JUST A MONTH INTO THE PRE-TRAVEL
COVID TEST PROGRAM, AND NEARLY
190-THOUSAND NEGATIVE
TESTS HAVE HELPED LOCALS AND
VISITORS BYPASS QUARANTINE.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO
TEST POSITIVE?
GINA MANGIERI IS ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING
AND FOUND OUT IT'S A BIG BLIND
SPOT FOR THE STATE AND COUNTIES.
THE STATE TELLS ME THEY CAN'T
MAKE THEIR TRUSTED TESTING
PARTNERS TELL THEM WHO FROM OUT
OF STATE CAME UP POSITIVE ON A
PRE-ARRIVAL TEST, AND ONLY A FEW
DOZEN
PEOPLE HAVE SELF REPORTED IT
SINCE THE SAFE TRAVELS PROGRAM
BEGAN LAST MONTH.
IN JUST THE FOUR WEEKS SINCE THE
SAFE TRAVELS PRE-ARRIVAL TEST
OPTION BEGAN, TINY KAUAI COUNTY
HAS ALREADY SEEN
9 LOCALS AND VISITORS COME UP
POSITIVE FOR COVID ON THE TEST
THE TRAVELER WAS HOPING WOULD
GET THEM OUT OF QUARANTINE,
INSTEAD THEY WENT IN TO
ISOLATION.
DR. JANET BERREMAN, DOH-"THE
CASES THAT WE KNOW ABOUT ARE
ONES EITHER THAT WE LEARNED
ABOUT SORT OF
ACCIDENTALLY BY HAPPENSTANCE,
BUT SOME OF THEM ARE PEOPLE WHO
ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING THERE.
OH, MY GOODNESS, I HAVE A
POSITIVE TEST. I WASN'T
EXPECTING THIS. I'M SURE THE
HEALTH DEPARTMENT WANTS TO
KNOW."
THAT'S ONE POSITIVE EVERY FEW
DAYS OF THE PROGRAM SO FAR JUST
FOR KAUAI. SO WE WANTED TO KNOW,
WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS STATEWIDE
FOR PRETRAVEL TEST RESULTS
COMING BACK POSITIVE AFTER
LANDING? STATE AND COUNTY
DEPARTMENTS POINTED
ME IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT
DIRECTIONS, BEFORE THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REVEALED
IT'S MORE THAN 40
DOH-"BUT THESE ARE ONLY THE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE UPLOADED THEIR
POSITIVE RESULTS."
DR. JANET BERREMAN, DOH-"I DO
THINK THAT KIND OF THE GUT LEVEL
FEELING ABOUT THIS IS THAT WE'RE
SEEING THE TIP OF
THE ICEBERG. AND WE JUST DON'T
KNOW HOW BIG THAT ICEBERG IS.
THERE'S NO INCENTIVE FOR A
TRAVELER TO UPLOAD A POSITIVE
TEST, BECAUSE THAT'S LIKELY TO
INTERRUPT YOUR VACATION PLANS OR
YOUR RETURNING HOME PLANS."
I ASKED AREN'T THE TRUSTED
TESTING PARTNERS REQUIRED TO
TELL THE STATE, EVEN IF THE
TRAVELER DOESN'T DISCLOSE THE
BAD NEWS
WILLINGLY? THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL'S OFFICE TOLD ME:
A.G. OFFICE-"THE AGREEMENT DOES
REQUIRE TEST RESULTS TO OUR DOH
FOR HAWAII RESIDENTS. FOR
NON-RESIDENTS, THERE ARE
POTENTIALLY REGULATORY ISSUES
AND IT'S SOMETHING WE ARE
THINKING THROUGH. ADDITIONALLY,
WE ARE REQUIRING TOTAL NUMBERS
PER MONTH OF TESTS AND POSITIVE
RESULTS."
BUT THEY DIDN'T YET DISCLOSE THE
OCTOBER TALLY.
I ASKED THE DEPARTMENT IN CHARGE
OF THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF SAFE
TRAVELS WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE
UPLOADS A POSITIVE
TEST. THE STATE'S CHIEF
INFORMATION OFFICER TOLD ME:
DOUG MURDOCK, CIO-"WHEN THE TEST
RESULT IS POSITIVE OR
INCONCLUSIVE, IT IS FORWARDED TO
THE DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH FOR FURTHER
EVALUATION, FOLLOW-UP AND
REPORTING. THE SYSTEM IS NOT
USED TO TRACK THE ACTUAL
NUMBER OF POSITIVES."
IT'S A BIG BLINDSPOT, ESPECIALLY
BECAUSE EVEN WHEN A TRAVELING
POSITIVE IS KNOWN, ONLY HAWAII
RESIDENTS WILL BE
INCLUDED IN THE STATE'S DAILY
COVID REPORT. POSITIVE VISITORS
PRE-TRAVEL TESTED OUT OF STATE
ARE NOT. DR. JANET BERREMAN,
DOH-" IF YOU THINK ABOUT HOW
HUGE CALIFORNIA IS, AND HOW MANY
CASES THERE ARE, THERE'S
NO GOOD WAY FOR CALIFORNIA TO
KNOW OUT OF THEIR THOUSANDS OF
CASES EVERY DAY, OH, THIS PERSON
IS ON VACATION IN
HAWAII NOW, AND LET US KNOW. SO
THAT'S THE GAP IN THE SYSTEM
IN ADDITION TO THE 9 KAUAI
PRE-TRAVEL POSITIVE ARRIVALS,
THE GARDEN ISLE SAW ANOTHER
DOZEN LOCALS AND VISITORS WITH
NEGATIVE PRE-TESTS TURNING UP
POSITIVE ON A FOLLOWUP.
DR. JANET BERREMAN, DOH-"I HOPE
THAT THE VALUE OF THE
INFORMATION FROM KAUAI IS TO
KIND OF SHINE A LIGHT ON
WHERE THERE ARE GAPS AND
DEFICIENCIES IN THE SAFE TRAVELS
PROGRAM SO THAT THOSE CAN BE
IMPROVED AND AND TIGHTENED"
KAUAI'S MAYOR HAS ASKED THE
GOVERNOR TO SIGN NEW ORDERS
ALLOWING KAUAI TO REQUIRE A
SECOND POST-ARRIVAL TEST BEFORE
BREAKING QUARANTINE, AND HAVING
THE FIRST NEGATIVE PRE- TRAVEL
TEST RESULTS IN HAND AND
UPLOADED TO THE SAFE TRAVELS
DATABASE BEFORE DEPARTING FOR
KAUAI.
IT'S A DIRECTION OFFICIALS ARE
ALREADY MOVING IN FOR
INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS AND MAY
SHIFT TO FOR MAINLAND ARRIVALS.
LT. GOV JOSH GREEN-"SO THIS IS
BECOMING THE POLICY QUICKLY
BEHIND THE SCENES, WE'RE SAYING
THIS A LOT THAT WE SHOULD DO
IT."
GINA MANGIERI KHON2 NEWS ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING.
LAUREN:
THE NEW STATEWIDE MASK MANDATE
ISSUED YESTERDAY ELIMINATES SOME
CONFUSION BY HAVING THE SAME