United Airlines Will Offer a 15 Minute COVID-19 Test to Passengers Flying to Hawaii from San Francisco SFO, starting October 15, 2020. Hawaii is Reopening October 15, 2020, allowing passengers with negative coronavirus tests to skip quarantine. Passengers who do not have a qualifying negative COVID-19 test result from within the 72 hours prior to arrival must abide by Hawaii's mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Interestingly, the test that United is offering through GoHealth Urgent Care at San Francisco Airport SFO and GoHealth's partner Dignity Health is the rapid Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 test, which is less reliable than the COVID-19 PCR test. Hawaii says that visitors must have a negative PCR test result in order to be exempt from the 14-day quarantine. The test will cost ~$250 per person.
Nevertheless, United Airlines worked with Hawaii state officials to ensure that any United passenger who tests negative either on the 15 minute Abbott ID NOW test at the airport, or via the mail-in test option administered by Color ($80 per person) will NOT be subject to the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
For the mail-in option, Color recommends that passengers request the kit 10 days prior to their trip, and provide their sample promptly 72 hours before the flight. Color will process those tests at their local, CLIA-certified COVID-19 testing laboratory and will provide results via text and/or email within 24-48 hours.
United plans to increase its flights to Hawaii on October 15, including resuming service between San Francisco and Lihue (LIH) on Kauai, and adding flights between San Francisco and Maui (OGG) and Kona (KOA).
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Where to Stay in Hawaii
Keep in mind that as at time of writing, there's still a 14-day inter-island quarantine for inter-island arrivals to all islands except Oahu, so this means no island hopping, even if you're able to get tested prior to an inter-island flight. For a couple's getaway, we recommend the Four Seasons Lanai, since fewer families tend to visit this resort, compared to Maui and Big Island resorts. For those who prefer more choices in terms of restaurants and shopping outside the resort, Oahu or Maui are the best bets, for example Four Seasons Maui at Wailea. See Hawaii Luxury Hotels: Reopening Dates and Offers.
Do you plan to take advantage of United's new 15 minute COVID-19 test available from GoHealth Urgent Care at SFO?
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