"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
Legislators have often discussed the financial hardship caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, but they hashed out some of the details during last week’s House of Assembly sitting. The territory was …
Continue reading “Government saw $30 million revenue shortfall during 2020”
As the first anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic approaches, Opposition Leader Marlon Penn recently highlighted a need for additional relief while addressing the pandemic, the tourism industry and other economic …
Continue reading “Opposition leader calls for ‘stimulus 2.0’”
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, Virgin Islands resident Denise Carson made it her goal to ensure that everyone in need of a face mask was able to get …
A second critical travel document — a vaccine passport — is looking inevitable. But issues are mounting on the why, what, where, how and when of such a passport. Will …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Vaccine passports expected soon”
Police will continue to enforce the territory’s mask and social distancing rules by issuing fines to people and establishments that violate them, they warned on Monday. The rules, as outlined in …
Continue reading “Police warn they will continue to enforce social distancing rules”
No charges have been laid in relation to the quarantine breaches in mid-December that triggered a round of contact tracing and prompted health officials to urge patrons of two establishments …
With growing concerns of a second wave of faster-spreading Covid-19 in the United Kingdom, the Unites States and other countries, the Virgin Islands has pushed its projected reopening date for …
Continue reading “New rules take effect as Covid cases climb”
In an update circulated through WhatsApp yesterday, Health and Social Development Minister Carvin Malone announced that there are 11 active cases of Covid-19 in the territory, bringing the total number …
Continue reading “Eleven active cases in the VI as year begins”
The day before seaports were scheduled to reopen to tourists, government on Monday bumped the date to Jan. 21 and announced that a visitor who arrived last week had tested …
A week before the border reopening, more details on the official entry protocols were announced and the online portal for applying to enter the Virgin Islands went live. But businesses …
Continue reading “Virgin Islands readies for Tuesday reopening”
While this year’s Speech from the Throne delivered by Governor Gus Jaspert last Thursday in the House of Assembly repeated many familiar promises for digital advancement and overhauls of major …
Continue reading “House agenda addresses life amid Covid-19”
The standards that businesses must meet ahead of the Dec. 1 border reopening became a bit clearer this week with new information released about “gold seal” staff training requirements. However, …
Continue reading “Biz info released, but reopening website not launched”
Premier Andrew Fahie on Monday announced the official protocols for tourists to enter the Virgin Islands, which include four rounds of testing for Covid-19, four days of quarantine within approved …
Continue reading “Reopening plan sparks outcry, cancellations”
With a new tourism season set to start on Dec. 1, hotels are outfitting rooms, boats are getting back on the water, restaurants are stocking up, and many other businesses …
Continue reading “Amid questions, tourism industry prepares for reopening”
During a series of closed-door stakeholder meetings hosted by the BVI Tourist Board over the past week, business owners in the tourism sectors of small hotels, transportation and tour operations …
Continue reading “Stakeholders debate bubble tourism, quarantine rules”
With less than seven weeks until the Virgin Islands’ borders are set to reopen to non-residents for the first time since late March, government has launched a series of meetings …
Continue reading “Draft reopening protocols complete but not public”
Six months have passed since the first two cases of Covid-19 were announced in the Virgin Islands on March 25, and government decisions to control the virus have been met …
Continue reading “ANALYSIS: Six months into Covid-19, uncertainty remains”
Following hundreds of Covid-19 tests that skyrocketed the Virgin Islands’ tally of confirmed cases over the past three weeks, government announced on Tuesday that 111 people had all tested negative …
While the Virgin Islands moves to the orange “Manage It” phase of its pandemic plan as a result of increased Covid-19 transmission in the community, Tuesday also marked the first …
Continue reading “Border relaxation coincides with Covid spike”
In an attempt to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support in the Virgin Islands amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a new educational campaign launched with a virtual meeting broadcast last Thursday …
Continue reading “Government launches mental health campaign”
Because of government revenue losses during the Covid-19 pandemic, the House of Assembly recently decided to adjust the 2020 budget, approving $77 million in extra spending and shuffling tens of …
The week after extending the ban on expatriates entering the territory, government reversed course on Friday and said they could return starting Sept. 1 as part of a whirlwind of …
After a ninth Covid-19 case was announced in the territory on Aug. 1, residents angrily debated government’s subsequent announcement that it would continue blocking expatriates stranded abroad from returning to …
Continue reading “Ninth case confirmed, expats still barred”
With a lockdown of Jost Van Dyke lifted after 335 residents on the island tested negative for Covid-19 and none tested positive, the territory remains under a curfew between midnight …
Continue reading “Jost lockdown lifted as Cuban doctors arrive”
Three days after learning that a former Jost Van Dyke resident tested positive for Covid-19 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, government announced on Tuesday morning that JVD would be …
