An Online Blog About the Daily Happenings of St. John, USVI
Keri LaMar 
Good day, everyone! We have a couple of important changes to the COVID-19 testing requirements to share with you today, as well as an update on the new pilot program regarding on-the-spot testing at our VI airports!
Read moreChanges to Testing Requirements Announced at Today’s Press Conference
Last month, we brought you the Seasonal Restaurant Closure list, with the caveat that we expected it to change once the Governor’s Stay at Home order was lifted.
As anticipated, a majority of our restaurants have updated their hours this week, given that we are now in the more relaxed Safer at Home phase which allows our restaurants to resume dine-in service. As such, we are sharing the entire list again with all of the updates so that you can check the status of your favorites, or try something new!
We are also excited to share that many of our restaurants have been given permission by our Government to resume the use of regular dining ware instead of single-use disposables. This is fantastic news, not only for those dining in our restaurants, but also for the protection of our environment!
We will be updating this list as changes are made or additional information is received. In the meantime, please let us know if you have additional information or if we are missing any of your favorites!
This is the day many of us have been anticipating all month –
Today we start welcoming back our valued guests!
Ordinarily this time of year, we see a noticeable decrease in the number of visitors given that August and September are peak hurricane months; however, the past four weeks have been unusually quiet given that our hotels, Airbnbs, villas, and other guest-lodging resources were ordered closed by Governor Bryan for four weeks, starting on August 19, 2020.
The US Virgin Islands regularly appears on all of the Top Ten lists for best travel destination, and once again, we find ourselves taking the top position in Travelzoo’s most recent survey.
Read moreUSVI #1 Desired Vacation Destination Among Travelzoo Members
When the traditional St. John Labor Day Car Show and Coral Bay Parade were cancelled due to COVID restrictions, organizers Yisrael Petersen and Halbert Joseph were determined to figure out a way to bring the FUN to St. John while remaining compliant with social distancing guidelines.
While some businesses are struggling to keep their doors open during the days of COVID, Ocean Surfari, a fishing and snorkeling charter company currently based on St. Thomas, is expanding their business to add a retail shop on St. John!
Read morePopular St. Thomas Business Opening Retail & Charter Shop on St. John!
The territory reverted back to the Safer at Home phase today, and most non-essential businesses are allowed to reopen! According to Governor Albert Bryan, his decision to move our territory back to this phase was largely due to the increase of testing and decrease in positive cases, which has moved us below the 5% positivity rate threshold.
We have quite a few updates to share with you regarding our hotel reopening date, visitor testing requirements, restaurants, and beach hours from today’s press conference:
HOTELS
Hotels, Airbnbs, villas, and guest houses can begin checking in guests on Saturday, September 19, 2020. US Virgin Island residents who would like a staycation are allowed to stay in local hotels beginning today if they provide a local identification card.
TESTING
One of the most significant changes announced at today’s press conference is that ALL travelers (residents and guests) entering the territory must present a negative COVID test result when arriving at one of the USVI airports. Every traveler 15 years of age or older is required to produce either:
To expedite the arrival process at the airport, please register and upload your test results in advance of arrival on the USVI Travel Portal, which can be accessed here.
According to Governor Bryan, the government is working toward making rapid testing available at the airport so that guests who are unable to be tested prior to travel can be tested upon their arrival in the territory. They anticipate that this system will be in place by the end of the month. In the meantime, those who arrive without test results can be tested at one of our facilities on St. John or St. Thomas, or quarantine for up to 14 days while in the territory.
RESTAURANTS
Restaurants are allowed to reopen for dining in, with the following conditions:
All bars that do not serve food will continue to remain closed.
BEACHES
Beaches will remain open until 4:00 pm on weekends and holidays, opening at 6:00 am the following day. There are no restrictions on beach hours during the week.
MASS GATHERINGS
No greater than 50 persons may gather in any given place, and social distancing of six feet is required. Churches and other places of worship may reopen today, subject to the maximum person mandate, and attendees can partake in communion.
Casinos and gaming facilities are allowed to reopen on September 19, 2020. Nursing homes and senior living facilities will remain closed.
We will keep you posted on any further updates, and we can’t wait to welcome you back!
Governor Albert Bryan announced that the Stay at Home order will be downgraded to Safer at Home starting Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Additionally, the hotel check-in system will be reopened for guests on Friday, September 18, 2020.
The guidelines under the Safer at Home phase include:
The Governor also announced that starting on September 8, 2020, restaurants may once again resume dine-in services, with the following restrictions:
Finally, the news many of you have been anticipating – hotels may resume checking in guests on Friday, September 18, 2020, and may once again accept travel reservations starting on Saturday, September 12, 2020.
Be sure to watch for our summary of the next press conference on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 for additional announcements!
We are excited to share that our newest St. John restaurant, Salty Mongoose Pizza & Rum Beach Bar – located in the Isola Shops in Coral Bay on the waterfront – is now open! The restaurant has all the ingredients for a successful business – excellent customer service, a delicious and reasonably priced product, a spectacular view, and owners who care about St. John and the local community.
The current menu is pizza-focused, with a vision for expanding over the coming months to include salads, pasta dishes, and daily sandwich specials.
The charismatic owners, Kimberly Alvarez and her son, Sean ‘Tarzan’ Philippe (who was born in the US Virgin Islands), moved back to the island a year and a half ago after moving away three decades ago so that three year old Sean could attend school in the states. Kim is a self-described island girl who missed the islands over the years and decided to bring her son back home. Sean is the chef, and the vibe of the bar. Kim and Sean have always enjoyed cooking for others and felt that starting a restaurant would be an ideal fit for them.
The restaurant uses the freshest ingredients possible. The dough is made by hand each night and cold proofed (a technique that slows the fermentation process) for maximum flavor and consistency. The cheese is a whole-milk mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan blend. The produce, such as the fresh basil, arugula, and other herbs are grown locally on St. John by Josephine’s Greens. For the meat-eaters, the pepperoni is purchased whole and diced fresh each day. The sausage is fresh and ground on site. The pizzas are hand tossed and cooked in a brick oven, which cooks quickly and evenly. The recipes were mostly created by Sean’s experimentation, and trial and error. His special pizza sauce is made with only a few ingredients, as he believes food tastes best when kept simple.
The restaurant has a casual, fun vibe, with panoramic views of the bay. A constant, gentle breeze makes it comfortable for outdoor seating, even on the hottest summer days. When the island reopens for visitors, they will offer a daily happy hour, as well as different theme nights such as Family Feud night, Dance Party night, a giant Twister game, DJs, and live bands to showcase our local talent.
Kim and Sean’s sense of community spoke to my heart. Several Coral Bay businesses have closed in recent years, and their goal is to revitalize the area by bringing it back to life. Their philosophy is that their business will thrive if they cross-promote by encouraging their customers to also patronize the other restaurants in Coral Bay. “We are stronger when we work together,” said Sean. He also wants to give the local community a place to relax after work with a cold beer and a bite to eat, without it costing a small fortune. “We are all about helping each other.”
The current hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm. After the COVID restrictions are released and visitors are allowed back to the territory, the hours will extend to 11:00 am to 11:00 pm 7 days a week.
To place an order, please call or text: (340) 643-8486.
Governor Bryan confirmed at today’s press conference the extension of the Stay at Home order, which expires at 8:00 am on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Under this policy, non-essential businesses and schools will remain closed, and restaurants will remain open for take-out only. There was no discussion regarding an extension of the visitor ban which is currently set to expire on September 18, 2020.
According to Governor Bryan, we need to get the community spread down to an acceptable number. Given that we are seeing a reduction in our positivity rate, he believes the Stay at Home order is working, and the government looks forward to relaxing the current policies if this trend continues.
“We are doing all of this just to keep people safe, and we ask that you do the right thing,” said the Governor, adding that he feels we are doing a tremendous job in complying with the guidelines, and asked that we continue to be smart and responsible.
The government will be distributing free masks on St. John next week. We will keep you posted as information is released about the mask distribution date and location.
