Hawaii Slated to Roll Out Vaccine Passport Program for Travelers

Hawaii is one of the states working to roll out a vaccine passport program for travelers, which may come to fruition as early as May, according to reports.

While several red state governors have expressed opposition to a vaccine passport program, Hawaii is angling to roll out one by this summer, allowing certain travelers to avoid a mandatory quarantine period.

Hawaii currently requires travelers arriving without a confirmed negative coronavirus test within 72-hours of departure to quarantine for ten days, per the Safe Travels Program.

“All travelers must have a negative test result BEFORE beginning the final leg of their trip. Anyone without a negative test result PRIOR to departure must quarantine upon arrival,” the state explains in a section detailing its travel restrictions.

“The negative test result must be uploaded onto Safe Travels prior to departure or printed out prior to departure and hard copy in hand when arriving in Hawai‘i,” it adds.

However, vaccinated travelers will be able to skip these restrictions with the rollout of the vaccine passport program. Gov. David Ige (D) previewed the program in a proclamation signed last week, listed under Self Quarantine Exceptions.

It reads in part:

Upon the establishment of an exception by the Director of HIEMA, persons who, prior to departure to the State, upload into the State’s Safe Travels program or otherwise provide validation that they have completed a vaccine regimen approved by
DOH. This third exception is not available as of the date of this Proclamation, requires action by the Director of HIEMA and details will be posted at https://hawaiicovid19.com/. Persons under the age of five accompanied by a traveler who meets existing test exceptions are not required to obtain a test prior to arrival.

According to Forbes, the vaccine passport program could begin as early as May as the state irons out the details with several apps, including Clear, CommonPass, and FirstVitals.

The hope is “to streamline integrating a pre-flight vaccination verification process into the state’s Safe Travels program for travelers arriving by plane to the 50th state,” the outlet reported.

A handful of Republican governors have expressed opposition to vaccine passport programs, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has taken the most affirmative action against the rollout of vaccine passport programs, signing an executive order prohibiting the use of vaccine passports:

“Requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports for taking part in everyday life — such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant, or going to a movie theater— would create two cases of citizens based on vaccination,” the executive order reads, emphasizing the importance of protecting the “fundamental rights and privacies of Floridians and the free flow of commerce within the state.”