During the Government House weekly press briefing on Monday, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. announced that the Bryan-Roach Administration has completed the distribution of American Rescue Plan stimulus checks with the mailing of 4,985 checks totaling $6,993,910, most of which went to Social Security beneficiaries.
To date, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Department of Finance successfully executed three large federal programs, each with different sets of rules and guidelines, by paying out more than $226 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief to Virgin Islands residents in less than a year.
Residents who have not received the most recent stimulus payment by the end of this week and have reason to believe they are eligible for one, should follow up with the Bureau of Internal Revenue by visiting either of their offices in Sunny Isle on St. Croix, in Red Hook on St. Thomas or by contacting the BIR hotline number at 719-9325.
Skills-for-Today program
The governor also announced the start of the Department of Labor’s “Skills-for-Today” program, which is part of the Bryan-Roach Administration’s initiatives dedicated to putting Virgin Islanders to work.
Skills-for-Today is a $9 million workforce development program that will support the training of more than 600 individuals:
- 400 in construction trades, including masonry, electrical, plumbing and carpentry
- 75 in administrative services, including projects management and grants management
- 165 in on-the-job training in other industries, including hospitality, health care, marine, IT and cybersecurity
The program is being managed by the V.I. Department of Labor and ICF Incorporated LLC.
Vaccinations administered
- 43,64 first doses (54.4 percent of eligible population)
- 35,151 persons fully vaccinated (44.3 percent of eligible population)
Anyone 12 and up is eligible to receive the vaccine. Residents must make sure to have a parent or guardian accompany any minor wishing to get vaccinated, and they must bring an ID for both the minor and the parent or guardian.
Those who think they may have contracted COVID-19 can call the Epidemiology Hotline at 712-6299 or 776-1519. For more information, visit covid19usvi.com.
For information about the COVID-19 vaccines, call the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) hotline Mondays-Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, at 777-VACS (8227).
Pop-Up testing sites
This week, pop-up testing sites will be at the following locations:
- Home Depot on St. Thomas from 1 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, June 22
- Charles Harwood Complex from 10 a.m. to noon, on St. Croix on Tuesday, June 22
- The V.I. Port Authority Gravel Yard from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., on St. John on Wednesday, June 23,
- Charles Harwood Complex on St. Croix from 10 a.m. to noon, on Thursday, June 24
- Fort Christian Parking Lot on St. Thomas from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., on Thursday, June 24
Residents can pre-register for testing online at www.covid19usvi.com/testing; free vaccines are available at the pop-up testing sites.
COVID-19 cases as of June 5
- 1.87 percent positivity rate
- Currently tracking 87 active cases (22 STX; 62 STT; 3 STJ)
- 125,343 individuals tested to date
- 121,575 of those tests were negative
- 3,762 tests came back positive
- 3,565 tests came back positive.
- 30 fatalities
- One COVID-19 patient is hospitalized at Juan F. Luis Medical Center on St. Croix
- One COVID-19 patient is in ICU at Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas
