A University of Hawaii football player returning from spring break was arrested Monday by state special agents in connection with violating the state’s mandatory 14-day traveler quarantine rules.
Venasio “Solo” Vaipulu, 21, left his designated quarantine location almost daily, according to a news release from the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center.
The UH junior, who was reported to state authorities by community witnesses, was also charged with making a false statement to authorities. His bail was set at $4,000.
Vaipulu’s athletic profile says he was named to the Polynesian Player of the Year watch list in 2019.
Another visitor — 18-year-old Makayla Janay Thomas from Victorville, California — was arrested last Thursday after posting photos of herself violating quarantine rules on Instagram, the news release also said.
Thomas arrived on Oahu on May 17 and began posting photos of going to beaches, shopping centers and local eateries on social media. A local community group alerted special agents of her postings.
Thomas was booked and charged, and her bail was set at $2,000, according to the COVID-19 Joint Information Center.
