Hawaii Couple Arrested For Boarding Plane After Positive COVID-19 Test

A Hawaii couple was arrested over the weekend for boarding a flight despite knowing that they have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The couple, Wesley Moribe, 41, and Courtney Peterson, 46, of Kaua’i, boarded a United Airlines flight from San Francisco International Airport to Lihue with their 4-year-old child and were arrested after they arrived at the destination airport, CBS-affiliated KIRO-TV reported, citing police. The couple was facing charges of second-degree reckless endangering.

Moribe and Peterson reportedly participated in California’s pre-travel testing program and the results came back positive. They were taken to the San Francisco International Airport’s quarantine station, where authorities instructed them to isolate and not travel. The couple, however, ignored the instructions and boarded the flight.

"They knowingly boarded a flight aware of their positive COVID-19 test results, placing the passengers of the flight in danger of death," Hawaii News Now quoted Kaua’i police, as saying.

According to NBC-affiliated KNBC-TV, police escorted the infected couple to a designated isolation room after they arrived at the Lihue airport.

The couple was released after they posted $1,000 bail each, according to Hawaii News Now.

Child protective services were alerted about the incident and the child was placed into the custody of a family member, according to ABC-affiliated KITV.

Kauai Mayor Derk Kawakami addressed the incident in a video on Facebook on Nov. 30. "We have seen an unprecedented surge in new infections on our island, most of them associated with travelers ― both visitors and residents," Kawakami said in the video.

"Two of the residents tested positive prior to their trip to Kaua’i and flew home knowingly positive for COVID-19. Those two travelers were subsequently arrested by the Kaua’i police department," the statement said.

Hawaii has recorded as many as 18,044 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday, with 244, according to Worldometer. The island of Kaua’i has opted out of the statewide travel testing program which allows visitors to skip the mandatory 2-week quarantine if they test negative.

The island, which has seen an uptick in both travel-related coronavirus cases and community spread, requires all visitors to quarantine for 14 days immediately after arrival.