A newly launched travel app has come under fire for flying a group 19 people – including 12 TikTok influencers and a Nickelodeon star – to Hawaii for Thanksgiving, despite the CDC urging Americans to celebrate the holiday season at home.
Private Island, an upscale live events and group travel app, was launched by CEO and founder Nicholas Duro four days before Thanksgiving, as the US was warned to brace itself for a second wave of COVID-19.
In celebration of the app’s launch, Duro flew a group of young social media influencers to Maui for a nine-day ‘Friendsgiving’ event, which included ‘luxury hotel accommodations, fine foods, and loads of activities meant to get the blood pumping,’ according to a press release.
Among those on the exclusive guest list was Fuller House actor Isaak Presley, along with influencers Colie Nuanez, India Good, Carson Paw, Mishka Silva, and at least eight other social media stars.
‘Anyone up for skydiving, jet skis, and motocross under the warm tropical sun?’ Private Island’s press release reads. ‘It sure beats a zoom meeting in my pajamas.’
The app also pledged to maintain ‘respect for pandemic regulations’ throughout the promotional event. However, three days prior to departure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement insisting ‘the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with.’
A newly launched travel app has come under fire for flying a group 19 people – including 12 TikTok influencers and a Nickelodeon star – to Hawaii for Thanksgiving, despite the CDC urging Americans to celebrate the holiday season at home (some of the group are shown in the above image)
Private Island, an upscale live events and group travel app, was launched by CEO and founder Nicholas Duro (above) four days before Thanksgiving
The government agency’s announcement came after the US reported more than 1,000,000 cases of COVID-19 in just the week prior alone, with cases ‘continuing to increase nationwide’.
While Duro acknowledged to the Daily Beast he was aware of the CDC’s guidance, he said that because Hawaii had the lowest case numbers of any state, he decided to push on with the trip as planned.
In a post to Instagram, app founder said that all guests were ‘tested prior to forming a safe bubble and respected all current laws, rules, guidelines and advisories by the state of Hawaii.’
Private Island and Duro have not yet returned a DailyMail.com request for comment seeking further clarity.
Participants of the trip were reportedly not required to quarantine upon arrival, as the state had recently lifted the restriction in lieu of a negative coronavirus test taken no longer than 72 hours prior to departure. One of the islands, Kauai, has since reinstated the policy as of December 2, according to the state’s website.
After arriving in Maui, the influencers were allegedly divided up into two seperate groups, which then apparently avoided contact with one another.
‘We spoke to legal medical advisors who basically said that this is the best way you can execute this,’ Duro claimed, despite the CDC repeatedly advising against group travel during the pandemic.
Among the list of 19 guest was Nickelodeon star and Fuller House actor Isaak Presley, who is shown above in pictures taken during the trip to Maui
‘Anyone up for skydiving, jet skis, and motocross under the warm tropical sun?’ Private Island’s press release reads. ‘It sure beats a zoom meeting in my pajamas’ (Pictured above: Influencers India Good, left, and Carson Paw, right)
Participants of the trip were reportedly not required to quarantine upon arrival, as the state had recently lifted the restriction in lieu of a negative coronavirus test taken no longer than 72 hours prior to departure
The company said it is unaware if any of the attendees have since tested positive for COVID-19, following the nine-day jaunt. Private Island said it has no plans to follow up with the guests.
Dailymail.com requests for comment to a number of the group’s agents regarding any positive cases have so far gone unanswered.
One influencer reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 prior to her flight and was not allowed to attend, Duro claimed.
On Friday, the Hawaii Department of Health reported that six recent COVID-19 clusters had emerged on Maui.
Mayor Mike Victorino said that so far investigators have confirmed 22 cases of the virus from the clusters, 14 of which came from a ‘social gathering’, according to Maui Now. At least two of those case came from a gym, and three of the clusters were linked to bars and nightclubs.
Since the pandemic began, Hawaii has reported more than 18,500 positive cases of the virus and recorded 260 deaths.
US health officials warned the nation to brace itself for an ‘unprecedented surge’ of COVID-19 after the Thanksgiving holiday, as millions reportedly traveled to different states.
Last Wednesday, the US recorded its single-worst daily death toll since the pandemic began with 2,760, while hospitalizations also hit an all-time high of more than 100,000.
After arriving in Maui, the influencers were allegedly divided up into two seperate groups, which then apparently avoided contact with one another. It’s unclear if any have since tested positive for COVID-19 (pictured above: Colie Nuanez, left, and Miska Silva, right)
The nine-day ‘Friendsgiving’ event included ‘luxury hotel accommodations, fine foods, and loads of activities meant to get the blood pumping,’ according to a press release
The company said it is unaware if any of the attendees have since tested positive for COVID-19, following the nine-day jaunt. Private Island said it has no plans to follow up with the guests
One influencer reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 prior to her flight and was not allowed to attend, Duro (above) claimed
In its release, the company said the intention behind the trip had been to ‘show the world that there’s a light at the end of this long tunnel of quarantine for travel, socializing, and group fun while also maintaining respect for pandemic regulations.’
Elaborating on this point to the Daily Beast, Duro said: ‘Social media influencers want to show that their lives are fun. This is how they’ve attracted such following—is by showing the world that they have the kind of secrets to a happy lifestyle, to a lot of fun, to adventure.’
Private Island officially launched three days before Thanksgiving
As consequence of their decision to take part in Private Island’s ‘Friendsgiving’, the company acknowledged that attendees had ‘received a lot of hate’.
‘I don’t think there’s one person that didn’t get some backlash,’ Duro said. ‘In terms of people reaching out and saying that this is not right. This should or should not be happening during the time of a pandemic.’
Regardless, Private Island argued that ‘travel and social interactions’ could still be held safely.
As proof of their stance, Private Island wrote: ‘The group has been spotted by a number of sources driving around the island of Maui this week in their 4 Cadillac Escalades, but only from their villa to the adventure destinations with no exposure to the outside world.’
The app, the self-described ‘Instagram of Adventure’, provides a scrolling feed of extravagant parties and lavish trips for users to join or share.
Hosts of parties and other events can approve guests through the app, and even selectively sell tickets.
‘Private Island represents somebody who’s putting together an exclusive group and curating a fantastic experience for that group,’ Duro explained to the Daily Beast.
Since the pandemic began, Hawaii has reported more than 18,500 positive cases of the virus and recorded 260 deaths (pictured: A traveler receives an in-airport Covid-19 nasal swab test a day before his flight to Hawaii during the Covid-19 pandemic at Los Angeles International Airport)
Private Island, the self-described ‘Instagram of Adventure’, provides a scrolling feed of extravagant parties and lavish trips for users to join or share
Prior to the pandemic’s arrival in March, the app had been geared towards concerts and large parties, but has since been recalibrated to specify social distancing measures and make guest lists more transparent, Duro said.
The company also claims to have implemented ways to require and verify COVID-19 tests, though it hasn’t specified how they do this and testing is not mandatory to host or attend events.
Undeterred by the backlash, Duro said the company is planning ‘multiple’ similar events across the winter.
‘We have Lake Tahoe that’s planned for late December. We’re going to do Costa Rica. That’s happening in January… We’re in talks with the Ritz Carlton right now,’ Duro said.
The CEO declined to comment on the cost of the Maui trip, though said a number of the guests came as part of a sponsorship agreement.