Maui Dropping Booster Requirement for Bars, Restaurants, Gyms

This past Friday, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino made an announcement that the county will be dropping its current requirement that people must have received COVID-19 booster injections to be considered fully vaccinated.

Victorino said, "the showing of proof of updated vaccination including boosters to dine in restaurants will no longer be required," as of February 7, according to local outlet KHON2.

The mayor cited steeply declining case counts and falling hospitalization levels for his decision, made after consulting with local health officials. Recent data from the Hawaii State Department of Health showed COVID-19 cases on the island had fallen by 67 percent during the period between January 20 and February 2.

The current requirement that people ages 18 and over provide proof of a booster vaccination to enter indoor bars and restaurants, or use fitness facilities, was implemented in January amid a wave of new cases-over 15,000 recorded in January alone.

The order dictated that those who'd completed their initial vaccine series more than five months prior must have received a booster in order to be considered fully vaccinated. Or, if they'd originally received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, they had to get boostered after just two months.

Maui was the first county to begin requiring boosters for admittance to indoor venues. The repeal of this order seems somewhat counterintuitive, considering that Hawaii Governor David Ige has announced that the state is soon to alter its Safe Travels Program by adding a booster requirement for domestic travelers to be considered fully vaccinated, and thereby eligible to bypass quarantine.

Maui's new relaxation of the rules applies only to the booster requirement, so patrons of indoor dining and drinking establishments, and gyms, will still need to have proof that they've completed a primary vaccination schedule.

Hawaii Restaurant Association Board of Directors Secretary Tambara Garrick told KHON2 she's gratified that Victorino heard the industry's appeals and heeded health officials' advice to relax restrictions. "He was willing to see that the numbers were coming down, that it was a challenge for the restaurant industry," Garrick said.

Co-owner of Mala Tavern, Javier Barberi, said that the booster requirement, if implemented only briefly, injured sales and confused clientele. "We dealt with a decline in sales, and upset customers," he said. "Retraining of staff on new policies again, it's getting a little bit, you know, it's a toll on the staff and on us."