A new pre-travel testing program will allow visitors who test negative for COVID-19 to come to Hawaii and avoid two weeks of mandatory quarantine goes into effect Thursday. “I need time to relax, unwind.”The new testing program is an effort to stem the devastating downturn the pandemic has had on Hawaii’s tourism-based economy. But gaps in the pre-travel testing program coupled with increasing cases of COVID-19 across the U.S. have raised questions about whether Hawaii is ready to safely welcome back vacationers. The $75 million program is being funded by federal CARES Act money and is aimed at stimulating the local economy. “This second test upon arrival to Hawaii island will provide an extra layer of protection for our community,” Kim said in a statement Monday.

Coronavirus weary residents and struggling business owners in Hawaii will be watching closely as tourists begin to return to the islands on Thursday without having to self-quarantine upon arrival. The new testing program is an effort to stem the devastating downturn the pandemic has had on Hawaii’s tourism-based economy. But gaps in the pre-travel testing program coupled with increasing cases of COVID-19 across the U.S. have raised questions about whether Hawaii is ready to safely welcome back vacationers. David Ige on Wednesday to talk about a new restaurant debit card that will give some unemployed Hawaii residents a $500 to spend at local restaurants over the next 60 days. “This second test upon arrival to Hawaii island will provide an extra layer of protection for our community," said Big Island Mayor Harry Kim in a statement Monday.

After a summer marked by a surge of coronavirus cases in Hawaii, officials plan to reboot the tourism based economy later this month despite concerns about the state's pre-travel testing program. But others view the pre-travel testing plan as the best way to add a layer of protection while kickstarting the economy. As part of the plan, Hawaii is partnering with several U.S. mainland pharmacies and airlines for testing. He has also proposed implementing a voluntary surveillance testing program that would screen a percentage of arriving passengers who are in high-risk groups. “In a perfect world, we wouldn’t reopen until we had a vaccine," said John DeFries, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.