Hawaiʻi Opens ‘Safe Travels’ Connection With French Polynesia

Beginning Monday, travelers from French Polynesia will be added to Hawaiʻi’s Safe Travels Program.

They may bypass the state’s mandatory 10-day quarantine if they take a COVID-19 test from a trusted testing partner in French Polynesia. The test must be taken no earlier than 72 hours prior to departure and the test result must be negative.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) has approved the use of the COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) conducted by the Institut Louis Malardé for the pre-travel test.

“I am very grateful to President Fritch and all those in the French Polynesian government who have worked hard to make our pre-travel testing program available to your residents,” Gov. David Ige said. “Many of Hawaiʻi’s residents have family in Tahiti, and welcoming our guests from French Polynesia to Hawaiʻi is an important step in maintaining the close relationship between our two regions.”

In addition to the state’s program, effective Jan. 26, 2021 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving from a foreign country to the United States.

For international travelers coming to Hawaiʻi, only tests from Trusted Testing Partners will be accepted for purposes of by-passing the state’s 10-day traveler quarantine.

On Jan. 21, 2021, the President of the United States issued an executive order requiring, among other things, that masks must be worn at airports and on airplanes. The federal government is also contemplating additional measures relating to periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation and/or testing after entry into the United States. For the time being, the state is making no changes to the Safe Travels program.

For more information visit https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/ and https://tahititourisme.com/en-us/returningtohawaii/.