Gov. David Ige announced Wednesday that starting Feb. 5 travelers from Korea may bypass the state’s mandatory 10-day quarantine if they take a COVID-19 test from a trusted testing partner in Korea. The test must be taken no earlier than 72 hours prior to departure and the test result must be negative.
In addition to the state’s program, as of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now requires proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving from a foreign country to the United States.
For international travelers coming to the state, only tests from Trusted Testing Partners will be accepted for purposes of by-passing the traveler quarantine.
On Jan. 21, President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring, among other things, that masks must be worn at airports and on airplanes. The federal government is also contemplating additional measures relating to periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation and/or testing after entry into the United States. For the time being, the state is making no changes to the Safe Travels program.
“The pre-travel testing program is just one layer of the state’s comprehensive Safe Travels Hawaii program, which has served us well in protecting our residents and visitors. We are excited to safely welcome back travelers from Korea,” said Ige.
The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Honolulu welcomed the launch of this program, saying that it will contribute to expanding people to people exchanges between Korea and Hawaii while taking necessary safety measures.
The state Department of Health has approved the use of the COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test conducted by a laboratory authorized by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in Korea, for the pre-travel test. The following four trusted testing partners in Korea have been approved as of Wednesday:
• Yonsei University Health System, Severance Hospital, https://sev.severance.healthcare/sev
• Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, www.kbsmc.co.kr
• Inha University Hospital, www.inha.com
• Asan Medical Center, www.amc.seoul.kr
Korean nationals traveling abroad are still subject to a 14-day quarantine upon their return to the country. Travel restrictions on U.S. travel to Korea remain in place.
For more information visit https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/ and https://www.gohawaii.com/kr/special-alerts-information-korean.