Bryan said he was working with governors to press CDC on resuming U.S. cruise sailings

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said at a Government House press briefing on March 22, 2021, that he was working with other governors to urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift its no-sail order and allow cruise lines to resume passenger operations in the United States.

Bryan said the Virgin Islands and other government entities tied to the cruise industry had met virtually about two weeks earlier with cruise line executives and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, and that the participants were not optimistic about a return of cruise travel to U.S. waters. He said he was helping draft a letter with other governors to President Joe Biden seeking new federal rules for cruising and a potential sail date.

At the same briefing, Bryan urged residents to follow masking and social-distancing requirements during the upcoming Transfer Day and Easter holidays, citing what he described as a slight uptick in positive COVID-19 cases.

Government House also said the Emergency Rental Assistance Program would open on March 29, 2021, for households behind on rent or utilities because of the pandemic.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Finance were set to issue 6,425 income-tax refunds totaling $15 million for tax year 2018, according to the administration. The two agencies also processed and mailed 6,985 stimulus checks totaling more than $5 million on March 19, 2021, from the federal coronavirus aid package approved in December 2020.

The administration said 91 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the 10-day period from March 12 through March 22, 2021, and that the seven-day positivity rate stood at 4%. Four COVID-19 patients were hospitalized between the territory's two main hospitals, including two on ventilators.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-working-with-other-governors-to-push-cdc-to-allow-cruise-lines-to-dock-at-u-s-ports/