Hawaii Couple arrested for boarding a flight after positive COVID-19 test

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The man and woman are residents of Kaua’i who tested positive during pre-travel screenings prior to their flight over the weekend.

Kaua’i Island Hawaii

SAN FRANCISCO — A Hawaii couple who traveled from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Kaua’i has been arrested for boarding the flight when they knew they were positive for COVID-19, the mayor of Kaua’i announced.

The man and woman are residents of Kaua’i who tested positive during pre-travel screenings prior to their United Airlines flight from SFO over the weekend.

They are charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and are currently in isolation. Contact tracing is being done to alert anyone who needs to go into quarantine.

The two cases have increased the island of Kaua’i’s total number of current positive cases to 17 from 15. The island has a cumulative case count of 131 infections.

Starting Wednesday, all travelers arriving on Kaua’i are subject to a 14-day self-quarantine regardless of testing.

Our sister station, KGO-TV, reached out to United Airlines and sent back the following statement:

“The health and safety of our employees and customers is our highest priority, which is why we have various policies and procedures in place as part of a multi-layered approach to create a safer travel environment. Prior to traveling, all United customers are required to complete a ‘Ready to Fly’ checklist acknowledging they have not been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 14 days. We are investigating this matter further to assess these passengers’ ability to fly on United in the future.”

ABC 7 NEWS

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