Hawaii will not require vaccinated travelers to have a Covid-19 booster shot to avoid testing and quarantine when entering the state, Gov. David Ige announced Tuesday after considering such a move for the past month.
This comes as the state is seeing a wave of omicron-driven Covid cases recede, with its seven-day average dropping 75% from a pandemic high of 4,661 cases in mid-January to 1,142 cases Tuesday, according to state numbers.
In announcing his decision Tuesday, Ige cited Hawaii’s declining case and hospitalization rates and said he took into consideration Hawaii’s high vaccination rates, with more than 75% of the state fully vaccinated.
With Covid cases in decline across the U.S., many Democrat-led states have begun easing pandemic precautions.
Hawaii will not be relaxing restrictions yet, Ige said in the press release.
“At this time, we will also maintain the indoor mask mandate and other rules that have helped us manage this pandemic while reopening the economy,” Ige said.
Hawaii has struggled with raising its booster rates, with just under 36% of fully vaccinated residents opting for another jab. Hawaii Department of Health director Libby Char still urged residents to get boosted following Ige’s decision, citing evidence that a third shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines is over 90% effective at keeping people out of the hospital for Covid.
“Omicron case counts are dropping but we don’t know if or when we may see another surge in cases of COVID-19,” Char said in the press release. “Getting vaccinated and boosted now will help to prevent you from becoming seriously ill.”
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