Inter-Island Quarantine Begins Today

There are two active COVID-19 cases in Kaua‘i County as of Monday, brining the cumulative total to 49.

During a daily briefing from Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami he confirmed Monday’s case was a household contact to the individual diagnosed with the coronavirus on Sunday. Both cases were related to inter-island travel. The individuals are in isolation and close contacts are in quarantine.

Berreman said Kaua‘i’s two cases were not sick before they traveled. They were infected on a neighbor island.

The first case was identified during a health care visit and the second case was identified through contact tracing.

Janet Berreman with Kaua‘i District Health Office explained the Kaua‘i District Health Office has more than 50 Department of Health staff trained as contact tracers as well as 20 volunteers trained through University of Hawai‘i.

Starting today, an inter-island 14-day quarantine will be reinstated per Gov. David Ige’s order. The quarantine requires all residents and visitors traveling between islands to quarantine for 14 days.

“O‘ahu currently poses the biggest threat to Hawai‘i residents traveling inter-island,” said Berreman. “Travel to any neighbor islands often involves transiting through O‘ahu, with residents and visitors from O‘ahu.”

The DOH reported 140 new COVID-19 cases statewide. O‘ahu has a cumulative total of 3,249 cases.

“With cases continuing to rise on O‘ahu, inter-island travel has become an increasingly risky activity,” Kawakami said.

There are no exemptions to the quarantine, although in certain cases the conditions of quarantine may be modified. Inter-island travelers who believe they qualify for a modified quarantine should visit www.kauai.gov/COVID-19 and click on the “Modified Quarantine Request” button at the top of the page. Be prepared to provide travel details and reason for request.