A 23-year-old tourist visiting Hawaii from New York was taken into custody on Friday morning for breaking COVID-19 quarantine orders after posting about it on social media.
Tarique Peters, a Bronx native, flew to the island of O’ahu on Monday to start his vacation. However, the state of Hawaii requires a 14-day period of self-isolated quarantine for all new arrivals, who must agree to it upon entry. Visitors to the islands have been told to stay in their hotels by Democratic Gov. David Ige. (RELATED: Rep. Gwen Moore To Become Latest Democrat To Self-Quarantine)
According to the Hawaii COVID-19 Information Center’s press release, Peters left his hotel and traveled to several locations using public transportation while posting Instagram pictures of himself sunbathing and holding a surfboard on a beach, and touring Honolulu at night.
Tips from concerned people notified the authorities to Peters’ crime of going out into public, which started the investigation that led to his arrest. Before he was taken into custody, special agents from the Department of the Attorney General confirmed with hotel staff that he had left the hotel several times since he arrived on Monday. He was arrested along with an unnamed local man, and his bail was set at $4,000. (RELATED: Man Arrested For Allegedly Quarantining On Abandoned Disney Island)
Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors thanked the citizens who are reporting social media posts, such as Peters’ Instagram photos, in an effort to crack down on people who have escaped quarantine:
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.