Bryan said U.S. Virgin Islands received $75 million in CARES Act funds as COVID-19 cases reached 54

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said on April 22, 2020, that the U.S. Virgin Islands had received $75 million in federal CARES Act funding, including money for subsidies on Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority bills.

During a COVID-19 press briefing, Bryan said part of the funding would support $250 WAPA subsidies for individuals and $500 subsidies for businesses through the YES program. He said federal funds also would be used for a transit subsidy for St. Thomas-St. John passenger ferries and for transportation for elderly residents and people with disabilities.

Bryan said he had visited the Virgin Islands National Guard Regional Training Institute at Estate Bethlehem on St. Croix, which was being adapted as a quarantine center for COVID-19 patients. He also announced an immediate rent freeze during the state of emergency, saying landlords could not raise rent on leased apartments even if a lease had expired.

He said the eviction freeze did not stop the eviction process from moving forward, but tenants could not be removed from apartments until the state of emergency ended.

As of April 22, 2020, 688 people in the territory had been tested for COVID-19, with 583 negative results, 54 positive results and 51 pending tests, according to Bryan. Of those who tested positive, 48 had recovered and three had died, leaving three active cases being tracked by the Health Department.

Bryan said Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas had completed the first phase of its COVID-19 wing and could accommodate 20 additional acute-care beds for infected patients. He said additional ventilators had been ordered and that the territory was increasing its stockpile of protective equipment, including medical gowns, face shields, 60,000 regular masks and 50,000 N-95 masks.

Bryan said the state of emergency was in effect through May 12, 2020, and that legislation was being prepared to seek an extension through June 12, 2020. He also said hotel reservations would not be allowed until at least May 15, 2020, and that the moratorium could last until June depending on the course of the outbreak.

At the briefing, Col. Dan Hibner of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed the St. Croix quarantine facility. Education Commissioner Racquel Berry-Benjamin also said retention and promotion guidelines for the 2019-2020 school year had been suspended for public schools.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/el-gobernador-bryan-actualiza-a-los-residentes-en-covid-19/