Smart working in Hawaii: government pays for flight, but if you mess up you go to jail
Hawaii is among the places in the world that comes closest to the idea of paradise. The government has decided to [...]
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Le Hawaii are among the places in the world that come closest to the idea of paradise.
The government has decided to launch a really mouth-watering program: "Movers and Shakas". U.S. citizens and former residents over the age of 18 who were forced to work remotely due to the pandemic will be able to move to the archipelago for a full month with paid flights. Thus, doing smart working in Hawaii will also be affordable (as well as extraordinary).
Smart working in Hawaii: how the "Movers and Shakas" program works.
A free flight in exchange for helping the local community: that is the idea of the Hawaiian government. Lucky people who are chosen to do smart work in the beautiful Pacific islands will have to spend a few hours each week at a local NGO. The goal? To bring some oxygen to the economy, which lives mainly on tourism but needs to diversify. If tourists put their money into circulation by staying in hotels, eating in restaurants and taking surfing lessons, smartworkers will instead make their skills available to Hawaiians.
The workers, who must apply by Dec. 15, will have to stay in Hawaii for at least 30 days. "As well as bringing valuable dollars to our local businesses, the real value is bringing in workers with knowledge and talent who will help both build our communities, through volunteer work, both to make our economy more diverse," explained Richard Matsui, a Hawaiian who moved to San Francisco now back home (his idea for "Movers and Shakas").
Unfortunately, at least at this early stage, the project is intended only for Americans.
Vacationing in Hawaii during the pandemic
What to do then, if one cannot do smart working in Hawaii? At the moment, one can only wait. With 18,000 cases and 200 deaths, Hawaii is the U.S. state least affected by Coronavirus (they boast the lowest per capita rate of Covid infections in the United States). However, or perhaps because of this, to this day they are still closed to tourism. At least to international tourism.
At the outbreak of the pandemic, tourism authorities had earmarked $25,000 to remove tourists from the islands who did not comply with the 14-day quarantine (19 people were affected by the measure) and pay the return ticket for those who could not afford it. The archipelago, in fact, was never fully clamped down: Americans could travel to Hawaii by accepting the mandatory 14-day quarantine. That was until last October, when a second opportunity was introduced: Submit a negative Covid-19 test performed no more than 72 hours before arrival.
A few days ago, a couple was arrested for this very reason. Residents of Seattle, the two flew to San Francisco and then to Lihue. Upon landing in California, they discovered they were Coronavirus positive. Despite being told not to continue their trip and to remain in isolation, the couple did not care and boarded the plane to spend their vacation on the archipelago. Upon arrival, the two (who were traveling with a 4-year-old child) were arrested and later released on payment of $1,000 bail. A warning not to defy the sort (and the authorities!).
As of today, after all, Italians cannot vacation in Hawaii. As well as throughout North America. U.S. considering lifting air blockade for European tourists, but an official decision has not yet come.
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