At first blush, you might think “this is outrageous! Arrested for going outside! Where’s the ACLU?” But, read and consider
New York City man arrested in Hawaii after posting photos on Instagram
Hawaii officials arrested a man from New York on Friday for violating the state’s 14-day quarantine rule for tourists. Tarique Peters, 23, of the Bronx posted photos on Instagram showing him outside his hotel room after he arrived in O’ahu on Monday, according to a news release from the office of Hawaii’s governor.
According to the news release Peters allegedly left his hotel room the same 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,” reads the release. “This morning agents were able to confirm with hotel personnel that had seen Peters leave his room and the premises on numerous occasions this week.”
He was arrested and booked on Friday, and his bail has been set at $4,000.
$4000 bail? While uber-Progressive Hawaii hasn’t gone to the $0 bail system like others, such as California, they have been releasing prisoners. That said, is this outrageous, or was violating the 14 day quarantine rule a terrible thing to do? Cities and states were attempting to keep people from bringing more COVID-19 into their areas and spreading it, which is understandable, right? Especially in light of
In March, the U.S. Post Office received 56,000 mail-forwarding requests from New York City, more than twice the monthly average. In April, the number of requests rose to 81,000. Sixty percent of those new requests were for destinations outside the city.https://t.co/cr5IZ47sbm
— NYT Graphics (@nytgraphics) May 17, 2020
Many studies show that Bat Soup Virus spread primarily from NYC (can you imagine had Trump tried to lock down NYC early on, allowing no travel from the area?). And
Hawaii now requires tourists to list their contact and lodging information, and sign an agreement for 14 days of self-quarantine. “By signing the legal document, they acknowledge they understand violating the order is a criminal offense and they are subject to a $5,000 fine and/or a year imprisonment,” according to the state’s department of transportation.
That was the term for entering Hawaii. Is this legal? Is it Constitutional, both federal and State? Good questions. But, if you are traveling from a hotbed of Coronavirus, perhaps you should consider your impact during what is a global pandemic. We aren’t talking about going out and about in your local area: we’re talking about traveling to another state and failing to follow any social distancing and other ideas, which I agree with. I do not wear a mask or gloves, but, I work to keep separate from others (and get really mad when people get too close to me. I’ve yelled at people while walking on the greenway). He knew the rules.
Also, this is a good reason to not post your photos immediately. Especially when criminals may be watching and realize you are not at home.
Anyhow, what are your thoughts?
