Virus Updates

Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday! We made it to the middle of the week! It’s been a bit since we’ve updated you on what’s happening around the island, so here’s a quick little update.

As of today, May 13th, there have been 69 positive COVID-19 tests in the US Virgin Islands. There were two on St. John back in March. Since then, there have not been any positive cases on the island. St. Thomas has had 38 confirmed cases, and St. Croix has had 29. There have been six COVID-related deaths in the US Virgin Islands. Three of those deaths were from the same family, which is absolutely tragic.

As of today, the US Virgin Islands plans to move to its “Open Doors” phase on June 1. At this time, accommodations will, once again, be able to accept new guests. (Currently hotels, villas, Airbnbs, etc. are unable to check in new guests. This began back on March 24.) This means that tourists can once again visit the island per the government beginning on June 1. Gatherings will be limited to 50 people at that time, which we believe will include all restaurants and bars. The move to the Open Doors phase on June 1 is subject to change. Should that happen, we will let you know immediately.

I’ve received numerous emails asking about restaurants and what specifically will be open. As of today, it appears that the majority (if not all) will be open on June 1 and moving forward. Numerous restaurants are open today and are offering to-go food. Beginning June 1, restaurants will be able to offer in-house dining once again. But again, it is likely that they will be limited to 50 people at a time and that includes staff.

Regarding our annual seasonal closings – many restaurants and bars close because of hurricane season which starts June 1 – it is too soon to know who will close and when. We just need to get through this first, and then businesses can make a decision on that.

The British Virgin Islands government announced that non-residents will not be able to visit their islands – Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, Norman Island, Cooper Island and Virgin Gorda are all part of the British Virgin Islands – until sometime around September 1, 2020. This means that charter boats are not allowed to bring guests to the BVI until then.

I’ve been asked repeatedly how residents feel about visitors returning to the island. Truthfully, there are mixed feelings. On one hand, residents are ready to welcome visitors as our economy relies heavily on tourism and the island has been suffering financially due to COVID-19; And on the other hand, many people are extremely apprehensive about the idea of visitors returning and potentially, if not likely, bringing the virus with them. As of today, the majority of residents still have not received a stimulus check; the majority of residents have not received unemployment checks (although I do know some that received their first check this past Monday, so that’s progress!); and the majority of small business owners have yet to receive a PPP or SBA loan. So in that regard, people are looking forward to tourism resuming. But are people fearful that St. John will see an increase in COVID-19 cases once visitors return? Unequivocally, yes.

Now let’s talk flights. As with everywhere, flights to the airport on St. Thomas (STT) have been scaled back dramatically due to COVID-19. As of today, American Airlines looks like it will resume daily service from Miami on June 5. Currently they are flying here roughly 5-6 times a week. Delta does not appear to be resuming its daily service from Atlanta or New York until July 2 and July 3 respectively. United is also offering a flight between Newark and STT, and a flight between Washington DC on seven days in June. Spirit is flying its Ft. Lauderdale to St. Thomas route on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays only for the month of June. JetBlue has scaled its flights back too. So it may prove challenging initially to visit the island from a flight perspective should you choose to.

(These are examples and are subject to change.)

And with that, I think I will end this post right here. I will do my best to answer your questions in the Comments section or over on our Facebook page. Have a wonderful day everyone.

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Well folks, the Governor just concluded a press conference and we have lots of information to share with you!

Let’s start with the topic I know you all want to know about the most – when can you return to St. John. According to the Governor, tourists will likely be able to return to the US Virgin Islands beginning on June 1.

The Governor announced a five tier alert system Wednesday afternoon, which will help manage the Territory’s reopening. The system is color coded and can be seen below:

As of today, April 29, 2020, St. John (and the entire Virgin Islands) is operating as Orange. Beginning Monday, May 4, 2020, St. John will move to Yellow. It is anticipated, per the Governor, that St. John will move to Blue on June 1, 2020.

“We anticipate moving from this yellow Safer at Home status to the blue Open Door status on June 1st,” the Governor said Wednesday afternoon. “That’s when we will be opening up the reservation systems, and welcoming tourists back, leisure travelers into our Territory. We figure this month we will be able to see where our weak points are, reinforce our airports which we have found to be where the virus is coming onto the Territory. At the same time, being able to get more reinforcement at both hospitals…”

When St. John begins operating under the Blue status, restaurants will be able to offer dine-in services once again. Currently, restaurants are only able to offer take out, delivery or drive through. For the time being, all bars remain closed.

There seems to be an outstanding question regarding whether or not people entering the US Virgin Islands are required to quarantine. I reached out to Government House via Facebook and was told:

“Temperatures are taken at the time of arrival to the Territory and those individuals are also monitored. The 14-day quarantine following travel is not mandatory.”

Beginning Monday, May 4, 2020, face coverings will be required when entering all commercial establishments. It is uncertain whether that will continue or expire when travelers are invited to return June 1.

Not everyone will agree with the Governor’s plan. Some think the reopening is too soon; some think it is too late. Whatever your feelings may be, let’s be kind to one another. Love always wins. Hate does not.

Hello everyone, and happy Monday! We are so happy to tell you all that the beaches and trails reopen today. And to celebrate that, we’re going to take you all on a little hike over to the Murphy Great House, which is located off the Johnny Horn trail, high above Waterlemon Cay.

But first, I’d like to tell you a bit about James Murphy, the man who the Great House was named after. James Murphy was a St. Thomas merchant, shipowner and slave trader. Murphy bought Waterlemon Bay in in 1796 and renamed it Leinster Bay, according to David W. Knight, Sr.’s writing on the St. John Historical Society’s website. “Within the year, Murphy also went on to acquire the neighboring Annaberg and Mary’s Point estates, along with a portion of the former deWintsberg property known as Betty’s Hope that joined the two parcels.” Following the acquisitions, Murphy started to construct what was then considered a state-of-the-art sugar factory at Annaberg.

“In 1803, James Murphy once again set out to expand his landholdings with the acquisition of the Munsburry plantation, which lay along Annaberg’s southern boundary,” David W. Knight, Sr. wrote on the St. John Historical Society’s website. “Then, in 1807, he purchased the Brown’s Bay estate on the far eastern boundary of Leinster Bay — thereby amassing a total of 1,245 contiguous acres, of which 494 were planted in sugar cane. It was the largest amount of sugar land ever controlled by a single individual in the history of St. John.”

The Great House was Murphy’s residence perched high atop a hill overlooking Annaberg, Leinster Bay and Tortola. The hike to the Great House takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes from the Annaberg parking lot, depending on how many times you stop to take pictures or enjoy the beautiful scenery. You could wear flip flops for this hike, but I recommend wearing sneakers and bringing a bottle of water.

So as we mentioned, please park at the Annaberg parking lot when visiting the Murphy Great House. After parking, proceed to the Leinster Bay Trail which starts beside the water at the bottom of the hill to Annaberg.

Follow the trail alongside the water until you get to the beach.

When you reach the beach, walk to the far end. There you will see an opening in the trees. This leads to the Johnny Horn Trail. There is a large rock near the entrance of this trail.

“The Johnny Horn Trail was named after Johan Horn who was second in command to Governor Gardelin in St. Thomas and Commandant of St. John around the time of the slave rebellion in 1733,” according to seestjohn.com. “He was the Chief Bookkeeper and Chief Merchant of the Danish West India and Guinea Company on St. Thomas. According to John Anderson in his historical novel, Night of the Silent Drums, Englishman John Charles, a former actor who became a small planter on St. John, said the following of Horn:

“He had a grimace for a face, lies for eyes, noes for a nose, arse cheeks for face cheeks, fears for ears, whips for lips, dung for a tongue, and to all who knew him it seems strange that he has but one horn for a name.”

Well clearly he wasn’t the most liked individual…

Once you get to the rock, walk to the left. You will then follow the trail uphill. The first set of ruins you will reach is of the Guardhouse. It’s purposefully located in a strategic location where guards could keep an eye on the the Fungi Passage, between Whistling Cay and Mary Point, and the Narrows, which separate Great Thatch and St. John. The Guardhouse was complete with cannons and was manned by 16 soldiers, according to See St. John.

Continue uphill once you leave the Guardhouse. You will come to an intersection with a sign for the Murphy Great House. Take that left. The Great House is right around the corner. (If you continued straight on the Johnny Horn trail, you would eventually reach Coral Bay near the Moravian Church. This is a very challenging hike.)

Check out this quick video we took:

How gorgeous are those views??!! Not a bad way to start the week!

As you can see, there is so much to do, see and learn about on St. John. The next time you are on island, you should definitely Explore STJ.

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St. Johnopoly is just like the traditional Monopoly game, but it is completely customized for St. John. If you would like a bit of St. John to arrive at your doorstep, order yours at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly

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Want to get News of St. John updates emailed directly to you? Please go to www.newsofstjohn.com/signup to sign up.

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For the latest updates on COVID-19 and how it relates to St. John, please visit www.newsofstjohn.com/virus

 

Hi all, the Governor just held a press conference. As we told you earlier this week, he holds several a week which you can watch live on Government House’s Facebook page. Here are a few key takeaways:

• The beaches are expected to reopen on Monday, April 20th. The Governor cautioned against going into the water until Thursday, April 23 when water quality results will be completed. He especially stressed staying out of the water in bays that have seen a recent influx of boats.
• It is “more than likely” that alcohol will be prohibited from all beaches when they reopen on April 20.
• If you visit a beach, the Governor stated you can only visit with immediate family members.
• The restrictions on mass gatherings remain in place.
• The Territory is working to provide taxi and grocery delivery service to seniors.
• The government has received infrared thermometers and is checking incoming passengers for temperatures at the airport.
• Discussions have began regarding reopening the islands “internally,” the Governor said.
• The Governor also stated “We are well away from opening our economy.”

The next press conference is at 1 p.m. Monday AST. It is expected that he will address the accommodations ban at that time.

Tag: USVI COVID-19

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St. Johnopoly is available and shipping daily. It’s about to sell out, so please get yours today!

St. Johnopoly is just like the traditional Monopoly game, but it is completely customized for St. John. If you would like a bit of St. John to arrive at your doorstep, order yours at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly

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Want to get News of St. John updates emailed directly to you? Please go to www.newsofstjohn.com/signup to sign up.

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For the latest updates on COVID-19 and how it relates to St. John, please visit www.newsofstjohn.com/virus

 

 

 

Well folks, we have great news to share with you today! But before I begin, I need to admit that I am little late to the party on this one. But nevertheless, this is great news to share with you!

The Inn at Tamarind Court sustained tremendous damage during the 2017 hurricanes. After more than two years of remodeling, the Tamarind reopened its standard rooms to guests back in February, and the place looks great!

For those of you who are not familiar with the Tamarind, it’s an affordable spot that’s located just five minutes from the ferry dock in Cruz Bay. Rates start at $81 a night in low season and at $90 a night during high season … you can’t beat that, folks!

The Tamarind currently has 14 rooms that will be available once the Governor lifts the current accommodations ban. (As you likely have read, villas, hotels, inns, etc. cannot accept new guests though April 24.)

The Tamarind has eight standard rooms that were completely rebuilt following the storms. Of those, five have a queen bed and a private bath; two have two twin beds and a private bath; and one has two queen beds and a private bath. It also has six economy/single rooms that were renovated following the storms. This is a dorm-style building with two shared bathrooms. Each of the six rooms has one twin bed.

All rooms have cable, wifi, USB ports, ceiling fans, mini fridges and air conditioning.

Check out a few pics:

Looks nice, doesn’t it?

There are eight additional rooms that are still under construction. Discounted rates are being offered while construction is ongoing.

Work continues on the Tamarind’s onsite restaurants. They hope to have that open by next season (mid to late fall), if not sooner.

For more information on the Tamarind, please visit its website at www.innattamarindcourt.com

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St. Johnopoly is available and shipping daily. It’s about to sell out, so please get yours today!

St. Johnopoly is just like the traditional Monopoly game, but it is completely customized for St. John. If you would like a bit of St. John to arrive at your doorstep, order yours at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly

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Want to get News of St. John updates emailed directly to you? Please go to www.newsofstjohn.com/signup to sign up.

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For the latest updates on COVID-19 and how it relates to St. John, please visit www.newsofstjohn.com/virus

We received an email the other day asking why we haven’t provided a COVID-19 update in roughly a week. Well sometimes no news is good news. There aren’t too many new changes to report. Here is what’s currently happening:

As of today, April 15, there have been two confirmed COVID-19 cases on St. John. There have been 51 confirmed cases in the US Virgin Islands, which includes St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix. As of today, 417 people have been tested territory-wide.

The beaches remain closed through April 20. All trails are currently closed.

Accommodations including hotels, villas, Airbnbs, etc. cannot accept new guests through April 24.

There is a declared State of Emergency and a Stay at Home order that continues through April 30.

It is possible that some of these restrictions may be extended. If that happens, we will let you know.

There have been changes to our ferry and barge scheduled. Please click here to read our April 7th article that discusses that. 

Many of you have emailed me asking about upcoming trips, asking whether or not you think you can visit. Truthfully, I do not have an answer. All I can say is to listen to the advice of our Governor and the federal government’s advice pertaining to travel.

People have asked about seasonal closings. As many of you know, a fair amount of our restaurants close during hurricane season. Some close for a few weeks; some close for a few months. To my knowledge, none of the restaurants have made a decision regarding their seasonal closures yet. When those decisions are made, we will let you know.

Want to receive updates regarding COVID-19 cases in the US Virgin Island and other pertinent information? Just text COVID19USVI to 888777.

You can also visit our government’s website at www.vi.gov for the latest information on COVID-19.

Our Governor holds press conferences live on Facebook several times a week. He also holds question and answer sessions. Please visit www.facebook.com/GovernmentHouseUSVI for more information.

We’re pretty much all in a holding pattern right now. I want you all to visit again, but when the time is right. I look forward to showing many of you the island during one of my island tours. I’ve got some free time lately, so I’ve been working to rebrand my island tour business. I am excited to show you all the results! 🙂

In the meantime, please keep reading and keep loving this little island of ours! Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Tag: USVI COVID-19

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St. Johnopoly is available and shipping daily. It’s about to sell out, so please get yours today!

St. Johnopoly is just like the traditional Monopoly game, but it is completely customized for St. John. If you would like a bit of St. John to arrive at your doorstep, order yours at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly

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Want to get News of St. John updates emailed directly to you? Please go to www.newsofstjohn.com/signup to sign up.

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For the latest updates on COVID-19 and how it relates to St. John, please visit www.newsofstjohn.com/virus

 

Well folks, it was only a matter of time.

The Governor announced Monday that all beaches in the US Virgin Islands will be closed through April 20 in an effort to further enforce social distancing. The release went on to say:

“Persons known to have the virus who willfully violate the directives as determined by the Health commissioner can be criminally charged under Title 14 of the V.I. Code, according to the Attorney General.

“Title 14, subsection 886 states “[w]however willfully exposes himself or another afflicted with any contagious or infectious disease in any public place or thoroughfare… shall be fined not more than $200 or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.”

The Virgin Islands National Park followed up the Governor’s announcement with a release of its own that stated all trails and parking lots in the Virgin Islands National Park will be closed too. All park waters remain open. “Mariners using park moorings and anchorage areas can expect further guidance and safety requirements later this week,” the release said.

The ferries and barges have altered their schedules as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is the current passenger ferry schedule:

Three barge companies provide service between St. John and St. Thomas – Love City Car Ferries, Global Marine and Big Red Barge Co. Here are their updated schedules:

The Virgin Islands Port Authority released the following information yesterday regarding flights to the Territory:

The Governor announced that all incoming passengers are being screened for COVID-19.

And to reiterate, the US Virgin Islands are currently under a State of Emergency and will be through April 30. All non-essential businesses are closed through April 30. Hotels, villas, Airbnbs, etc. are not allowed to accept new checkins through April 24. If any of these dates get extended, we will be sure to let you know.

For the latest updates on COVID-19 and how it relates to St. John, please visit www.newsofstjohn.com/virus.

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St. Johnopoly is available and shipping daily. It’s just like the traditional Monopoly game, but it is completely customized for St. John. If you would like a bit of St. John to arrive at your doorstep, order yours at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly

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Want to get News of St. John updates emailed directly to you? Please go to www.newsofstjohn.com/signup to sign up.

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I’ve received countless emails regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) over the past few days. People have asked me if they should visit the island or stay away. People have asked about our healthcare system, whether our shelves are stocked. I by no means have all the answers. Frankly, I have very few answers. Here is what I do know.

St. John has a fragile health care system on a good day. We have a large number of elderly residents on St. John, and, as you know, they are the most vulnerable population right now. We need to protect them and keep them healthy.

The government announced it has six negative pressure rooms at Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas in addition to quarantined areas in its emergency room. The VI Consortium reported that training has occurred at Schneider and also at Myrah Keating, our 24-hour clinic here on St. John.

The Governor, who oversees St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix, announced last night that one person in the US Virgin Islands had tested positive for COVID-19. It is believed that person is located in St. Croix.

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC cruise lines have ceased operations for the next 30 days. These cruise lines regularly dock in St. Thomas.

I’ve been asked repeatedly whether St. John wants tourists to continue visiting during this time. Truthfully, some people do, and some people do not. The Governor addressed the Territory yesterday morning. He did not mention tourism specifically, and he did not say whether or not people should continue to visit or cancel their trips. I reached out to the Governor and his communications team to get clarification, and have yet to hear back.

Our ports remain open. Our airport and seaports are operating as usual. Our ferries and barges continue to run.

Our restaurants and shops remain open. Our beaches are open. The National Park is open.

Our grocery stores are open. As of yesterday (my last trip to one), the shelves looked normal for a typical Friday. Have I heard stories of people running out to scoop up lots of toilet paper like in the States? Absolutely.

Today’s St. Patrick’s Day parade has been cancelled, although Quiet Mon Pub does intend to have corned beef as planned. Just like in the States, our government is cancelling all mass gathering events in effort to limit the spread of the virus.

I spoke with a friend yesterday who is in the medical field here on St. John, and she stated that St. John does have the ability to obtain testing for COVID-19.

I reached out to numerous friends yesterday who are boat captains, ferry captains, taxi drivers, restaurants owners and shop owners. I reached out to people who were born and raised here, and people who chose to make St. John their home. I asked all of them if they planned on closing. I asked if they were doing anything differently these days. The response from all was they they will continue business as usual but that they are cleaning more now than ever. The ferry captain, for example, said he had hired two new people specifically to clean and disinfect the ferry between trips.

While having lunch at Mongoose Junction yesterday, I saw several business owners and employees disinfecting doors and windows. I saw bottles of hand sanitizer in many businesses.

Tourism is the backbone of economy. Should you cancel our trip, I ask that you return in the future. Should you choose to come, please know that St. John is open and you will be welcomed.