Bryan said Virgin Islands remained in key second week of stay-at-home phase as positivity rate stayed above target

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said at an Aug. 24, 2020, press briefing that the U.S. Virgin Islands had entered a pivotal second week of its stay-at-home phase, and he urged residents to limit movement as health officials sought a return to a coronavirus positivity rate of 5% or lower.

Bryan said air arrivals had declined, particularly in the St. Thomas-St. John District, following a moratorium on leisure travel, but the drop had not yet produced the decline in positivity rates officials were seeking.

He also amended restrictions under his executive order to allow several activities to continue, including Census Bureau operations and contractors, dive shops refilling oxygen tanks for the fishing industry, houses of worship holding services with no more than 10 people in the sanctuary and distributing Communion in protected containers, and professional services such as legal, accounting and insurance work for legally mandated matters.

Bryan also discussed proposed legislation tied to the Matching Fund Securitization Act, which he said would create a new revenue stream for the Government Employees' Retirement System. He said the 33rd Legislature was scheduled to convene in special session on Aug. 25, 2020, after a previously planned Aug. 18 session was delayed because of COVID-19 issues at the Legislature.

According to figures presented at the briefing, the Virgin Islands Department of Labor had issued 32,406 unemployment insurance checks totaling $24.6 million, 25,822 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation checks totaling $32.2 million, $838,961 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and $270,263 in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.

Bryan said the territory was tracking 261 active COVID-19 cases as of Aug. 24, 2020. Officials reported 14,537 people tested, 984 positive results, 712 recoveries and 11 deaths. Two COVID-19 patients were hospitalized on ventilators at Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix, and seven patients were hospitalized at Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-urges-continued-diligence-during-pivotal-second-week-of-stay-at-home-phase/