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.

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According to reports from ABC News, 41-year-old Wesley Moribe and 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.

“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.

The startling news comes days after media outlets reported that the virus had hit catastrophic new highs. CNN reported that just yesterday, the number of Covid-19 deaths skyrocketed to 2,800 in just one day. This is the most that the country has ever reported in a single day.

Health care staff and facilities are struggling all across the US to make space for infected patients. The article also noted that currently, there are nearly 100,226 COVID-19 patients hospitalized. With these extremely disturbing facts being reported you would think these two would take more precaution. We guess not.