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Thursday COVID-19 Updates: Info on Restaurants & Airport

Thursday COVID-19 Updates: Info on Restaurants & Airport 1
Caneel Hill, March 19, 2020

Our Governor held a press conference today to update the Territory on what’s happening here regarding COVID-19. Here are some of the top messages :

  • As of Thursday, March 19, 2020, there are only three cases of COVID-19 in the US Virgin Islands (St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix.) One case is in Croix; two cases are in the St. John/St. Thomas district. It has not been reported which island both cases are on, although it is believed both cases are on St. Thomas. The Ritz Carlton on St. Thomas announced to guests that there was a positive case at the resort.
  • The government is “contact tracing” any individuals who may have come into contact with one of the three infected persons. Those people are being tested for COVID-19. The government stated there is drive thru testing for individuals marked as “persons under interest.” That drive thru testing is happening on St. Thomas and St. Croix. As of today, that testing is not happening on St. John. Currently they are awaiting results of 21 tests.
  • Beginning Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 6 a.m., businesses, including bars and restaurants, will be required to limit the number of patrons to 10. Big box stores like Home Depot and Kmart on St. Thomas, for example, will be exempt as they have the ability to maintain adequate social distancing, the Governor stated.
  • Regarding travel and tourism, the Governor estimated that there are only about 1,500 tourists in the Territory. He stated that air travel to the Territory “slowed to a trickle” and that people leaving the Territory remains high. “As of now, we don’t have any plans to close the airport,” the Governor said.
  • All licenses will be granted a 60-day extension. This includes business licenses, motor vehicle licenses and registrations, etc.
  • The Governor said he expects to increase safety measures moving forward. He emphasized that if everyone followed the rules, a curfew would not go into effect.
  • Lastly, the government urged everyone to sign up for COVID-19 updates by texting COVID19USVI to 888777.

We are keeping a list of closings at www.newsofstjohn.com/closed

All information regarding COVID-19 can be found at www.newsofstjohn.com/virus

St. Johnopoly, St. John’s only board game, is available and is still shipping. If you would like a bit of St. John to arrive at your doorstep, you can order yours at www.newsofstjohn.com/stjohnopoly

12 thoughts on “Thursday COVID-19 Updates: Info on Restaurants & Airport”

  1. I think Aqua Bistro is closed/not doing take out as of today based on what I saw online. Thanks for all of your updates!

    • They are open as of now – 5:25 P.M. on March 19, 2020. They were streaming music without a license to do so, so YouTube pulled the webcam.

    • Yeah, I’ve also noticed their webcam up and down over the past several days. Jenn, thanks for providing the reason. It’s working as of now (7:20 pm 03/19)…… only about 10 patrons at the bar at the moment (it looked closer to ~20 patrons about 15 minutes ago).

  4. Just heard on CNN that domestic flights may be grounded very soon and ALL international travel should stop now per State Dept. Dr Fauci has recommended halting all domestic flights.

  5. Just canceled my April trip but rescheduled for next March. I’ve been coming to the island since 1992 and it’s the first time I’ve ever had to cancel a trip. I thought it was the right thing to do for my family and for the people of STJ, especially after what happened on St Thomas. I’ll miss the island but Jenn’s updates will keep me going until next spring. Stay safe STJ!

  6. We are booked for May 2nd for a 2 week stay… coming from Arizona. We have not cancelled everything yet…..any thoughts and insights from your end?

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