It was only a matter to time.
There has been a surge in cases of COVID on St Croix and St Thomas, and in last nights update from the Department of Health that uptick also made its way to St John. There are two new positive tests on St John, bringing the total number of positive tests to six. Both cases were travel related rather than spread in the community, which is a positive sign. Six total cases, and two new cases, is a very small number relative to what is happening across the country, but any new cases is a cause for caution and concern.
The Governor is giving a speech at 1pm today to address the increase. He has so far resisted closing bars and restaurants, but it is within the realm of possibility if the increases continue. We are currently in the “Open Doors” section of the “Path to a New Normal”, but could be moved back to “Safer at Home” by the Governor anytime.
Governor Bryan was recently asked by VI Consortium what it would take to move from “Open Doors” level to “Safer at Home.” He responded, “I think it would take people showing up at the hospital, showing that we have a surge for us to be identifying cases and where they are being identified coming from community spread. That would be the ticker.”
Please continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing on island. We are all in this together.
We will learn more about the status of the territory at 1pm today and will report back soon after.
I certainly hope the guv doesn’t overreact. 6 folks out of a population of 4,170 (2010), which doesn’t include tourists, is 0.1%. That’s really a tiny number. Keep em isolated and move on with life.
The problem is people do not like to follow rules and like Hawaii they need to be monitored.
That population number you have is too high. A lot of people left after Irma. If this comes there it isn’t like being in Florida.. there is no hospital onSt John. It would be a disaster
It’s OK we’re still coming there. We live in Hawaii and we are the lowest on the charts. Those with pre-existing conditions or unhealthy, Diabetic, overweight especially lung and breathing diseases should not go anywhere! They should stay at home and quarantine. Healthy people and children should not be penalized by these quarantines.
Amen!
St. John healthcare isn’t as good as it is on the mainland. People need to be respectful of each other and themselves. Wear masks, social distance, and don’t travel to hotspot areas. St. John is such a small island that the coronavirus could run rampant there in just a little amount of time… People need to take things more seriously. Everyone is anxious, antsy, and are sick of being cooped up, but if everyone did their job as citizens, it wouldn’t be an issue.