Maui will no longer require “fully vaccinated” individuals to have their boosters, just two weeks after the mandate was first implemented amid the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in Hawaii.
Maui’s mayor, Michael Victorino, announced that the reversal will take effect Monday, reported KHON in Honolulu, following a 67% decline in COVID-19 cases from Jan. 20 to Feb. 2.
The decision comes after pressure from Hawaii’s restaurant lobby, the Hawaii Restaurant Association.
“It’s another nail in the coffin for them as small business owners and restaurateurs in Maui County,” Tambara Garrick of the organization told KHON when the mandate was first implemented.
But the impact of this move is not clear on a possible statewide COVID-19 booster requirement for travelers, which Hawaii’s Lt. Gov. Josh Green suggested in interviews with the news outlet could be implemented as early as the end of February.
He recently also stated that travelers to Hawaii may not need a booster in order to enter the islands due to declining case counts, KHON reported Feb. 3. Last month, Hawaii Gov. David Ige confirmed that the state’s Safe Travels program would require visitors to get a booster.
“Instead of these mandates, it may be the old way — which is guidance from health directors and health experts — that will carry the day,” he said in an interview with the station. “… I would hope that we can simplify and move off the restrictions in the near future ‘cause we’re doing so well.”
As of Monday, 35.6% of Hawaii residents have received the booster and more than three-quarters of Hawaii residents have been “fully vaccinated,” according to the state’s dashboard.