The Virgin Islands Health Department announced Thursday evening that Hotel on the Cay on St. Croix could resume operations after laboratory tests showed negative results for legionella in all but one sample.
“Based on negative laboratory results in all but one sample, the hotel is permitted to resume hotel operations except for one room, which is still under remediation,” Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said. “After additional remediation in that room, we will retest that room and periodically test randomly selected rooms.”
The hotel had been ordered to cease operations last week after confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease and the detection of legionella bacteria in water fixtures, including showerheads and sinks, according to the press release.
The Health Department required the hotel to conduct extensive plumbing replacements and water system remediation, followed by testing to ensure the bacteria’s elimination. The negative results, apart from the single room still under treatment, prompted the lifting of the order, the press release stated.
Encarnacion praised the hotel’s prompt cooperation with the required measures, which aim to prevent further cases of the disease. The Health Department said it would continue monitoring the site with periodic testing as a precautionary measure, the release stated.
