Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami today announced the percentage of residents and visitors who have taken voluntary post-travel tests for COVID-19, and urged more travelers to participate.
For arrivals between Oct. 15 to 26, about 20% of eligible returning Kaua‘i residents took a post-travel test, while only 2% of visitors participated.
To qualify for a post-travel test, out-of-state travelers must have participated in the state’s pre-travel testing program and received a quarantine exemption from Safe Travels, and have arrived on Kaua‘i 72 hours or more prior to post-travel testing.
“We urge all incoming mainland travelers – both residents and visitors – to take a post-travel test no sooner than 72 hours after arrival,” said Mayor Kawakami. “The ideal timeline to test is five to seven days after arrival, but we understand many visitors won’t be on island that long. In those cases, a post-travel test three days after arriving is preferred.”
“Our recent cases on Kaua‘i have all been related to out-of-state travel,” said Dr. Janet Berreman, Kaua‘i District Health Officer with the state Department of Health. “We are seeing cases in people who have had negative pre-travel and post-travel tests, and later began to feel sick. The incubation period for COVID-19 is up to 14 days. That means that from the day you are exposed to someone with COVID-19, it can take up for 14 days for you to feel sick or to have a positive test result if you are tested.”
For more information, please visit:
Visitors: kauai.gov/visitorposttest
Kaua‘i residents: kauai.gov/residentposttest
Post-arrival test participants receive their results the same day.
“Please get that second test,” said Dr. Berreman. “It helps protect you, and helps protect our community and our island, for those who live here and those who enjoy visiting.”
Arriving quarantine-exempt passengers on Kaua‘i receive a flyer about post-travel testing times and locations. Hotel partners are providing the information to guests, and the county is running print, radio, and online public service announcements for residents.