A social media influencer from the Philippines wound up behind bars after sharing a video of her dancing inside of a Honolulu store.
TikTok star Anne “Mika” Salamanca was supposed to be in a 14-day quarantine after traveling from Manila, Philippines to Hawaii on July 6.
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Salamanca allegedly shared the video with millions of followers four days after she landed. She was also dining out with friends which goes against the state’s COVID-19 travel rules.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority was alerted and it wasn’t long before Salamanca was arrested.
The tourism authority shared clips she posted to TikTok and that’s when the attorney general’s office stepped in and took over the case.
Salamanca apologized for her actions in her native language, Tagalog. She acknowledged that she could have put many people’s lives at risk, including her own.
“I admit that I made a mistake at the time when I arrived in Hawaii and we went out right away,” according to a translation by KITV. “I’m sorry.”
KITV reports that Salamanca tried to claim that she had permission from law enforcement to leave her quarantine location if she tested negative for COVID-19.
However, authorities pushed back against her claims, saying that no one would give her that advice as Hawaii is trying to get ahead of the coronavirus.
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“None of my investigators would convey that information, as it is incorrect. The fact that Ms. Salamanca has so many followers makes her actions that much more dangerous and concerning,” Attorney General Clare E. Connors said. “The spread of misinformation can have very severe consequences during an emergency situation like we are in now.”
Salamanca is now out of jail after her family paid her $2,000 bond.
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