Beginning, Saturday, April 17, 2021, travelers from Taiwan and Southern California’s Ontario International Airport may bypass the State of Hawaiʻi’s mandatory 10-day quarantine if they take a COVID-19 test from a trusted testing partner.
In all cases, the test must be taken no earlier than 72 hours prior to departure and the negative test result submitted prior to departure for Hawaiʻi.
The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) has approved the use of the COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) for Taiwan’s pre-travel test, conducted by a laboratory authorized by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare.
“Historically, the traveler from Taiwan to Hawaiʻi has been mindful of our local ways and cultural traditions. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, visitors from Taiwan spent approximately $251 per person per day while in Hawai‘i. At a time when we seek to rebuild our economy while keeping our residents safe, the expansion of the pre-travel testing program to Taiwan is welcomed news,” said John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority in a press release.
While there are no direct flights from Taiwan to Hawaiʻi at this time, the service will be useful for passengers arriving in the state via other international or U.S. mainland cities. Taiwanese nationals traveling abroad are still subject to a 14-day quarantine upon their return to the country. Travel restrictions on U.S. travel to Taiwan remain in place.
Ontario International Airport is the 2nd airport certified by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health as a trusted testing partner. Together with Ontario International Airport Authority’s (OIAA) testing partner Covid Clinic, Inc., OIAA will offer several COVID-19 testing options, including for those traveling to Hawaiʻi under the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi pre-travel testing program. Passengers may choose one of two testing options for travel to Hawaiʻi – an expedited PCR test that provides results the next day or a rapid molecular NAAT test that provides results within 60 minutes. Travelers may utilize these testing options either on a “walk-up” basis or by appointment, 6:30am – 10:30pm every day, at the airport testing location in Parking Lot 3. Full details and appointments are available at www.covidclinic.org/ont.
Updates about travel through Ontario International Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic, current departure and arrival information, airport maps, and details about on-airport parking, shopping, dining and more, can be found at https://www.flyontario.com/covid19.
For more information visit https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/.
