A family vacation got off to a bumpy start as a couple from Miami Beach got arrested in Hawaii last week for attempting to use fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.
According to complaints filed by the Hawaii Attorney General’s office, Enzo and Daniela Dalmazzo landed in trouble for falsifying a vaccine card. In addition to this, Daniela was charged for submitting fake documents for the couple's two kids, NBC Miami reported.
As per court documents, the couple was caught on Aug. 11 after an airport screener got suspicious about the vaccine cards of the kids, who were born in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The children were too young to have taken any of the COVID-19 vaccine shots approved for emergency use in America.
Special Agent Joe Logan with the Hawaii Attorney General’s office said, "The screener at the airport, when they came through, noticed an anomaly about the age of the children and the vaccine, and that’s how we got involved."
The couple violated travel rules, according to which travelers need to show proof of vaccination to avoid quarantine while visiting the state. Full vaccination is not required to enter Hawaii, and travelers can present a negative COVID-19 test taken just 72 hours before a trip to the state.
If someone violates the state's COVID-19 rules, he or she will have to pay a fine of up to $5,000 or stay in prison for a year or both. Enzo and Daniela were released on a combined $8,000 bail.
On Aug. 12, Governor David Ige reminded his Twitter followers that falsifying a vaccination card can result in imprisonment or payment of fine.
According to the Honolulu Civil Beat, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said last week's arrests were the third and fourth made by them of people carrying fake vaccination cards.
"Airport screeners are constantly on guard for falsified test results or vaccination documentation, screening thousands of travelers arriving daily through Hawaii’s airports,” said Gary Yamashiroya, special assistant to the attorney general.
On Thursday, Hawaii Department of Health informed people that a free walk-in COVID-19 vaccines and testing were being done at Aloha Stadium.
Those under age 18 were asked to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive a vaccine or test.
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