03 Dec SMH: Hawaiian Couple Arrested For Boarding Flight While Knowingly Infected With COVID-19

A couple was arrested this week following their decision to board a flight after testing positive for COVID-19.

Source: izusek / Getty

According to reports from ABC News, 41-year-old Wesley Moribe 46-year-old Courtney Peterson were flying from San Francisco to Kauai, Hawaii when authorities discovered the couple had received positive coronavirus test results prior to their flight home.

Police revealed that Moribe and Peterson participated in a mandatory pre-travel program that confirmed they were carrying the disease. Shortly after those results were confirmed, the couple were reportedly told to quarantine and not to travel–but they allegedly ignored those orders and still boarded their flight back along with a 4-year-old child.

NEW: Wailua couple Wesley Moribe & Courtney Peterson arrested for reckless endangerment at airport on Kauai — They both tested positive for #COVID19 but decided to get on United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Lihue anyway, putting other passengers at risk @KITV4 pic.twitter.com/1MRsT1PwNQ

— Tom George (@TheTomGeorge) December 2, 2020

“They knowingly boarded a flight aware of their positive COVID-19 test results, placing the passengers of the flight in danger of death,” Kauai police said in statement.

Moribe and Peterson arrived at Lihue Airport on Sunday, where they were arrested on charges of second-degree reckless endangerment. They were released after posting bail, which was set at $1,000 each, and are now facing a $2,000 fine and up to a year behind bars if convicted.

In October, Hawaii announced that travelers could bypass the required 14-day quarantine after arriving in the state by providing proof of their negative test results prior to travel. Later, Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami requested that the quarantine requirement be reinstated since COVID-19 cases continue to surge throughout the United States.