Hawaii’s governor welcomes travelers as COVID counts drop

By AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s governor says COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations have declined to the point where the islands are ready to welcome travelers once again. Gov. David Ige’s announcement comes nearly two months after he he asked travelers to avoid Hawaii because case counts were surging with the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. The state didn’t impose any new travel quarantine restrictions, and the governor’s plea was a mere request. Even so, it prompted thousands of travelers to cancel plans to visit Hawaii. The governor says Hawaii’s health care system has responded, and the state has the ability to work on its economic recovery.