Hawaii ends some Covid-19 safety precautions for domestic travelers later this month

(CNN) — Hawaii’s Safe Travels program, set up to slow the spread of Covid-19 through safety measures for travelers, will end on March 25, the state’s governor announced.

Domestic passengers arriving in Hawaii after the program ends will not need to follow previous regulations, such as showing proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test to bypass quarantine, according to Gov. David Ige.

“It’s important to remember that we’re only talking about domestic travel, this doesn’t apply to international travelers who have different requirements set by the federal government,” Ige said Tuesday. “It is also equally important to note that all Safe Travels requirements must be met by inbound domestic passengers by March 25.”

International travelers 18 years of age and older who are not U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, or green card holders must be fully immunized to enter the United States. Children 17 and under are exempt.

All air passengers 2 years of age or older on a flight departing from the United States from another country are required to show a negative result of a Covid-19 virus test taken no later than one day before travel, or present documentation showing that they have recovered from Covid-19 within the last 90 days prior to boarding.

Hawaii is one of several states to ease Covid-19 restrictions as cases and hospitalizations decline following Omicron’s surge during the 2021 holiday season.

Throughout the pandemic, Hawaii maintained some of the strictest travel measures of any state and had relatively low Covid-19 numbers compared to other states.

Officials continue to review the state’s indoor masking requirements, Ige said.

“Masks will continue to be required for indoor workplaces and airports even as safe travel and employee vaccination and testing requirements disappear,” Ige said. “The pandemic is not over.”

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