SAN JUAN — Governor Wanda Vázquez announced on Saturday that she will hold a nonbinding referendum in November to decide whether Puerto Rico should become a U.S. state, a move that comes amid growing disillusion with the island’s U.S. territorial status. For the first time in the island’s history, the referendum will ask a single, […]
Category: Health News
Caribbean And Latin America Records 500,000th COVID-19 Case This Weekend
BUENOS AIRES — Latin America and the Caribbean has now recorded more than half a million coronavirus infections, according to an Agence France-Press tally based on official reports. Almost half have been recorded in Brazil – the country worst-hit by the pandemic in the region – which also has more than 15,000 deaths. The tallies, using data […]
Governor Bryan Says $10 Million In Stimulus Checks Went In The Mail This Week
CHRISTIANSTED — During his COVID-19 briefing on Thursday, Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. said that stimulus checks began going out from the Virgin Islands Finance Department on Monday and by the end of the week, 6,271 checks totaling almost $10 million will have been issued. “Everyone who is entitled to a COVID stimulus check will receive […]
UVI AND SBDC Team Up To Offer Free ‘Health And Safety’ COVID-19 Webinar
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Virgin Islands government has outlined a plan to reopen the territory as of June 1, but safe work environments won’t happen by chance. To assist small businesses in the reopening process, the University of the Virgin Islands – Safety In Paradise (SIP) Program and the Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center […]
These Countries Are Making ‘Travel Bubbles’ For Post-Lockdown Tourism
HAVANA — As countries begin to ease lockdown measures in order to kickstart their economies, all eyes are on how international borders will reopen, thereby enabling business and tourism to resume. Some nations have already agreed on, or mooted the possibility of, establishing “travel bubbles” whereby groups of countries who have low, manageable rates of […]
FEMA Gives $12 Million For Design of New Hospitals On St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Public Assistance Program has approved $11,979,526 to procure architecture and engineering services for the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center (JFL) on St. Croix, Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute (CKCI) on St. Thomas and the Myrah Keating Smith Health Center (MKHC) on St. […]
Caribbean Has Unique Challenges In Dealing With COVID-19: COMMENTARY
SANTIAGO, Chile — The implementation of the 2030 Agenda is at stake and decades of progress in human development are at risk of being reversed if more attention is not given to supporting Caribbean countries in their pursuit of sustainable development, Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean […]
Juan F. Luis Hospital Gets 20,000 Medical Masks From Government of Taiwan
CHRISTIANSTED — The Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center administration said that it was grateful to the Government of Taiwan, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Miami for their donation of 20,000 medical masks during National Hospital Week. “The JFL Team is thankful to TECO for this generous donation of 20,000 masks […]
6th COVID-19 Victim Lost Each Parent To Coronavirus On St. Croix (UPDATE)
CHRISTIANSTED — Two people have died from the novel coronavirus in the last three days in the territory, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health confirmed today. The sixth person to die from COVID-19 in the territory was also on a ventilator at the Juan F. Luis Hospital. His death was reported today and that he […]
USVI Said To Be ‘On The Uptick’ With COVID-19 Cases After 5th Death In Territory
SANTO DOMINGO — While a large number of Caribbean countries seem to have halted the COVID-19 curve, in seven nations yesterday, the number of coronavirus cases continued a steady uptick. Here are the seven: 1: The Dominican Republic’s cases showed no slow down as the country surpassed 10,000 cases yesterday, adding 465 new cases to reach […]