Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this is the second holiday season Hawaii businesses have had to adapt. Hawaii residents sacrificed themselves to keep their communities safe during this pandemic, and in doing so, achieved one of the lowest COVID-19 case rates of any other state in the United States.
However, the new variant, omicron, arrived on the island and, on Sunday, December 26, the state health department reported 2,205 new COVID-infections, the highest daily total since the pandemic began. Oahu reported 1,841 infections with a 13% positivity rate, followed by Maui County with 150 cases (7.4% positivity rate), Hawaii with 118 cases (6.2% positivity rate), and Kauai with 68 cases (6.1% positivity rate).
Nevertheless, with the rules and laws fluctuations determined by the Hawaiian authorities, tourists arriving on the island are still confused by what is allowed and prohibited.
This confusion also directly affects those who own businesses on the island, such as the Yoga teacher Alessandra Lopes, who moved to Hawaii in 2009 and created, together with her partner, an outdoor Yoga class on Waikiki Beach, called 2F Beach Park Yoga.
Despite the first attempt to reopen the island in July, having made the island fill with American tourists eager for a trip after being locked up for so long, Alessandra Lopes says that her classes still have not recovered the average number of students, as before the pandemic.
One of the reasons is that the international tourists who hail from neighboring countries such as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada still have many restrictions on entering the US.
“My classes used to be composed of 50% tourists and 50% residents. Today 80% are locals-which has also increased due to the demand for outdoor sports classes-and the remaining 20% are mostly American tourists,” she says.
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