A millionaire couple reportedly posed as cleaners before flying 1,000 miles to skip the coronavirus vaccine queue.
Casino mogul Rodney Baker, 55, and his 32-year-old wife, Ekaterina Baker, allegedly flew on a private plane to a community in Yukon where the Moderna jab was being delivered.
They were stopped on their return to Vancouver, Canada, by police officers who had been tipped off by suspicious clinic staff, who were confused at their request for a lift to the airport.
The couple were slapped with two charges each under Yukon’s Civil Emergency Measures Act, one for failing to self-isolate and the other for failing to follow a travel declaration on January 21.
Both now face a fine of more than £1,000, reports the Daily Star.
Yukon Community Services Minister John Streicker told CBC on Monday: “Effectively what they did was they put our community and our isolation team at risk, I’m pretty angry at the whole thing.”
Staff at a mobile clinic in Beaver Creek had been administering the vaccine to about 100 of the local residents, most of whom are members of the White River First Nation.
The couple raises suspicions when they asked for a ride to the airport after receiving their jabs, Streicker said.
Officers began searching for the couple, starting at nearby Whitehorse where they were meant to quarantine.
Eventually, they were found at the airport, preparing to fly back to Vancouver, the reports said.
Streicker added: “We just didn’t anticipate that anyone would go to this length to effectively deceive the team to get vaccinated, and I think we all felt pretty offended at the whole thing”.
Chief Angela Demit said: “We are deeply concerned by the actions of individuals who put our elders and vulnerable people at risk to jump the line for selfish purposes.
“While we understand many want to have a vaccination immediately, it is not appropriate to skirt the rules put in place and approach our community in this way.”
