9 visitors sent back to their home states under new coronavirus flight assistance program

The Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii has used its newly formed COVID-19 flight assistance program to send back nine travelers so far, including visitors from Denver and from Guam.

The program, which is funded with a grant from the Hawaii Tourism Authority, aims to ensure that travelers to Hawaii don’t stay here unless they have the resources to follow a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. Visitors are required to bear all quarantine expenses, including lodging and food delivery.

Jessica Lani Rich, VASH president and CEO, said the nonprofit paid to send a Denver woman home Thursday after it discovered she had not made any plans to stay in a hotel to complete the quarantine.

“She said she was coming here because during COVID-19 flights were cheap and so were hotels,” Rich said. “It’s irresponsible for visitors to come to Hawaii now. If they haven’t made any plans to follow the quarantine, we’re sending them back. It’s our job to keep Hawaii safe.”

Read more: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/04/11/hawaii-news/arriving-visitors-spur-local-5-to-push-for-hotel-safety/