NYC tourist arrested for breaking Hawaii’s 14-day quarantine period after posting beach photos on Instagram
A NEW YORK tourist has been arrested in Hawaii after posting a series of beach-side snaps on Instagram when he should have been in quarantine, state officials say.
Tarique Peters, 23, of the Bronx, flew to the island which imposes a mandatory 14-day quarantine for arriving travelers, but authorities say he was seen sunbathing and carrying a surfboard the same day he arrived.
Peters arrived in Honolulu on Monday, a news release from the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center revealed Friday.
"He allegedly left his hotel room the day he arrived and traveled many places using public transportation," the release said.
"Authorities became aware of his social media posts from citizens who saw posts of him - on the beach with a surfboard, sunbathing, and walking around Waikiki at night."
Hotel staff told agents they had seen Peters leave his room and the hotel premises "on numerous occasions" throughout the week.
The young man was arrested by special agents from the Department of the Attorney General Friday morning.
His bail has been set at $4,000.
HOLIDAY SNAPS
Photos posted to an Instagram account under the handle @tariquepeters reveal a series of holiday snaps taken in Hawaii.
One photo posted on Thursday is tagged in Waikiki.
Another posted Wednesday shows Peters carrying a surfboard and is captioned 'New challenge. Surfing'.
On the same day, a snap of Peters seemingly from his hotel balcony reads "Heard it's cold in NYC".
In an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, the state requires travelers to the islands to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Travelers in quarantine are not allowed to leave their hotel rooms or residences for any reason except medical emergencies.
They are required to fill out a document acknowledging that violating the quarantine is a criminal offense punishable by a $5,000 fine and up to a year in prison, according to the state's transportation department.
Lawmakers have been struggling with how to enhance enforcement of the quarantine as people continue to arrive on the islands.
Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connor said: "We appreciate the assistance of local people who spot flagrant violations of our emergency rules on various social media sites and report them to the appropriate authorities.";
Peters' Instagram page has since been flooded with unimpressed comments.
"Don't come to Hawaii and break our laws. You thought you were cute skipping out the 14 day mandatory quarantine and putting our residents in danger. Good for you. Now all of Hawaii knows who you are and all of Hawaii knows how you feel about us," wrote one local.
"The world dying and u having fun," said another.
"Come on vacation, leave with citation. #stayhome" joked one man.
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On Thursday, 252 visitors and 318 residents arrived, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
During the same time last year, nearly 30,000 passenger arrived in the popular travel hotspot daily.
Hawaii has reported 638 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths.
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