An Olympia man was arrested and then ousted from Hawaii after police say he refused to follow the state's coronavirus quarantine rules.
The Kaua'i Police Department arrested Devin Martin, 50, on Thursday when he arrived via Alaska Airlines from Washington state.
Airport authorities informed him of the state-mandated rules that all visitors must quarantine themselves for 14 days to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Kaua'i police say Martin did not have any reservations for accommodations and he refused to find a place to stay. Martin was arrested.
Martin was first taken to the local hospital to check for symptoms of coronavirus. After he was cleared he was put in a cell.
Kaua'i Police Chief Todd Raybuck says the potential spread of coronavirus would put a a strain on the island's healthcare system.
"We only have 111 hospital beds, nine ICU beds and 18 respirators, and for a population of over 75,000 residents you can see that we don't have a significant public care healthcare resources here and so, preventing the spread and community spread of this virus is critical for our public health care system," Raybuck said.
Hawaii currently has 319 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including three people who have died.
Martin was scheduled to take a direct flight to the mainland sometime Friday.
Raybuck did not have information on if Martin was flying back to Washington or somewhere else.
Along with the visitor quarantine order, Hawaii has a stay at home order that currently is effective through April 30. Residents and visitors can only leave their homes or accommodations for essential activities. Residents who are returning from outside Hawaii must also self-quarantine for 14 days.
Martin, or anyone else who violates Hawaii's state-mandated rules, faces up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige encouraged would-be visitors to reschedule their trips.
Hawaii, Alaska and Florida are the first three states that have quarantine requirements on travelers from other states.