Hawaii within two weeks could lift its 10-day quarantine requirement for all travelers from the U.S. continent who show proof of vaccination, the state’s COVID-19 liaison said Wednesday.

Hawaii already has lifted the quarantine requirement for travelers flying between islands; previously, travelers had to endure a 10-day quarantine upon arrival or get a negative COVID-19 test result before flying.

Now, inter-island travelers no longer have to show a negative test result to skip the quarantine. And neither do travelers from the continent who show proof they got at least one vaccination shot in Hawaii. Things could open up even more soon.

During the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Spotlight program on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Josh Green said that within eight to 10 days Hawaii could extend its quarantine exemption to anyone flying from the mainland who showed proof of vaccination, regardless of whether the person got vaccinated in Hawaii.

Hawaii is only about 50,000 vaccine shots away from having 60% of its population at least partially vaccinated, Green said. When Hawaii reaches that threshold, it will make sense to let visitors from the U.S. come to Hawaii if they can show proof of vaccination. But getting Hawaii residents vaccinated is the key.

With so much of the public vaccinated and vaccines widely available for free for those who aren’t, the challenge for Hawaii health officials now involves not so much informing the public, but convincing people to get the shots, Green said.

“At this point there isn’t anyone in the state that’s not aware that they can get a free vaccination,” Green said.

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