Hawaii Mayor: 3 'Covidiots' Sent Back to Mainland

Tourists were arrested for flouting quarantine
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 8, 2020 1:35 PM CDT
Hawaii Mayor: 3 'Covidiots' Sent Back to Mainland
This booking photo provided by the Kauai Police Department in Hawaii shows Devin Martin, of Olympia, Wash.   (Kauai Police Department via AP)

A mayor in Hawaii is calling a Florida man accused of trying to flout Hawaii’s traveler quarantine a "covidiot." Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami isn't taking credit for coining the word borne from the COVID-19 pandemic, but says he "may be the first elected official to bust it out in public." Bobby Edwards, of Boynton Beach, was arrested last week after police said he landed on the island without proof of having accommodations set up, the AP reports. A statewide order requires people arriving in the islands to quarantine for 14 days. Edwards "was exhibiting belligerent behavior toward airport personnel and toward officers during his arrest," police said. Police added that Edwards, 31, "was also showing significant signs of intoxication and was not being cooperative."

Earlier last week, another Florida man, Dwight Anthony Tucker of Tampa, was stopped in the tourist town of Hanalei a day after he arrived on Kauai. He was arrested after authorities said he disregarded Gov. David Ige's statewide order requiring all visitors arriving on or after March 26 to self-quarantine at their place of accommodation. Also last week, Kauai police arrested Devin Martin of Washington state and accused him of violating the quarantine order. "He did not have reservations for proper accommodations and he allegedly refused to find suitable lodging," police said. "I guess there’s varying degrees of how much of a covidiot you can be," Kawakami says. "Those three rank pretty high." The three men have been returned to the mainland US. Kawakami plans to send them invoices for the travel costs.

(More Hawaii stories.)

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