Two Florida Residents Jailed After Failing To Quarantine After Positive COVID-19 Tests

Two Key West residents were reportedly arrested and jailed on Wednesday night after defying Florida’s quarantine order after testing positive for COVID-19.

The individuals, Jose Antonio Freire Interian, 24, and Yohana Anahi Gonzalez, 26, refused to follow the Florida Health Department’s quarantine order, and were reported by their neighbors for violating the order, the Miami Herald reported.

“There were complaints from the neighborhood of them continuing to be outside, going about normal life functions,” City Manager Greg Veliz told the news outlet. “Someone videotaped the couple and gave it to Key West police. An officer took the video to the judge, and the judge signed the warrant.”

Both were held at the Stock Island Detention Center in Key West on Wednesday night with Interian released on $1,000 bond early morning Thursday, and Gonzalez still jailed on $1,000 bond, the news outlet said. They were both charged with two misdemeanors for violating the order.

Florida has issued a public health emergency that requires quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. Violating the order is a second-degree misdemeanor that is punishable for up to 60 days in jail.

As of Wednesday, mid-morning, Florida had reported over 451,400 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with over 6,300 COVID-19 deaths, Johns Hopkins University said. Monroe County, where Key West is located, had nearly 2,000 positive cases of the coronavirus, the county’s website said.