About a month ago, a group of Hawaii, California, and Las Vegas residents sued Hawaii over its quarantine rules calling them unconstitutional. But, last week a Federal judge deems Hawaii quarantine rules reasonable.
Hawaii has among the most stringent COVID-19 rules in the nation. They require anyone entering the state to quarantine for 14 days to help prevent the spread of the virus. This is especially important given Hawaii’s limited medical care capacity and isolation. But, we’re not the only state with such rules. Maine, for example, has similar rules in place, as does a handful of other states. Yet, Hawaii has been repeatedly singled out and, in this case, sued over its rules.
Judge Deems Hawaii Quarantine Rules Reasonable
As previously mentioned, the plaintiffs in this case, many of which aren’t residents and, therefore, wouldn’t suffer the long-term consequences of lax rules, claimed that the quarantine order violates their fundamental right to travel freely. However, in her ruling, U.S. District Judge Jill Otake states that the rule doesn’t prevent people from traveling. Rather, she says the plaintiffs “have elected not to travel — whether to or from Hawaii — because they do not want to be quarantined.”
Judge Otake goes on to say that the rules are reasonable given the public health crisis brought on by the pandemic.
For their part, the plaintiffs claim that it’s not known if low rates of transmission can be attributed to the quarantine and that the state could have enacted less restrictive measures sooner.
Yeah? Take a look around. Since Hawaii relaxed its quarantine rules, our total number of cases jumped. During the quarantine, we got a total of 220 new cases during April and May. However, in June alone, we saw 294 new cases.
What’s more, one only need look at what’s happening in states that ended their stay-at-home orders early. The fact that the virus is experiencing a strong resurgence throughout the U.S. shows that quarantines, social distancing, and masks are still important. And, for us here in Hawaii, we’re growing increasingly concerned as we move towards reopening to tourism.
Final Thoughts
Look, I get it. We can’t stay locked down forever. And, I think what we’re doing here in Hawaii now is good. But, it’s also proving that Hawaii residents on their own can’t handle the modified rules. Heck, people no longer follow social distancing guidelines and mask requirement orders. So, can you imagine how things will be when visitors begin making their return? Especially since the State of Hawaii can’t effectively enforce its quarantine anyway.
Personally, I think the reopening is going to go very poorly. Our track record of enforcement along with an increasing disregard for safety may lead to a second lockdown. I sincerely hope this won’t be the case, but it certainly seems plausible.
Please get off the media hype about cases. 95% of people who get coronavirus have no symptoms. 99.87% of people under 50 survive coronavirus. The .13% of people under 50 who die of coronavirus have severe chronic medical problems and most would have died this year from something else.