Tourists Asked To Stay Away From Hawaii Over COVID Surge

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Angelenos planning a vacation to Hawaii in the very near future may want to reconsider.

Hawaii's governor is asking tourists to stay away due to a surge in coronavirus cases on the islands.

Gov. David Ige said Monday in a news conference that anyone with plans to visit should reconsider. The state has not, however, issued an outright travel ban for out-of-state visitors.

"It's not a good time to travel to the islands," Ige said. "Restaurant capacity has been restricted, there is limited access to rent a cars, and we know that the visitors who choose to come to the islands will not have the typical kind of holiday that they expect to get when they visit Hawaii."

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi also announced Monday the suspension of all large gatherings through at least Sept. 22, including concerts, sporting events, conventions and trade shows.

According to the latest state numbers, Hawaii averaged 671 new cases per day between Aug. 15 and Aug. 21 and a test positivity rate of 8.3%. Hawaii has recorded 564 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

62% of the total population is fully vaccinated.