26 Jun 2020

Hawaii's mandatory quarantine challenged by US govt

11:54 am on 26 June 2020

Hawaii's mandatory quarantine of travellers to contain the spread of Covid-19, is discriminatory, the United States Justice Department says.

Aloha, written in the sand on beach, Hawaii

Aloha, written in the sand on beach, Hawaii Photo: Philip Waller Image Source, all rights reserved.

The department filed a Statement of Interest this week in a legal challenge to the 14-day quarantine instigated by Governor David Ige.

It said the emergency rule was unfair to non-residents and probably violated constitutional protections of inter-state travel.

The US Attorney for Hawaii, Kenji Price, said there were bounds on the discretion of public officials during a crisis.

But the state said the department's conclusions had no merit.