A recent survey of businesses in the territory provided information about more than 300 of the workers who have lost their jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing …
April 24, 2020
April 24, 2020
Frontline workers prepare
With six Covid-19 cases now confirmed in the Virgin Islands and fears of community spread growing, health officials have been using the lockdown to gather resources for what promises to …
April 24, 2020
Visitors ‘stuck’ in British Virgin Islands
Because of the territory’s pandemic lockdown measures, many visitors have been “stuck” in the territory, Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley said last Thursday in the House of …
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April 24, 2020
Testing rate lags in VI
Although the Virgin Islands has been testing residents for Covid-19 since the first case was confirmed on March 25, it has fallen behind some of its neighbours in the region, …
April 23, 2020
Public officers redeployed to deliver aid
Plans to reopen the public service on Monday of this week were scuttled after the death of a Covid-19 patient early Saturday morning, but many public officers now have been …
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April 23, 2020
Food delivery systems are overwhelmed
On Monday night, Shereeza Bipat-Richards wrote on Facebook about the numerous social media posts she had seen about residents running out of food and other supplies, losing their jobs, and …
April 23, 2020
United States releases Virgin Islands’ medical supplies
A shipment containing critical medical supplies for the fight against Covid-19 was released by United States Customs and Border Protection on Friday, and it arrived in the Virgin Islands on …
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April 22, 2020
On the road to the Olympics
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were scheduled for this summer, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the games have been postponed for a year. However, training continues for Virgin Islands athletes …
April 22, 2020
April 22, 2020
COMMENTARY — ‘Horrific leadership’ abroad criticised
The unmitigated global spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is the result of gross incompetence in governance in China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. COVID-19 deaths globally …
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April 20, 2020
Cabinet okays ‘interim’ stimulus framework
The Cabinet has approved certain aspects of an economic stimulus programme designed to help the territory weather the coronavirus pandemic, and full details will be disclosed soon, Premier Andrew Fahie …
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April 19, 2020
Curfew extended 6 days, home deliveries continue
Following the death of a 52-year-old Filipino woman suspected to have Covid-19, government has extended the round-the-clock lockdown an additional six days to allow for “aggressive contact tracing,” Premier Andrew …
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April 18, 2020
Woman with suspected Covid-19 dies
A 52-year-old woman who tested positive locally for Covid-19 has died in the intensive care unit of the Dr. Orlando Smith Hospital, the Health Emergency Operations Centre announced at 11:53 …
April 17, 2020
Woman hospitalised after positive Covid-19 result
A woman has been isolated in the Dr. Orlando Smith Hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 locally, and seven of her “primary contacts” have been quarantined in another location, Deputy …
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April 17, 2020
‘After 10 days of symptoms, I tested negative for Covid-19’
Government officials announced the first two confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Virgin Islands on Wednesday, March 25, just as Beacon journalists were completing our final edits for that week’s …
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April 17, 2020
Amid pandemic, tourism stalls
Nearly two and a half years after Hurricane Irma, tourism in the Virgin Islands was back. Hotel rooms were full, cruise cabins were packed, charter yachts were booked solid. Then …
April 17, 2020
Paradise Hotel in Road Town serving as prison
Rooms at the Paradise Hotel, located above One Stop Mall on Waterfront Drive, are currently housing two people ordered by the court to be quarantined in light of the threat …
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April 16, 2020
United States seized and released medical supplies bound for Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands is now among a growing list of jurisdictions affected by United States President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to ban the export of certain medical equipment designed to …
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April 14, 2020
Residents get creative, stay social online
Christian MacDonald is showing residents how to build cocktails without professional equipment, and he’s doing it 100 percent remotely. “I decided that since there’s no work to be had, I …
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April 14, 2020
Extra load strains VI Internet
As internet traffic migrates from offices and schools to homes during the 14-day COVID-19 lockdown, the territory’s telecommunications providers have found themselves under increased strain in the face of customer …
April 13, 2020
EDITORIAL: Recent lockdown mistakes must serve as a lesson
The government deserves kudos for the early implementation of strict measures to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic, but we were disheartened by the poorly planned curfew transition that predictably drew uncontrolled …
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April 9, 2020
As stores swarmed, lockdown strategy debated
Crowds swarmed grocery stores and other businesses late last week to prepare for a 14-day lockdown in the territory, sparking heated criticism and raising questions about the government’s unusual system …
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April 9, 2020
Locked down for 14 days
Seventeen COVID-19 tests came back negative on Monday, which means the number of confirmed cases in the territory remains at three, but officials warned that the local danger from the …
April 3, 2020
Cuban medical personnel on the way to the territory
In an effort to source medical assistance with the coronavirus response, the Virgin Islands has reached out internationally, and 30 medical personnel are coming soon from Cuba, according to Premier …
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April 3, 2020
Expert: Current curfew is probably not enough
A six-day, 24-hour lockdown of the territory began Friday night after officials announced the first two confirmed cases of COVID- 19 in the territory, but even with an additional two-week …
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