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Windward CC students traveling from out-of-state

On July 17, 2020, the State of Hawaiʻi approved a limited exemption to the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers for University of Hawaiʻi students, registered to attend a UH campus on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, who are traveling from out-of-state. Under the State’s 14-day quarantine, out-of-state travelers must self-isolate for 14 straight days and are only allowed to leave their residence for required medical attention. The Modified Quarantine Program for registered students traveling to Hawaiʻifrom out-of-state will allow those students to attend university activities, listed below, following the university’s receipt of a negative COVID-19 test result.

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State Mandatory 14-Day Quarantine Information

The state’s Department of Health has guidance on the travel requirements for people coming to Hawaiʻi and the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

Governor David Ige’s 10th proclamation related to the Covid-19 emergency provides extensive information about the state’s responses to the emergency.

How to qualify for the Modified Quarantine Program for out-of-state students

To qualify for the Modified Quarantine Program, students coming/returning from out-of-state must complete a survey and submit a signed pre-travel agreement provided by the university.

The survey and pre-travel agreement

Students who complete the agreement will be provided a letter that confirms that they have agreed to comply with the requirements of the modified quarantine program. This letter must be presented to transportation officials when they arrive in Hawaiʻi. The letter should be carried at all times for 14 days after arrival.

The survey and pre-travel agreement provide three possible options, and each requires a negative test result from a State of Hawaiʻi-approved COVID-19 test in order to attend official university activities.

State of Hawaiʻi Approved Covid-19 Test

In accordance with the Procedures, a State-approved COVID-19 Test is a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) or PCR test, approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, pursuant to the Emergency Use Authorization, that is conducted at a CLIA-licensed or certified test laboratory. Currently the Rapid Antigen, Antibody, and tests taken in foreign countries, are not approved tests by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health for the Modified Quarantine Program.

Modified Quarantine Program Options

The three options for the Modified Quarantine Program are:

  1. Strongly recommended: Before departing for Hawaiʻi, the student obtains a negative result for a State-approved COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure to Hawaiʻi.Upon arrival, students able to exercise this option will be allowed to check-in to on-campus housing. They are required to self-isolate in their residence and only allowed to leave to attend official university activities or for required medical attention.
  2. Before departing for Hawaiʻi, the student takes a State-approved COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departure but is still awaiting a test result when arriving in Hawaiʻi.A student who has to take this option will report directly to (a) their private residence or (b) an off-campus site if a student with housing on-campus and follow the state’s 14-day mandatory quarantine requirements for out-of-state travelers. Once the university confirms receipt of a negative test result, these students will be able to leave their residences only to participate in official university activities for the remainder of the 14 days following arrival.
  3. If the student electing to participate in the Modified Quarantine Program is not able to obtain a COVID-19 test prior to departing for Hawaiʻi, the student must take an approved COVID-19 test in Hawaiʻi within 48 hours of arrival.Students who take this option will report directly to (a) their private residence or (b) an off-campus site if a student with housing on-campus and follow the state’s 14-day mandatory quarantine requirements for out-of-state travelers. A student may only leave their residence to secure a COVID-19 test or required medical attention. Once the university confirms receipt of a negative test result, the student will be able to leave their residences only to participate in official university activities for the remainder of the 14 days following arrival.

COVID-19 Testing Sites

Go to http://hah.org/ and click on “COVID-19 Screening Sites” for more information on where to take a COVID-19 test and the different requirements for each testing site.

When the exemption does not apply

UH students traveling from out-of-state who do not elect to participate in the Modified Quarantine Program, who choose not to take a State-approved COVID-19 test before departure or within 48 hours after arrival, and/or who do not fill out the Pre-Travel Agreement before they arrive, do not qualify for the Modified Quarantine Program. They must complete the State’s 14-day mandatory quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers before entering the general or UH community.

Mandatory daily health screening and weekly check-ins

All students in the Modified Quarantine Program will be required to conduct daily health checks and report them (via the UH app when it is available) that monitors COVID-19 symptoms. The university will also phone every student periodically and ask a series of questions to ensure that students are following the requirements of the program. Both the daily check ins and phone calls will only take a few minutes each time. Students who do not complete the daily check in or cannot be reached for the phone calls will be subject to sanctions for violation of the university’s student conduct code, which could include suspension or expulsion.

Official university activities

“University activities” are defined as attending or engaging in the following activities that occur exclusively on the Mānoa campus:

  • Class
  • Labs
  • Meetings
  • Appointments
  • Orientations
  • Lectures, presentations, exhibitions
  • Research activities
  • Study groups
  • Living in residence halls
  • Meals
  • Transactions to be a student (e.g., in-person payments, secure an ID, transcript pick up, UPASS pick up, document drop off, etc.)
  • Student support services (e.g., medical attention, mental health counseling, academic advising, financial aid, etc.)
  • On campus student employment
  • Athletic practices and events for Rainbow Wahine and Rainbow Warrior athletes (UH Mānoa Athletic Department also requires a pre-participation physical examination prior to participation in these activities)

During the 14-day modified quarantine period, even after having tested negative for COVID-19, students are only allowed to leave their residence for these official university activities or for required medical attention.

Consequences for violating Modified Quarantine Program

Students who violate the terms of the Modified Quarantine Program and the Pre-Travel Agreement will be subject to sanctions for violation of the university’s student conduct code, which could include suspension or expulsion. Violations of COVID-19 related emergency county and state orders are punishable by a fine up to $5,000 and/or up to a year in prison.

More information on the Modified Quarantine Program

Email winmq@hawaii.edu for any questions concerning the Modified Quarantine Program.

Other resources include:

Windward COVID-19 Resources include:

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