Question: We have tickets to see my parents on Maui for the first time in over a year. We live in Honolulu and were vaccinated here. I’ve heard about the vaccine exemption, but how do we actually get it? We are flying at the end of May. It will be our first time on a plane since the pandemic, so I am not familiar with any of this.

Answer: You’ll need to document your COVID-19 vaccination in the online account you must create in Hawaii’s Safe Travels digital platform, at travel.hawaii.gov/#/.

Before we get to the step-by-step directions, we’ll emphasize that for now this vaccine exemption to Hawaii’s quarantine rules is available only to interisland travelers who were fully vaccinated in Hawaii. Other fully vaccinated travelers — including Hawaii residents returning from the mainland — will have to present an acceptable, negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flight to Hawaii, or quarantine for 10 days once they arrive in the islands.

Here are rules and step-by-step instructions from the state Office of Enterprise Technology Serv­ices:

>> “Individuals who received vaccination in the state of Hawaii may travel intercounty without pre-travel testing/quarantine starting on the 15th day after the completion of their vaccination. They must upload their proof of vaccination in Safe Travels.”

>> Create a digital copy of your vaccination document. For example, take a picture of your vaccine card with a smartphone.

>> Go to Safe Travels at travel.hawaii.gov/#/. Create an account if you don’t already have one.

>> Log in at Safe Travels. Create or select your interisland trip.

>> From the home page, go to “Documents” and select “Exemption from Quarantine using COVID vaccine.”

>> Read the instructions and click on “Upload CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Card.”

>> Select the applicable interisland trip.

>> Sign the first attestation.

>> Select the traveler whose vaccine card you are uploading and choose the document type.

>> Select the type of vaccine received. Enter the dose and lot number. Make sure the name on the card matches the traveler whose vaccine card you are uploading.

>> Select “Choose file” to upload a photo of your CDC COVID-19 vaccination card or VAMS printout. “VAMS” stands for Vaccine Administration Management System, the federal system that allows registered vaccine recipients to print out a vaccine certificate.

>> Sign the second attestation and click “Submit.”

>> To upload vaccine cards for travel party members, click on “More Documents.”

>> Bring your vaccine card or VAMS printout with you to the airport.

“Intercounty travelers who arrive in Kauai, Maui and Hawaii counties before they are fully vaccinated, i.e., before the 15th day of the completion of their vaccination, will be placed into mandatory quarantine for the full 10 days” unless they meet the criteria for other exceptions from quarantine, such as pre-travel testing or being an essential critical infrastructure worker.

This process doesn’t apply to interisland travelers flying to Oahu because the City and County of Honolulu doesn’t have an interisland travel quarantine order. Residents of other Hawaii counties headed to Oahu don’t need to worry about this until they return to their home islands.

Q: Gov. Ige issued another proclamation, but it doesn’t say anything about driver’s licenses. Are they done?

A: No. The governor’s 20th emergency proclamation, issued Friday, dealt with interisland travel. The extension of driver’s license expiration dates contained in the 19th proclamation, which was issued April 9, still stands. The 19th proclamation is good through June 7.

Auwe

To the person(s) who feed the hundreds of pigeons (and marsh birds) on Hamakua Drive in Kailua. Isn’t this illegal? I just spent a small fortune to remove pigeon nests and install bird barriers around my solar panels, and they just keep on coming! They foul my roof, nestlings and eggs fall onto our lanai and into our pool — not to mention the droppings. They are rats with wings! — K.W.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.