Social Media Influencer Arrested For Quarantine Violations in Hawai‘i
A 20-year-old woman from Birmingham, Alabama was arrested this morning on Oʻahu by Special Agents from the Investigations Division of the Department of the Attorney General.
State officials say Anne S. Salamanca arrived in Honolulu on July 6, “and four days later, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority learned she was out in public breaking the State’s mandatory 14-day quarantine.”
HTA informed the AG Special Agents, who were provided with videos showing her dancing in a store and out dining with companions.
KITV reported yesterday that Salamanca has millions of social media followers and claimed in a video that a law enforcement officer told her that if she had proof of a negative COVID-19 test, it was okay for her to go out and essentially break quarantine.
Attorney General Clare E. Connors said, “None of my investigators would convey that information, as it is incorrect. The fact Ms. Salamanca has so many followers makes her actions that much more dangerous and concerning. The spread of misinformation can have very severe consequences during an emergency situation like we are in now.”
Yesterday, an anonymous caller identified the store where she was shown dancing. Special Agents contacted the retail establishment, which confirmed the report of her dancing there two days into her required quarantine period.
Salamanca was arrested in Waipahu and held on $2,000 bail. State officials say relatives bailed her out. She is the 24th person on O‘ahu arrested by the Department of the Attorney General for violating the travel self-quarantine order.