Councilwoman: State should require visitors to prove they’ve tested negative for coronavirus

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A Honolulu City Councilwoman is calling on the state to have more safeguards in place before lifting a mandatory quarantine for visitors and restarting the tourism industry.

Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi has introduced a resolution that asks the state to require travelers to have proof of a negative coronavirus test before getting on a flight to Hawaii.

She also wants them re-screened for symptoms once they land in the islands.

“This is the time where we can look to be more creative and ask for congressional help in how we can dictate — especially since we are an island home," she said.

The proposal comes as the number of visitors arriving in the islands continues to tick up.

On Monday, 845 people flew into the state, including 246 visitors and 310 residents.

That’s up from 228 on Sunday and 188 the day before.

The total number of visitors to the islands is still far lower than typical — at this time last year, Hawaii was seeing about 30,000 visitor arrivals daily.