UHERO BRIEFS ARE CIRCULATED TO STIMULATE DISCUSSION AND CRITICAL COMMENT. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS. WHILE BRIEFS BENEFIT FROM ACTIVE UHERO DISCUSSION, THEY HAVE NOT UNDERGONE FORMAL ACADEMIC PEER REVIEW.
In this short policy brief, we aim to answer four questions. 1. Will Japanese tourists coming to Hawaii be COVID-19 free after taking a pre-departure PCR test? 2. Are some Japanese tourists likely to be infected in Hawaii and bring COVID-19 back to Japan? 3. Will the combination of a pre-departure test and a quarantine upon return to Japan lead to a substantial resumption of tourism to Hawaii? 4. What are the potential pitfalls and risks from reopening Japanese tourism?
2 thoughts on “Reopening Japanese Tourism in Hawaii: Is it Safe?”
Great follow-up to your observations over the summer about the possibilities opened up by rapid-testing. Oahu already had to tamp down a second wave of coronavirus transmission in late-summer. A risk is that America’s third regional Covid wave in the North Central states, from Wisconsin to Idaho, centered on the Dakotas (> 1,000 daily new COVID-19 cases/million persons in late-October) could complicate rehabilitation of Hawaii’s reputation as a safe destination. With Free-Range mainland travel restored (albeit under a testing protocol) Oahu’s role as The Gathering Place for East Asians, as well, requires vigilance. Your update is a reminder how important it is to get this right the first time. Reputations are hard to rebuild.
Nice summary. One quick question – why did you opt to reference IHME vs others? Since this is the internet let me be clear that this isn’t a leading question toward criticism, I’m just always curious about the “why’s” behind model selection. Mahalos.