Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

USVI issues new 'Stay at Home Order' as COVID-19 cases surge

USVI issues new 'Stay at Home Order' as COVID-19 cases surge

Governor Albert A. Bryan Jr on Thursday, August 13, 2020, took bold steps to beat back the rise of novel coronavirus in the US Virgin Islands (USVI), which has been spreading briskly through the community — infiltrating the Queen Louise Home for the Aged and the Alexander A. Farrelly Criminal Complex — both of which are in St Thomas.

Mr Bryan said when he first announced that the territory would move to its Open Doors phase on June 1, 2020, he stated at the time that his administration would revert to a more restrictive phase if cases of the virus surged.

Unfortunately we have arrived at the point this week," the governor said during his press briefing.

As of Wednesday, 682 people tested positive for the virus: 346 on St Thomas, 314 on St Croix, and 22 on St John. DOH said it was tracking as of Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 197 active Covid-19 cases: 165 on St Thomas, 27 on St Croix and 5 on St John.

Here's what you need to know


Effective Monday, August 17, 2020, the territory will revert to the Stay at Home or orange alert phase of the administration's Covid-19 response. "This means that effective 6:00 am Monday all non-essential businesses are ordered closed," Mr Bryan said. "Non-essential public sector workers are also to remain at home. This phase of alert will continue for at least the next two weeks at which time we will re-evaluate whether it is safe to advance again to the yellow alert: Safer at Home."

*   Hotels, Airbnb, guest houses and villas have been ordered to cease accepting new reservations effective immediately.
*   Reservations are only to be accepted for business -related travel, government workers and emergency workers.
*   Effective Wednesday, August 19, hotels are barred from checking in any guests aside from business-related travelers, government workers and emergency workers.
*   Virgin Islanders at home and abroad are encouraged to restrict travel to essential and urgent business only.

"While we're taking these measures, keep in mind that we do not have the full authority to close neither our airports or our seaports, nor is that a desirable outcome," the governor said, adding that the territory must maintain a certain level of commercial and airline traffic to allow for emergency travel and transport of medical supplies and other essential items such as mail and packages.

*   The governor ordered all public, private and parochial school campuses closed for students.
*   Virtual learning is allowed to continue.
*   Churches are to remain closed for the next two weeks during this Stay at Home period.
*   All beaches have been ordered closed on weekends and holidays from noon, meaning residents are allowed to go to the beach on holidays and weekends in the morning time.
*   Restaurants have been restricted to takeout, drive-thru, or delivery service only.
*   All essential business must operate within the existing mass gathering restrictions and promote the recommended social distancing requirement of 6 feet or more between individuals, along with the mandatory use of facial covering, the governor said.

"That restriction is no more than 10 people in any establishment other than the [big] box stores and grocery stores," said the governor.

State of Emergency


Mr Bryan reminded the public that the territory is still under a state of emergency. "Everyone is getting tired, but we have been dealing with this virus now for almost 6 months; we must continue to be diligent," he said. "We're doing the things now that will allow us to do better in the future."

Mr Bryan said the actions were taken today to ease the strain in the St Thomas-St John District, and to "ease the anticipation of a major surge that could affect both islands."

The governor said his aim from the onset has been to balance what he said is public health, economic wellbeing, and personal freedoms of residents.

"But at this time the public health concerns trumps all of those," he said.

Mr Bryan further stressed that the goal of the order is to stop "all movement in the territory [and] all gatherings in the territory until we can get this virus beaten back to a manageable state."

He said all movement, except if absolutely necessary, must stop. "This is not a test; it's not an experiment. We have done this before and it proved effective in slowing the spread," Mr Bryan said.

And while the government has a role to play in addressing the Covid-19 crisis, Mr Bryan said members of the community have a part to play as well. "We are doing our best to do our part, and I ask you in turn that each of you do your best to do your part," he said.

Mr Bryan said the administration would assess active cases, trends in the positivity rates and how many of the active Covid-19 positive cases require acute medical care. "Those will be the determining factors as to how long we continue in this phase," he said.

"However, at this point it is clear that we will not get back to the Open Doors phase again for at least another month," the governor added.

The administration in March issued the following list and descriptions of essential businesses:

Places that sell or produce food:


*   Grocery stores, convenience stores, and pet supply stores. This includes stores that sell groceries and sell other non-grocery products, and products necessary to maintain the safety and sanitation of homes.
*   Restaurants that prepare and serve food or beverages, but only for delivery, drive-through, or carry out.
*   Food cultivation, including farming, livestock, and fishing.

Places with medical purpose:


*   Home-based care for seniors, adults, people with a disability, or children.
*   Residential facilities and shelters for seniors, adults, people with a disability, and children.

Media outlets:


Newspapers, television, radio, and other media services.

Core life services:


*   Gas stations, and auto-supply, and auto-repair.
*   Banks and credit unions.
*   Hardware stores and building supplies.
*   Laundromats, dry cleaners, and laundry service providers.
*   Plumbers, electricians, custodial/janitorial workers, handyman services, funeral home workers and morticians, carpenters, landscapers, gardeners,   property managers, private security personnel, and other service providers who provide services to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation to properties and other essential businesses.
*   Businesses that supply office or computer products needed by people who work from home.

Businesses that supply other Essential Businesses with the support or supplies necessary to operate.


*   Businesses that ship, truck, provide logistical support or deliver groceries, food, goods or services directly to residences, essential businesses, healthcare operations, essential infrastructure.
*   Airlines, taxis, and other private transportation providers providing transportation services necessary for activities of daily living.
*   Businesses that provide parts and services for essential infrastructure.
*   Professional services, such as legal or accounting services.

Childcare for essential workers:


*   Childcare facilities providing services that enable employees exempted to work.

Places that provide shelter:


*   Hotels, shared rental units, and similar facilities.
*   Homeless shelters and social services for economically disadvantaged people.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×