Filipina YouTuber and singer Mika Salamanca has apologized for violating Hawaii's 14-day mandatory self-quarantine for foreign tourists and returning residents.
In a July 24 report by Hawaiian news channel KITV4 Island News, the Hawaii Tourism Authority arrested Mika for going out just four days after she arrived in Honolulu from Manila.
The report added officials obtained videos of Mika “dancing in a store and dining out with companions." Mika was released from jail after her relatives posted $2,000 (Php 98,669) bail.
Mika issued her apology in a YouTube vlog after netizens called her out for her actions.
“Gusto ko pong mag-sorry sa lahat ng misunderstanding and sa lahat ng maling nakikita niyo po sa internet. Inaamin ko po na nagkamali po ako nung time na dumating po ako dito sa Hawaii and agad po kaming lumabas,” she said.
Mika added, “Naiintindihan ko po yung frustration ng mga tao, alam ko naman po na serious matter ng Covid.”
The vlogger claimed some law enforcers came to her house and told her that she wasn’t in trouble, and that if she tested negative for COVID-19, she would be allowed to go out.
Special Agents from the Investigations Attorney General Clare E. Connors, however, refuted that in a statement to KITV.
“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. The spread of misinformation can have very severe consequences during an emergency situation like we are in now,” the statement read.