Hawai‘i has consistently ranked in the top ten states for vaccination rates which has some people wondering about an inter-island vaccine passport system for residents.
Governor David Ige said the state is looking at how to implement vaccinated adults into the Safe Travels program both for inter-island and trans-Pacific travel.
But right now, county mayors would be willing to open travel only for vaccinated residents traveling inter-island, Ige said. A vaccine passport system for trans-Pacific travelers could be further in the future.
"One of the biggest challenges is that the federal government said that they are not going to be establishing a national vaccination record, that they would be working with private sector businesses and partners to be able to do that," he said.
Ige said two national companies, Clear and CommonPass, have committed to and are working on being able to verify vaccinations. The state is also working with them to incorporate their platforms into the Safe Travels program.
Click here to listen to his full interview on The Conversation.
