HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The 37-year-old homeless woman from the mainland arrested this week for violating the state’s 14-day quarantine for travelers is being sent back to the mainland.
Aarona Lopez arrived Monday on Oahu from Phoenix.
But instead of abiding by the two-week quarantine, the aspiring social media comedian wound up in a tent village on Waimanalo Beach, angering residents worried she might be carrying the coronavirus.
Hawaii News Now confirmed she was booked on a Delta flight back to the mainland Friday night. Our cameras were rolling as state sheriffs escorted her to the airport.
“I think it was selfish and irresponsible of her,” said Waimanalo Neighborhood Board member Kukana Kama-Toth.
Kama-Toth was among the many Windward residents who were tracking Lopez’s whereabouts on social media and urging police to arrest her.
“She traveled all over the place, undetected until it was brought to our attention, which puts the lives of our community members at risk,” Kama-Toth said.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said she slipped through the cracks because she listed a post office box instead of a real address for airport screeners, who didn’t check out the address.
“What should have happened is they should not have been allowed out of the airport and they should have been put back on a flight to the continent where this woman came from,” she said.
In her YouTube videos, Lopez said she has not been infected by the coronavirus and that she’s the target of a cyber bullying campaign.
“I abided by everything they told me at the airport,” she said.
Because Lopez’s bail has been set at just $500, the mayor and others worry that she’ll be back living on the streets soon.