Message from Chancellor Irwin on reinstated 14-day quarantine on interisland travel
The 14-day travel quarantine is reinstated; all students from the neighbor islands will have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival on Hawai‘i Island.
Aloha,
Many of you learned, as I did, of the reinstated 14-day quarantine on interisland travel during Governor Ige’s news conference this afternoon. This will take effect Tuesday, August 11, which means that all students from the neighbor islands will also have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival on Hawai‘i Island. The proclamation is not yet completed, so we will keep you informed if anything changes.
In addition to the governor’s order, the vice chancellors and I had a meeting with Mayor Kim late this afternoon to discuss the mayor’s proposal to the governor to suspend attendance for all out-of-state students across the University of Hawai‘i System for the fall semester and have them take their classes all online. He has been lobbying for this for some time, so far unsuccessfully. We informed the mayor that we already have some students on island under quarantine, and there are some programs for which not all classes can be taken online. We are honoring the full 14-day quarantine for our students, and have repeatedly reminded them of the serious penalties for breaking the rules.
On behalf of the UH Hilo leadership team, please know that we all understand and share in your frustrations and concerns. I respect our government officials who are trying to safeguard our health and safety, but at the same time, I regret the timing of these decisions, which have made the work of many of you that much more difficult.
I continue to ask for everyone’s patience as we try to fulfill our mission of providing a rich educational and personal experience for all students who come to our campus and those who access our classes online.
Mahalo,
Bonnie D. Irwin
Chancellor, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo
