Governor Urges Caution as COVID-19 Cases Climb Slightly

During a press briefing tempered with hope for the new year, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. made a special plea to residents – businesses, in particular – to keep following health protocols as positive COVID-19 cases increased slightly to 72 territorywide and the weekly positivity rate to 1.6 percent.

As of Tuesday, the omicron variant has not been detected locally, Health officials added, and samples are being sent regularly off-island for analysis. However, it’s a matter of “when,” according to Health Deputy Commissioner Renan Steele, who added that the department does expect to see omicron cases within the territory and urged the community to mask up, social distance and follow the regular protocols.

Asked about the impact of recent positives detected on the Symphony of the Seas, which called on St. Thomas this week, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said the risk of public transmission is low given that those individuals tested negative upon embarkment, but that Health will also continue to monitor.

Otherwise, both of the territory’s hospitals posted zero COVID-19 admissions this week, and as of Dec. 20, there have been 236,999 tests conducted territorywide since the beginning of the pandemic, with 7,681 positives. Among the currently active cases, 49 are on St. Croix, 22 on St. Thomas, and one on St. John.

Bryan said Tuesday that any good news shouldn’t offer a “false sense of security,” especially around the holidays with friends and family moving back and forth between the territory and abroad and a variant that is becoming more widespread.

“I think we are in a comfortable place now, and I want us to remain in this nice space, doing what we can,” the governor added. “But we have to get back to basics. It’s up to you to ensure that we don’t have to put these mandates back in place this week or the week after.” Along with following guidelines for safe operation, Bryan urged businesses to stick to the closing times outlined in their business licenses and to call the Health Department if needed.