they were on Kaua‘i.
Kaua‘i County’s guidelines for COVID-19 response currently remains at Tier 4, the least restrictive level. That average is being closely monitored in the event Kaua‘i must move tiers.
“Our goal is to remain in Tier 4, but that will not be possible if we continue on this track,” Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami said in a statement. “Kaua‘i’s Incident Management Team will be proposing new local rules in an effort to reduce our number of travel-related cases.”
For more information on tier levels and to view the current daily average, please visit kauai.gov/COVID-19.
For more information on the state’s COVID-19 cases or the state’s Safe Travels program, visit hawaiicovid19.com.
For more information on the county’s voluntary post-travel testing program, visit kauai.gov/COVID-19. For more information on the county’s new surge testing program, visit kauai.gov/test.
“ This is the ninth confirmed case of a traveler who participated in the state’s pre-travel program but did not receive a positive test result until after arrival.”
Please explain how an CV infected person is allowed to board an airplane and land here WITHOUT a NEGATIVE TEST RESULT?!?
BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO TRAVEL!
The current Hawaiian “Safe Travel” program is a dangerous joke of mismanagement by bureaucrats who are over their heads
If local residents were restricted from travel the numbers make it look like Covid cases would be reduced by over 70%.
See any large family or community groups of tourists hanging out without masks socializing? Locals have been 100% responsible for Covid community spread on Kauai.
If we are going to solve the Covid problem we should first identify what exactly is causing the problem.
Eric Clapton sang, “Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself”.
That being said, I think we should have a mandatory second test on Kauai for all returning passengers and let them pay for it. Government can’t handle the $1,000,000 a week cost of doing this. If you can’t afford a test, don’t travel. Enough people will pay to keep the economy alive.
This is what happens when our genius Mayor agrees to let in a bunch of budget travelers.
The Mayor then says: “but that will not be possible if we continue on this track.”
No, Mayor, there is no “we”. YOU and you alone made the nonsensical decision to put Kauai on this track.
We love Kauai and we have been visiting for over 30 years. But we decided to postpone our visIt this year. We don’t wish to put islanders or ourselves under any undo threat.
Stay safe, Kauai, we’ll see you in 2021.