A resort in the famed tourist mecca of Waikiki will be the first in Hawaii to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all employees and guests.
Starting October 15, Alohilani Resort will require its employees, patrons and guests to show proof they're fully vaccinated.
The requirement will also apply to the six other Waikiki properties owned or operated by Highgate, a real estate investment and hospitality management company.
Hawaii has a vaccination rate of 55.84percent, with more than 700,000 people being fully vaccinated, but just two weeks ago Gov. David Ige asked tourists to postpone travel plans to the Island until November, after the state reached record CoVID-19 infections this summer.
'Now is not the time to visit the islands. It's a risky time to be traveling right now,' Ige said at a press conference on August 24.
Waikiki Beach and Highgate Hawaii's collection of seven hotels are announcing today that they will begin requiring proof of full vaccination for all employees, guests and patrons
Hawaii became the third state to have hotels mandating vaccination, as the state tourism-dependent economy is trying to rebound from earlier in the pandemic when the state imposed a mandatory quarantine on all incoming travelers.
The PUBLIC Hotel, Equinox Hotel and Wythe Hotel in New York and Pilgrim House in Massachusetts have also announced they will require guests be vaccinated.
Kelly Sanders, senior vice president of operations at Highgate Hawaii said that the measure was the right thing to do, as Hawaii grapples with a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations because of the highly contagious Delta variant.
'So I think we will be the safest hotel in Hawaii, at least for now,' Sanders said ahead of a news conference Wednesday to announce the mandate. 'And hopefully that helps our business and doesn´t hurt our business.'
John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, called the move a step in a the right direction and said he hopes other hotels follow suit.
'What I appreciate about it is that our community, our workforce and the guests are all mutual beneficiaries of this decision by Highgate,' he said. 'And I anticipate that it will receive much attention from others in the industry.'
The announcement came two weeks after Hawaii Gov. David Ige asked tourists to postpone travel plans to the island until November
The seven resorts are the first in Hawaii to ask for proof of vaccination from guests
Hawaii state workers and Honolulu city employees must show proof of vaccination or get weekly COVID-19 testing.
Honolulu is requiring clients of restaurants, gyms, bars, movie theaters, museums and other businesses to show vaccination proof or recent negative tests starting September 13.
Sanders said the Waikiki hotels won't allow testing alternatives, but will allow for medical or religious exemptions and will exempt children younger than 12 who cannot get vaccinated.
'We want to create an environment where everybody feels comfortable coming to work,' Sanders said. 'And I don´t think you can do that from an employee standpoint unless you´re requiring all your patrons and your guests to do the same, to be honest.'
There are about 1,000 employees among the seven properties and an estimated 70% are already vaccinated, Sanders said.
Starting October 15, 'Alohilani Resort will require its employees, patrons and guests to show proof they're fully vaccinated
'What I appreciate about it is that our community, our workforce and the guests are all mutual beneficiaries of this decision by Highgate,' said John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority
Travelers can now bypass quarantine by showing proof of vaccination.
Others must have negative test results before their departures to Hawaii to avoid the 10-day quarantine.
The move sets 'a high standard as to what is expected of you when you get here, for your own wellbeing as a traveler and out of respect for the community that you´re visiting and the work environment you will be residing in,' De Fries said.
There were an average of 706 newly confirmed infection cases per day across Hawaii between August 30 and September 5 across Hawaii, according to the state Department of Health.
Officials in the state have considered a new lockdown, after a surge in cases of the Delta variant during the summer.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi echoed Ige's weariness of welcoming tourists, but said tourists were not entirely at fault for the rise in infections.
'The tourists have not been responsible,'
'This has been a locally driven situation. We need to start owning that. There's a reality on who's getting sick here, and it's our local people.'
'They've been traveling to the mainland, getting sick, coming back, not quarantining, going out into the community and aiding in communal spread,'
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