(BIVN) – Starting on December 2, all transpacific and intercounty travelers arriving in Kaua‘i are subject to the 14-day quarantine regardless of testing.

Gov. David Ige has approved Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami’s request to place a temporary moratorium on Kaua‘i’s participation in the state’s pre-travel testing program. Kauai is the first county to halt the program once it was enacted.

The pre-travel testing program remains in place for all other counties.

The State issued a news release about the decision on Friday.

“The unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases on the mainland and the rise in community spread on Kaua‘i are of significant concern for the Garden Isle. We must protect Kaua‘i residents and visitors and ensure that Kaua‘i’s hospitals do not become overwhelmed,” said Gov. Ige. “Kaua‘i county currently has the fewest number of ICU beds in the state, and private providers are seeking ways to increase capacity. This moratorium aims to stabilize the situation on Kaua‘i.”

“I’d like to thank Gov. Ige for approving Emergency Rule 23, temporarily pausing Kaua‘i’s participation in the state’s pre-travel testing program. Given the national surge of COVID cases on the mainland, Kaua‘i is unable to adequately protect itself by utilizing the Safe Travels program at this time,” said Mayor Kawakami. “Our travel related cases are now leading to community spread across our island. This temporary pause in travel will allow us to remain in Tier 4 as long as possible, keeping youth sports playing and businesses open as we conduct surge testing and contact tracing. I will gladly repeal the moratorium once we have the virus under control again.”

Kaua‘i’s modified quarantine program will remain in place for critical infrastructure workers, essential medical travel, or other special circumstances, the State news release added. To apply for a modified quarantine, officials say you can visit kauai.gov/COVID-19 and click on the “modified quarantine request” button at the top of the page.

Governor Ige and all county mayors have been invited to participate in a meeting of the House Select Committee on COVID-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness on Monday, November 30, 2020, at 10 a.m.