NO QUARANTINE VIOLATIONS IN PRO-ACTIVE CHECKS OF TWO WAIKIKI HOTELS
News Release from Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center Sept 3, 2020
(Honolulu) – A knock on the door and a “good morning, Special Agents from the Attorney General’s Office” greeted nearly two dozen people under travel quarantine orders at two Waikīkī hotels.
Paul Jones, Deputy Chief Special Agent for the Department of the Attorney General-Investigations Division describes this morning’s operation as a proactive attempt to enforce Governor David Ige’s traveler quarantine order. The State order requires any travelers (visitors or returning residents), to self-quarantine for 14-days unless they have been granted an exemption.
Jones said, “We had two teams of eight agents show up at two hotel/condo complexes and based on our list from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, we contacted every person on the list. Fortunately, we found everyone in their rooms, fully aware of the expiration of their required quarantine, or in a few cases they had work exemptions and were at their job sites.”
Over the past few months Special Agents have arrested more than 30 people on O‘ahu for violating quarantine. These individuals were either posting their activities on social media or had been reported to authorities by witnesses. People arrested for violating quarantine face fines as high as $5,000 and jail time.
The AG’s Special Agents are working closely with the Honolulu Police Dept., based on calls to the department’s violators hotline. They also follow-up on tips provided by the community. Jones explained, “We do our due diligence in conducting these investigations and to identify violators. We send agents out to check and if we find people violating their quarantine order, we arrest them where probable cause exists.”
Attorney General Clare E. Connors commented, “While we appreciate that many travelers returning to or visiting our state are complying with the 14-day travel quarantine order, there also are those who are violating quarantine. Despite law enforcement’s best efforts, they can’t be everywhere, all the time, and rely on reports to help identify folks who are ignoring the rules. When we locate them, we will hold them accountable.”
Jones said proactive compliance checks will continue in Waikīkī and in other districts across O‘ahu.
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(All images/video courtesy: Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center)