(CNN) - Itinerant neighborhood police patrols. Soldiers in uniform at checkpoints. A large network of surveillance of hotel staff and health officials looking for anyone breaking the quarantine.
It is not an authoritarian dictatorship. This is the US state of Hawaii, where authorities have applied some of the country's toughest measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
As governments around the world strive to smooth the curve of new viral infections, the place known for its "aloha spirit" - and state law requiring compassion for others - has opted for the hard love to keep residents safe. and visitors.
For some tourists fleeing to the tropical islands to overcome the pandemic, flouting Hawaii's rigid public health response has meant jail time.
Newlyweds behind bars
Police arrested a California couple on a honeymoon visit to Hawaii last week after ignoring warnings to stay in their hotel room.
Upon arrival in Waikiki, authorities said that the man and the woman had been informed by hotel staff that the state pandemic emergency orders required them to quarantine. The couple allegedly ignored the instructions and left the hotel. After returning to their hotel around midnight, the hotel staff again warned them not to leave their room. After lifting the quarantine again the next day, hotel staff called the police, who arrested the couple.
In late April, a man from Florida and a woman from Illinois were also arrested by Honolulu police after breaking quarantine. Hotel staff informed authorities after watching the couple return to their rooms with shopping bags and take-out food, state health officials said.
On the same day, authorities said that a witness saw a 60-year-old California man jetskiing off the north shore of Oahu, despite quarantine orders. He was then seen leaving a residence and was followed up at a Costco point of sale. State investigators placed him under arrest as he returned to his car with supplies, authorities said.
"Our original goal is to educate people," Lt. Audra Sellers from the Maui Police Department told CNN. "Our efforts are aimed at keeping people safe and preventing them from spreading the virus."
But Sellers says police patience only goes so far when it comes to repeat offenders.
"If they have been warned and try again, we will stop them," she said.
"Extreme but necessary"
In late March, Hawaii Governor David Ige signed an emergency order requiring on-site accommodation for all Hawaiians and tourists. Under the order, anyone arriving in the state must undergo 14 days of self-quarantine.
"These actions are extreme, but necessary, to smooth the curve and lay the foundation for our recovery," said Ige.
Newcomers must complete documents listing their contact information and accommodation information, and a signature is required to recognize that violation of quarantine is a criminal offense punishable by a fine of $ 5,000 and one year in prison, according to the state transport service.
But the enforcement efforts don't stop there. Airport health officials are required to dial the mobile phone number provided by a passenger to ensure it is valid. After verifying their contact details, a representative then calls the hotel where a visitor intends to stay to confirm that there is a reservation.
CNN spoke with a hotel manager in Hawaii who asked not to be named to speak freely about how resorts are helping law enforcement with state emergency orders.
"Our customers periodically receive calls from public health officials, the police, and hotel staff to make sure they are comfortable in their rooms," said the hotel manager.
"Some of our hotels issue single-use keys, which allow a guest to enter their room during check-in, but do not allow re-entry," he said. "For first-time offenders, our staff will escort them back to their rooms. If they leave, we call the police."
The hotel manager described a surveillance network by authorities, hotel staff and local residents to ensure that visitors did not comply with quarantine orders. He said he saw police and members of the National Guard regularly checking visitors.
A Hawaii National Guard spokesperson confirmed to CNN that some members of the services had been instructed to come up with the police to check on residents and tourists.
Aloha is a two way street
At first glance, the drastic measures instituted in Hawaii seem to go against the reputation of kindness and compassion of the State of Aloha. In an interview with CNN, however, the mayor of Honolulu, Kirk Caldwell, described the rationale for the difficult approach.
"We, like most of the United States, are still facing the challenges of this pandemic," he said. "But right now, we consider that traveling brings the virus, and we would prefer that people do not come before it is safe to travel again."
Caldwell understands that tough measures may seem to contradict Hawaii's welcoming spirit, but notes that it is up to visitors who cherish the islands to understand the damage that a widespread epidemic could do to residents of the state of the archipelago.
"We are a place of great aloha, and aloha remains," he said. "But aloha works both ways. It works from the perspective of the people who live here and the people who visit here. If you come here and act irresponsibly, you don't show aloha to the place you say you care." "
While home stay and quarantine orders in Hawaii are among the most comprehensive in the country, they appear to be working. Public health officials announced on Friday that there were no new cases of Covid-19 for the first time since March 13.
Although emergency measures seemingly stop the spread of the virus, Caldwell recognizes that they also have a high cost for the tourism-dependent state's bottom line.
"We are going to have a real fight because we are so dependent on tourism, and we really want the tourists to come back," he said. "But we have to understand how they get back to where they are safe, and so are we."
