CHRISTIANSTED — During Tuesday’s Government House weekly press briefing, Governor Albert Bryan tried to clarify the protocols governing bars and nightclubs in the territory.
The COVID-19 Task Force closed down the Bliss Bar & Lounge located at 45C Estate Glynn on Saturday night in advance of a planned Halloween concert on October 31 in which entertainers had been brought in from off-island to perform.
Department of Health Director of Environmental Health Wanson Harris, who also directs the enforcement efforts of the COVID-19 Task Force, explained the directives his officers followed were dictated by the 30 executive orders that the governor which made the closure necessary in the public health interest.
The COVID-19 Task Force is a hodgepodge of government agencies that includes the Department of Health, the V.I. Police Department, the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, the Waste Management Authority and other entities seeking to keep the pandemic under control in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“I try to be as fair as possible in my judgement. I don’t make my decisions based on what people are saying on the radio and Facebook. I base them on the facts,” Bryan said, noting that he has been trying to bring some relief to club owners while keeping the safety, health and well-being of residents at the forefront during the pandemic.
“I made a decision for the businesses, especially the club owners and the DJs. We’ve been trying to do something for them for a long time,” Governor Bryan said. “We’re trying to do this, but we want to make sure everybody is still safe, because it’s been a year and a half that some of these clubs have been closed. I was in the states last week and people are up and down the place and they don’t have any masks, but they have 10 hospitals. We have one.”
The current protocols governing bars and nightclubs, as well as allowing dancing in establishments, went into effect on Friday, October 29, and all of Governor Bryan’s executive orders are available to the public at vi.gov.
Eight percent wage repayment
Bryan also said checks for the eight percent wage repayment from the 2011 V.I. Economic Stability Act are set to go out next week, and he reminded residents to check the Division of Personnel website (dopusvi.org) and make sure their information in the Personnel database regarding the 8 percent repayment is correct..
To do so, click on the tab at the top of the web page for “Employees” then click the link that says “8% Salary Restoration.” The website also contains instructions for the survivors of government employees who are deceased and are owed money to receive those funds.
Pop-Up Vaccinations
Residents can get vaccinated at no cost at the Community Vaccination Center (CVC) located in each district; both facilities accept scheduled appointments and walk-up requests for the vaccine.
Pop-Up vaccinations are available:
• Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 3 p.m. at Cost-U-Less on St. Thomas
• Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Charles Harwood Complex on St. Croix
• Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. at the V.I. Port Authority Gravel Lot on St. Croix.
The Department of Health expects to share information in the future regarding COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11.
Anyone 12 and older is eligible to receive the vaccine. Please make sure to have a parent or guardian accompany any minor wishing to get vaccinated and must bring an ID for both the minor and the parent or guardian.
For information about the COVID-19 vaccines or to schedule an appointment to get vaccinated, call the VITEMA hotline Mondays-Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 340-777-VACS (8227). Vaccination appointments also can be scheduled online at covid19usvi.com/vaccines.
Anyone who thinks they may have contracted COVID-19 can call the Epidemiology hotline at 340-712-6299 or 340-776-1519. For more information, visit covid19usvi.com.
COVID-19 cases as of November 2
• 2.13% seven-day positivity rate
• Currently tracking 89 active cases (82 STX; 7 STT; 0 STJ).
• 207,400 individuals tested to date.
• 7,233 individuals tested positive.
• 7,063 individuals have recovered.
• 81 fatalities.
• There is 1 COVID-19 patient hospitalized, who is on a ventilator, at Juan F. Luis Medical Center on St. Croix.
• There are no COVID-19 patients hospitalized at Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas.