Governor Bryan said he is aggressively lobbying federal officials and working with Delegate Stacey Plaskett to make sure the Virgin Islands stay on the agenda for Congress as it meets to work out a third stimulus package.
That package is expected to include:
· Another round of stimulus checks
· Forgiveness of $300 million in Community Disaster Loans
· The extension of unemployment benefits
· Payroll tax cuts
· Additional funding for businesses
· Funding for states and schools to help stabilize their budgets.
“Our government has been operating on fumes the last few months, and we are facing an extremely grim budget for Fiscal Year 2021,” Governor Bryan said. “This stimulus package promises to provide the shot in the arm needed to maintain the level of government service we need as we ride out the impacts of the pandemic. “It will also provide the wiggle room we need to pay the financial obligations that we have as a government.”
The Department of Property and Procurement (P&P) on St. Croix closed its physical location and initiated full work-from-home protocols after an employee tested positive over the weekend. P&P Commissioner Anthony Thomas acknowledged that an employee of the department on St. Croix tested positive for the virus, and said that steps have been taken to mitigate the impact. Mr. Thomas said most of the department's employees have been working remotely and on modified schedules since the pandemic started.
COVID-19 in the USVI by the Numbers: 144 Active. 7279 tested. 6853 Neg. 308 Pos. 158 Recovered. 6 Deaths.
Dr. Esther Ellis, Epidemiologist for the U.S Territory, provides some hints on how to slow down the spread of COVID-19.