US Travel Restrictions Begin To Thaw As Japan Declares Hawaii A Safe Destination

The country’s ongoing inability to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 has put the U.S. on travel restriction lists for many countries. However, a recent ruling by Japan will ease the restrictions for one particular region.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced on Wednesday that 12 countries and regions would be designated as safe for its citizens to visit, including Hawaii, the only U.S. state to have restrictions lifted. Japanese nationals will now be able to visit the popular tourist destination and Hawaiian residents will also be able to visit Japan.

As part of this announcement, Abe and Motegi also unveiled a new Japan-Hawaii safe travel program, a set of tight regulations that will work to prevent the spread of coronavirus amongst travelers. Prospective tourists will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before traveling and screenings will be conducted for those entering Japan.

“It’s important that we restore travel between Japan and Hawaii and we see this program as a way to make this possible, while also preventing the further spread of infections from COVID- 19,” Hawaii Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, said.

“They’ve led the way in testing,” Harry Kim, Mayor of Hawaii County, added in a statement. “They’ll be more than capable of testing any visitor that wants to come to Hawaii.”

Both Hawaii and Japan have consistently low numbers of COVID-19 cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, Japan has recorded more than 33,000 confirmed cases and 1,001 deaths, and Hawaii has seen only around 1,700 cases and 26 deaths. Hawaii's confirmed case number is the second-lowest among U.S. states, behind only Vermont.

American citizens are currently barred from entering most countries. Albania, the Dominican Republic, Kosovo, the Maldives, Mexico, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia, and Turkey are the only nations that allow entry with no restrictions. Several others allow entry with some requirements and restrictions, including the U.K., Ukraine, and Egypt.