With a string of people lined up in their vehicles to receive their free COVID-19 test as a backdrop, Gov. Ige discussed today’s H-3 Freeway surge testing program. The governor and organizers of the event believe this, combined with a repeat testing day on Thursday, will allow tens of thousands of O‘ahu residents to get tested for COVID-19. Free testing kits were provided by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. The event is a collaborative effort of the Honolulu Fire Dept. (HFD), the Honolulu Police Dept. (HPD)., the Hawai‘i National Guard, the Hawai‘i Dept. of Transportation (DOT), and others. Ed Sniffen, the Highways Division Deputy for DOT said more than 300 people manned checkpoints, check-in stations, and testing stations, set up in both tunnels of the H-3 Freeway.
Before noon there was a steady line of cars coming from town and it was estimated the wait time peaked at 45 minutes. HPD officers occasionally would lead additional cars into the restricted left lane to bring them around to the town-bound side. Other than during the first hour, traffic from the Windward side was light to non-existent.
For testing on Thursday, HFD Capt. Jeff Roache encouraged people to bring their family and take a drive over the Pali or Likelike highways and enjoy the spectacular scenery surrounding the H-3 Freeway. “This is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind collaboration. The H-3 Freeway is a place where we can do mass testing without disrupting lives and traffic in urban neighborhoods,” Gov. Ige said. Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the free testing on Thursday or during the next week and a half, at other locations. The federal government has made a total of 90,000 test kits available to Hawai‘i and extended free surge testing to Sept. 14th.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said, “This testing effort is a critical part of getting the virus under control on O‘ahu, and today’s test site on the H3 allowed thousands more people to get a test, helping us find where the virus is in our communities, and giving our residents much needed peace of mind. This kind of monumental effort requires everyone at the table, and I want to thank the State for stepping up and creating this testing site. The only way we will slow the spread of COVID-19 is by working together, and today’s effort is an example of that much needed coordination.”
To register for Thursday’s H-3 surge testing or at other sites, visit:
https://www.doineedacovid19test.com/