Man Arrested For Violating Hawaii’s Traveler Quarantine And Going To The Beach

Tarique Peters of Bronx, New York has been arrested for violating Hawaii’s traveler quarantine and going to the beach. The 23-year-old neglected to go into quarantine for 14 days, as is required within the state for all travelers upon entering the islands. This law was put into place to keep the coronavirus from spreading across the state, according to Today.

Peters arrived in Honolulu on Monday went to his hotel. Rather than staying there in quarantine for 14 days, he traveled all across the island. He took photos of himself enjoying the beach and other tourist attractions which he then posted on social media.

A press release from the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center explained Peters’ alleged wrongdoing.

“He allegedly left his hotel room the day he arrived and traveled many places using public transportation. 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.”

It did not appear that Peters was trying to conceal his wrongdoing by staying under the radar during his explorations. His Instagram account, which is under the handle @tariquepeters, shows multiple beach selfies. In some, he is holding a surfboard while in others, he is seen relaxing and enjoying the sun. Each one of the photos shows the location in which the photo was taken.

It was social media users who saw the photos, and they then informed the police that Peters wasn’t abiding by the law. Hotel staff where Peters had been staying confirmed that he had not been remaining under the law required quarantine and noted they saw him leave his room several times.

Peters was arrested on Friday and taken to jail where his bail has been set at $4,000. He has not yet responded to the many criticisms and comments left on his Instagram profile.

The state of Hawaii has been working hard to minimize the spread of the virus. They currently have had 638 cases in total as well as 17 deaths. This is, of course, far less than the numbers in locations like New York which has experienced more than 346,000 cases.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, there is still not a fully developed vaccine to fight the coronavirus. Nevertheless, health experts across the nation are working hard to ensure one is finished as soon as possible. Last month, Bill Gates predicted that a vaccine was on the horizon and would perhaps be completed earlier than was originally anticipated.