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Hawaii could require a booster shot for arrivals from mid-February

Hawaii has pencilled in 18 February as a possible date for requiring a booster shot as a requirement to its Safe Travels Hawaii and Safe Access Oahu programs, according to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

Hawaii has pencilled in 18 February as a possible date for requiring a booster shot as a requirement to its Safe Travels Hawaii and Safe Access Oahu programs, according to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi told KHON television that the Safe Travels Hawaii and Safe Access Oahu programs could soon require a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine for entry into the country.

“The targeted date for that is Feb. 18; we are going to look at that, we are going to look at that very carefully,” Blangiardi said.

“I did tell the governor that we would consider moving Safe Access Oahu in tandem, with that, a lot of this is going to depend on the booster level and where we are in the next couple of weeks.”

On Jan. 19, Hawaii Gov. David Ige suggested that the booster would be added to help control the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. But he is yet to make an official announcement.

The majority of Oahu residents have at least one COVID-19 shot, with 84% of residents having initiated their vaccine series, while 78% have gotten their second shot and 32% of residents are boosted.

Hawaii
Waikiki Beach, Oahu. Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Ben Ono

Several other countries have also begun requiring international visitors to show proof of a booster shot in addition to their original two doses.

For example, Croatia now requires all arrivals to have had their initial two-dose vaccine series within 365 days.

A handful of countries have also changed their date ranges for proof of vaccine, decreasing the requirement to nine months (Austria, Iceland, Spain), seven months (Greece), six months (Israel) and four months (France).

Travellers with upcoming travel plans may find that the definition of “fully vaccinated” has suddenly been altered therefore it is always a good idea to check entry requirements before booking and travelling.