Though the Virgin Islands reopened to tourists at the start of December, the seaports remain closed to international travel, and government is continuing with measures to fortify border patrols. To …
March 5, 2021
March 5, 2021
Ports opening pushed with four days’ notice
The government isn’t equipped to monitor both the Covid-19 vaccination rollout and a long-promised sea border reopening, which therefore has been pushed back another 45 days to April 15, the …
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March 5, 2021
49th Spring Regatta postponed until 2022
The annual BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival has been pushed back for a second year due to complications arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers announced Friday. “As much as …
February 26, 2021
Opposition leader calls for ‘stimulus 2.0’
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 …
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February 22, 2021
3,000 masks and counting
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 …
February 19, 2021
Cabinet relaunches meeting summaries
As conversation about the importance of good governance buzzes in the community, officials recently relaunched a transparency measure they had discontinued shortly after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. On …
February 19, 2021
‘Temporary layoffs’ get longer
The workforce furlough extension passed in the House of Assembly last year has been prolonged by another month and now lasts through the end of February, government announced. The move …
February 4, 2021
14th governor sworn in
Governor John Rankin first visited the Virgin Islands not on vacation, but to lend his support as leader of a fellow overseas territory in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in …
January 21, 2021
Interview: Departing governor reviews tenure
After arriving just 16 days before Hurricane Irma devastated the Virgin Islands in 2017, Governor Gus Jaspert has since been largely focused on the territory’s recovery and the Covid-19 …
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January 14, 2021
Cruise ships arrive for 30-day ‘warm layups’
For the first time since last March, two cruise ships docked Monday at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park. But they are carrying only crewmembers, and no one will …
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January 12, 2021
EDITORIAL: A better 2021? Here’s how.
Following the struggles of the past year, we know we’re not alone in wishing for a much brighter 2021. The following is our list of a few ways to help …
January 8, 2021
New rules take effect as Covid cases climb
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 …
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December 7, 2020
EDITORIAL: As borders reopen, better safe than sorry
In recent weeks, there has been much debate about the border reopening that got under way last week, but now everyone must work together to achieve success as tourism returns. …
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December 5, 2020
After eight months, tourists welcomed back
As the late afternoon sun beat down on the tarmac of the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on Tuesday, two flights carrying visitors touched down. Aboard one of the planes …
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November 27, 2020
Virgin Islands readies for Tuesday reopening
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 …
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November 19, 2020
Budget address pushes airport, pier expansion
The World Bank has forecasted the “deepest global recession in eight decades” because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Virgin Islands is not exempt. Estimates show a $22 million dip …
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November 12, 2020
House agenda addresses life amid Covid-19
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 …
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November 10, 2020
EDITORIAL: Government’s silence on stimulus is deafening
At a time when thousands of Virgin Islands residents are unemployed or otherwise struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are disturbed by the government’s failure to adequately account for …
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November 5, 2020
Biz info released, but reopening website not launched
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, …
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November 2, 2020
EDITORIAL: Communication failure marred tourism reopening
Premier Andrew Fahie is right that the territory should proceed slowly and cautiously when restarting tourism, but his government’s abysmal communication surrounding the Dec. 1 reopening has needlessly exacerbated a …
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October 30, 2020
Reopening plan sparks outcry, cancellations
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 …
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October 22, 2020
Amid questions, tourism industry prepares for reopening
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 …
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October 21, 2020
October 18, 2020
Stakeholders debate bubble tourism, quarantine rules
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 …
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October 8, 2020
Draft reopening protocols complete but not public
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 …
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