Thousands arrive in Hawaii on first day pre-travel testing

By CALEB JONES Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — About 8,000 people landed in Hawaii on the first day of a pre-travel testing program that allowed travelers to come to the islands without quarantining for two weeks if they could produce a negative coronavirus test. A new pre-travel testing program allows visitors who test negative for COVID-19 to come to Hawaii and avoid two weeks of mandatory quarantine. The state-run testing program is an effort to stem the devastating downturn the pandemic has had on Hawaii’s tourism-based economy. However, gaps in the program coupled with increasing cases of COVID-19 across the U.S. and the world have raised questions about whether Hawaii is ready to safely welcome back vacationers.