Couple sneaks on flight after testing positive for coronavirus
A Hawaii couple has been charged with reckless endangerment after hopping a flight from San Francisco to Kauai despite knowing they had tested positive for the coronavirus, police said.
Officials at San Francisco International Airport were apparently aware of the test results, too, and instructed Wesley Moribe, 41, Courtney Peterson, 46, and their 4-year-old son to isolate and not to travel, reports said. But the family somehow managed to board its United Airlines flight home anyway.
When the couple arrived at Lihue Airport in Kauai, police were at the gate waiting and ordered the pair to an isolation room for further examination.
A family member soon came and took custody of the couple’s son and Child Protective Services was called, police said.
The couple, reportedly residents of Wailua, was then placed under arrest on suspicion of second-degree reckless endangerment.
Each has since bonded out of jail for $1,000 and could now face up to a year behind bars and a $2,000 fine if convicted.
“They knowingly boarded a flight aware of their positive COVID-19 test results, placing the passengers of the flight in danger of death,” said Kauai police spokeswoman Coco Zickos, according to NBC News.
Another official with the Hawaii Covid-19 Joint Information Center confirmed the couple was aware of the infections because the Health Department in Hawaii had been alerted to the positive diagnoses before the two boarded the flight in San Francisco.
“Rather than quarantining and contacting their health provider, they went on the plane,” the spokesman said.
United Airlines has a policy on its website that states the airline does not allow passengers to fly if they have recently tested positive for the coronavirus.
“Following CDC guidelines, you will not be able to travel on United for at least 10 days after the date you tested positive and only after you have two successive negative COVID-19 results that were administered at least 24 hours apart,” the statement reads.
The company was said to be weighing whether to allow Moribe and Peterson on future flights off the island.
About the Author
ArLuther Lee is a visual editor and occasionally covers national and world news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from The University of Florida and has been a journalist for more than 25 years.
