NOT THE TIME

Hawaii Guv Pleads for Tourists to Stay Away as COVID Surges

Visitors who choose to come “will not have the typical kind of holiday that they expect,” Gov. David Ige said.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige has begged tourists to reconsider their decision to visit the state as the Delta variant rages. “It’s not a good time to travel to the islands,” Ige said in a press conference Monday. “The visitors who choose to come... will not have the typical kind of holiday that they expect to get when they visit Hawaii.” The islands have seen a rise in COVID cases and hospitalizations. State health officials believe that large gatherings are the root cause, prompting the government to put stricter limits on gatherings. Just over half the state is fully vaccinated but officials are urging more people to get a jab as hospitals could soon be “maxed out,” Honolulu Emergency Medical Services chief Dr. James Ireland said. “That’s the way out of this,” he said. “Vaccinations.”