Gov’t confirms outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at Hotel on the Cay

Hotel on the Cay has been ordered to cease operations due to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, and the V.I. Health Department said the beach bar and Rolling Smokes BBQ are both open.

“The V.I. Department of Health issued a Cease-and-Desist Order to Hotel on the Cay on St. Croix, to halt all hotel operations immediately due to Legionella contamination in multiple water sources,” Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said in a statement. The order was issued and announced to the public on Friday. “However, the closure does not apply to the beach bar or Rolling Smokes BBQ which sits just in front of the hotel property. The restaurant and beach bar are not connected to the hotel’s water systems and are not utilizing the hotel’s water systems for its operation,” according to Encarnacion.

The order requires Hotel on the Cay “to remediate the hotel water systems and to allow the Department of Health to complete sampling once remediation is complete to show the absence of Legionella. Hotel on the Cay will not be allowed to resume hotel operations until approved to do so by the department’s Environmental Health Division,” according to the Health Department.