Influencer arrested after breaking mandatory coronavirus quarantine in Hawaii

A popular YouTube star has been arrested in Hawaii after breaking a mandatory 14-day coronavirus quarantine to go shopping and film social media videos.

Anne Salamanca, better known online as Mika Salamanca, arrived in Honolulu from Manila, Philippines, on July 6, and was advised to follow a strict 14-day quarantine.

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However, just four days later, videos surfaced of the Alabama, USA, native dancing in a store and dining out in the tourist hotspot.

She had shared the clips to TikTok, where they were promptly spotted by fans from Hawaii and abroad. The videos have since been removed.

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The 20-year-old was in clear violation of the quarantine designed to protect Honolulu from the coronavirus pandemic, and the Hawaii Tourism Authority acted immediately after being made aware of Salamanca's violation.

It informed attorney general special agents, who want on to arrest the YouTube star and social media influencer. She was later released on $2,800 bail.

The day before her arrest, Salamanca, who has more than 2.3 million YouTube followers and a massive fanbase in the Philippines, took to Instagram to speak about the quarantine violation.

She claimed in a video, speaking in Tagalog, that a local police officer told her that if she tested negative for COVID-19, she was allowed to go out despite the mandatory quarantine period.

"None of my investigators would convey that information, as it is incorrect," Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors said, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

"The fact 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."

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, influencers across the US, UK, Australia and abroad have been caught out breaking rules and defying lockdown measures.

Many have claimed ignorance when they've been called out, others insisting they had valid reasons to defy government and health rules.

However, they continue to ignore many protective measures put in place to contain the virus.

Just this week, a number of big name influencers ignored Los Angeles' social distancing rules at a blow-out party where guests mingled in close quarters and didn't wear masks.

Fellow influencer Tyler Oakley, who did not attend, later tweeted: "If your favourite influencers are at huge house parties during a pandemic (and are dumb enough to post it on social media)... they are bad influences. unfollow them."