Stay out of the water...

Tourist dies in ocean while defying Hawaii quarantine

Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Chris Mcginnis

A tourist from Oklahoma who was supposed to be obeying Hawaii's 14-day quarantine for travelers arriving to the state was pronounced dead after he was found unresponsive in the ocean near Diamond Head, east of Honolulu.

The Honolulu medical examiner's office identified him as Kristopher Michael Oliphant, 39, of Tulsa, Okla. A cause of death was pending Friday.

He arrived June 7 and should have stayed in quarantine until Sunday. However, he checked out of his hotel Wednesday, said Jessical Lani Rich, president of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii, which helps tourists in distress.

Rich told local TV station KITV that he was 10 days into his quarantine. "You know, it's difficult being in quarantine for a lot of people. I guess he wanted to go enjoy the ocean, and he did, but very sadly it cost him his life," she said. Her organization reached out to his family in Oklahoma.

A fisherman found an unresponsive man in the water just after 5 p.m. last Wednesday and called 911, according to Honolulu Emergency Services. Ocean Safety workers brought Oliphant into Maunalua Bay, where they pronounced him dead.

Arriving tourists and residents in quarantine aren’t allowed to leave hotel rooms or residences for anything except medical emergencies.

The Hawaii quarantine rule, which began in March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the U.S., was recently extended through through July 31. Visitors arriving from out of state are required to sign a declaration at the airport acknowledging that they are aware of the quarantine order and agreeing to abide by it. They are also required to tell authorities where they will be staying, and to go there directly from the airport, not leaving their island accommodations for 14 days.

Quarantine violators are subject to large fines (up to $5,000) and possible jail time (up to one year). Anyone who plans to travel to Hawaii with the intention of violating the order should Google “Hawaii quarantine arrests” and they’ll see a number of examples of just how seriously the state is taking the coronavirus threat. Since April 6, 115 quarantine-breakers have been arrested and sent home according to KITV.

The quarantine has effectively shut-down Hawaii's tourism-dependent economy, but it has helped the islands maintain relatively low infection rates compared to other parts of the U.S.

As of Monday, 803 people have tested positive for the virus in Hawaii and 17 people have died.