Tag: CARES Act

They endured the economic downturn of the 2017 hurricanes and a protracted Main Street revitalization project, but nothing compares to the COVID-19 pandemic that has decimated the tourism industry they rely upon, say downtown St. Thomas merchants.

The Virgin Islands District Court will hear next week a legal challenge arguing that incarcerated prisoners in the U.S. Virgin Islands should receive coronavirus stimulus checks from the federal government.

The Labor Department met the Sept. 10 deadline to apply for the Lost Wages Assistance Program, a stopgap measure while Congress hammers out a second pandemic relief package – but the money won’t flow anytime soon.

As the Virgin Islands’ COVID-19 count rises, with 10 dead from the virus and 73 new cases since Tuesday, the Health Department has been deploying contact tracers in an effort to stop the spread.

In his report to the board of trustees Saturday, UVI President David Hall said the ability to tap into a range of federal funds played a “tremendous role” in keeping UVI stable.

With a budget shortfall of $150 million for this fiscal year, which runs through September, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. urged residents to brace for the “financial tsunami.”

A reader called after reading a recent Source article on Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s COVID-19 update in which he gave information on stimulus checks for Virgin Islanders.

Lt. Governor Tregenza Roach issued an order to the territory’s banks advising them that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act stimulus payment is exempt from garnishment for outstanding loans, overdraft fees and other fees that a customer may owe the bank.

The U.S. Virgin Islands has received a $7.8 million grant from the U.S. Interior Department through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security bill approved last week by Congress.