Hawaii extends 14-day quarantine for all incoming travelers

In this photo taken Friday, June 5, 2020, a surfer walks on a sparsely populated Waikiki beach in Honolulu. Hawaii faces unpleasant options for addressing a dramatic decline in tax revenues precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdown of the state's tourism industry. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy) In this photo taken Friday, June 5, 2020, a surfer walks on a sparsely populated Waikiki beach in Honolulu. Hawaii faces unpleasant options for addressing a dramatic decline in tax revenues precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdown of the state's tourism industry. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

By CALEB JONES / Associated Press June 11, 2020 1 min read

HONOLULU (AP) – Hawaii Gov. David Ige extended the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arriving travelers on Wednesday in a bid to keep coronavirus cases in the islands low.

Ige said the rule is being extended to the end of July as the state works to solidify a screening process that could soon allow travelers to return in some capacity.

Officials said they are planning to install thermal screening stations and facial recognition technology at the airports by the end of the year. Ige said the technology would be used only to track people within the airport during the screening process.

Hawaii has among the lowest COVID-19 infection and mortality rates in the nation. Ige enacted a mandatory self-quarantine for all arriving tourists and residents in March.

Violators of the quarantine rules have been arrested, including a resident who was found to have left her home after returning to Waikiki this week.