Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Despite Last-Minute Changes, Senate Bill Deals Big Blow to Renewable Energy

23 hours ago

Trump-Backed Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Passes US Senate

1 day ago

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Says CNN May Be Prosecuted Over Report on Migration App

1 day ago

Israeli Officials to Hold Ceasefire Talks in Washington Amid Military Escalation in Gaza

1 day ago

Trump Escalates Feud With Musk, Threatens Tesla, SpaceX Support

1 day ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

2 days ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

2 days ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

2 days ago
Hawaii Arrests Rogue Tourists to Curb Virus Spread on Islands
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
May 8, 2020

Share

HONOLULU — Hawaii authorities are cracking down on rogue tourists who are visiting beaches, riding personal watercraft, shopping and generally flouting strict requirements that they quarantine for 14 days after arriving.

A newlywed California couple left their Waikiki hotel room repeatedly, despite being warned by hotel staff, and were arrested. Others have been arrested at a hotel pool, loading groceries into a vehicle outside a Costco and bringing take-out food back to a hotel room.

The rules, the strictest in any U.S. state, have helped keep infections relatively low. As of Wednesday, Hawaii reported 626 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths.

Yet the shutdown has devastated the islands’ economy, which is hugely dependent on tourism. Since March 26, when Hawaii put the rules in place, about 5,000 visitors have arrived, compared to pre-pandemic times when about 30,000 came daily.

That’s left the state with crushing unemployment, estimated to be in the range of 25% to 35%. Tourism industry officials say the hotel occupancy rate was down about 34% compared to March last year. More than 100 hotels have suspended operations and workers laid off from their jobs wait in long lines at food distribution sites.

It makes those who ignore the rules especially offensive, said Honolulu City Councilmember Kym Pine, who wants travelers tracked via their cellphones or tested for the virus before boarding planes for Hawaii.

“The people that are coming don’t care about us. They’re coming to Hawaii on the cheap and they obviously could care less whether they get the virus or not,” she said. “So they obviously could care less about that mom and dad who have no job and no food.”

They’re Among at Least 20 People Arrested Statewide

While in quarantine in a hotel room or residence, people aren’t allowed to leave for anything other than medical emergencies. That means no grocery shopping, no strolls on the beach, no hotel housekeeping services.

When the honeymooning couple, Borice Lepovskiy, 20, and Yuliia Andreichenko, 26, of Citrus Heights, California, arrived at their hotel last week, a front desk manager read them the quarantine order, but they claimed airport staff told them it would be OK to visit friends and go to beaches. They left the hotel.

According to the state, they returned after midnight with a pizza, checked in and refused to sign a quarantine agreement.

In the morning, they left their room and were arrested when they returned.

They’re among at least 20 people arrested statewide on charges of violating the quarantine, and many others have received warnings or citations. Anyone convicted of violating the emergency rule faces a fine of up to $5,000, a year in jail, or both. Officials have even considered having travelers wear an ankle bracelet during their quarantine period, or setting up a designated site where tourists would be required to stay at for the 14 days.

Hotels are being told to issue room keys that are only operable for checking in, so that when guests leave the room they have to go to the front desk to ask for a new one — a signal they have left their room in violation of the quarantine, said Mufi Hannemann, president and CEO of Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association.

Photo of Desiree Marvin, 31, of Alexandria, Va., Adam Schwarze, 36
These undated photos provided by the Kauai Police Department show Desiree Marvin, 31, of Alexandria, Va., Adam Schwarze, 36. (Kauai Police Department via AP)

Last Month, a Pair Arrived on Kauai and Were Told to Go Directly to Their Hotel

When travelers arrive, officials verify their accommodation arrangements by contacting hotels directly and giving them a heads up that a visitor has arrived, the state said. Call center workers from the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Hawaii Tourism Authority follow-up numerous time to verify travelers are in quarantine. When call center workers can’t contact someone, they alert law enforcement.

Photo of Leif Anthony Johansen
This undated photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Public Safety shows Leif Anthony Johansen. (Hawaii Department of Public Safety via AP)

Last month, a pair arrived on Kauai and were told to go directly to their hotel. Kauai police stopped them after they were seen going in the opposite direction of their hotel.

Adam Schwarze, 36, who police said lives on Oahu and his travel companion, Desiree Marvin, 31, of Alexandria, Virginia, were ultimately arrested in the parking lot of a grocery store.

Leif Anthony Johansen, 60, of Truckee, California, was supposed to be in quarantine but was spotted on a personal watercraft off Oahu’s famed North Shore. He was later followed to a Costco, where agents from the state attorney general’s office arrested him as he was loading groceries into his vehicle.

Johansen, Lepovskiy and Andreichenko could not immediately be reached for comment. Schwarze and Marvin declined to comment.

“I am, quite frankly, quite surprised that people would still want to come because this is not the Hawaii that you’ve dreamed about, that you want to experience,” said Hannemann of the tourism and lodging association. “There’s a lot of attractions that are closed. Everyone is walking around with masks. You know, we’re just not going to demonstrate that spirit of aloha that you’ve heard so much about. … So to me, it’s just crazy for someone to still want to come here.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

DON'T MISS

Meta’s Instagram Down for Thousands of Users in US, Downdetector Shows

DON'T MISS

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

DON'T MISS

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

DON'T MISS

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

DON'T MISS

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint on Independence Day

DON'T MISS

The Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Story: From Recording Studio to Criminal Trial

DON'T MISS

Four Rescued After Kings River Float Turns Dangerous

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Is Studying Ceasefire Proposal Labelled ‘Final’ by Trump

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

UP NEXT

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

UP NEXT

How a Birthday Boat Ride on Lake Tahoe Turned Tragic

UP NEXT

Cuomo Concedes to Mamdani in New York City Democratic Mayoral Contest

UP NEXT

Mamdani Holds Lead Over Cuomo in Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor

UP NEXT

Clovis Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison in Deadly Fentanyl Case

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

11 minutes ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

17 minutes ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

39 minutes ago

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint on Independence Day

51 minutes ago

The Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Story: From Recording Studio to Criminal Trial

1 hour ago

Four Rescued After Kings River Float Turns Dangerous

1 hour ago

Hamas Says It Is Studying Ceasefire Proposal Labelled ‘Final’ by Trump

1 hour ago

Wall Street Edges Down After ADP Shock. Focus on Trade Talks, Payrolls Data

2 hours ago

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Convicted on Prostitution Counts, but Cleared of More Serious Charges

2 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

16 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

A large majority of Americans believe the nation’s deep divisions and politically motivated violence pose serious threats to democracy, acco...

31 seconds ago

A new Marist Poll finds that most Americans believe national divisiveness and politically motivated violence pose serious threats to U.S. democracy. (Shutterstock)
31 seconds ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

A logo of mobile application Instagram is seen on a mobile phone, during a conference in Mumbai, India, September 20, 2023. (Reuters File)
1 minute ago

Meta’s Instagram Down for Thousands of Users in US, Downdetector Shows

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Democratic Republic of the Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
5 minutes ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

The U.S. Capitol building is seen as a thunderstorm rolls through Washington, D.C., U.S., July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)
11 minutes ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

Defense lawyers comfort Sean "Diddy" Combs while discussing how to handle a note sent by jurors that they had reached a verdict on four of the five counts against him, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., July 1, 2025, in this courtroom sketch. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
17 minutes ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

Dalai Lama blesses actor Richard Gere in Dharamsala, India June 30, 2025, in this screen grab from a video. Reuters TV/via REUTERS.
39 minutes ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

51 minutes ago

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint on Independence Day

Sean "Diddy" Combs was found guilty Wednesday of prostitution-related offenses but acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking, capping a decades-long rise and fall marked by music stardom, legal battles, and abuse allegations. (Shutterstock)
1 hour ago

The Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Story: From Recording Studio to Criminal Trial

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend