Hawaiʻi County will continue its trans-Pacific post-arrival testing program at both the Hilo and Kona airports through May 10. Post-arrival tests will only be mandatory for travelers who are not fully vaccinated. Travelers who are able to produce proof of vaccination, with the final vaccination date being at least fourteen days prior to arrival, will be granted an exemption from the post-arrival test. The original post-arrival testing program was slated to end on May 1. The decision to continue the post-arrival testing program comes as the State moves towards its debut of vaccination exemptions for inter-island travel on May 11.

“In an effort to support the State’s travel initiatives while continuing to provide safeguards for our community,
we have decided to extend our post-arrival testing program an additional ten days,” said Mayor Mitch Roth.
“Our program has been extremely successful thus far in keeping our numbers some of the best in the Nation.
However, as we continue to see an incredible amount of travelers arrive who have been completely vaccinated,
we feel that it is now safe to transition out of the post-arrival testing program completely. We hope that moving
away from our testing program to adhere to the State’s vaccination exemption programs will help alleviate
confusion for both visitors and kamaʻāina alike – making it easier for our residents to visit family and friends
they haven’t seen in far too long.”