Governor Addresses Refinery, Stimulus Checks and Horse Racing

ST. THOMAS, USVI — Governor Albert Bryan Jr. covered a variety of public issues on Monday, May 17 during his weekly press briefing. From graduation ceremonies to horse racing, Patch USVI has the full summary. And to learn about the government's latest stance on wearing masks, click here.

COVD-19 Vaccines

1,750 COVID-19 vaccine doses had to be disposed of due to a temperature disruption in the storage area. However, the incident did not cause a delay in vaccine delivery.

Vaccines are no longer being given at the University of the Virgin Islands but there are still community vaccine centers on St. Croix and St. Thomas. The community vaccine center on St. John has closed but residents can go to the private clinics. To check locations and hours for the vaccine centers, visit covid19usvi.com/vaccines.

Children age 12 and older can now receive the Pfizer vaccine at any of the community vaccine centers. Parents must bring a form of identification for themselves and for the child receiving the vaccine.

Electronic Vaccine Passport

Dr. Esther Ellis, Territorial Epidemiologist, announced the development of an electronic vaccine passport. The program would allow individuals to traveling back to the USVI to show proof of vaccination, rather than having to get tested. No timeline was given for when the electronic vaccine passport will be available.

2021 High School Graduates

Governor Bryan promised that every high school graduate in the Virgin Islands will have the opportunity to walk across the stage with both parents present. Each school is carrying out this mandate in different ways.

Child Tax Credit

The U.S. Virgin Islands are included in the new Child Tax Credit, which was passed as part of the American Rescue Plan. Families can receive up to $300 per month. Governor Bryan said payments would start in July and would either be paid all at one time or in two lump payments.

Stimulus Checks

The Bureau of Internal Revenue released another 10,000 American Rescue Plan stimulus checks, a total of $23,371,060. Governor Bryan is committed to delivering the $1,400 stimulus payments to all eligible Virgin Islanders by the end of May.

Horse Racing

Governor Bryan confirmed that his administration's negotiations with the companies involved in horse racing are done and now in the hands of lawyers. He promised announcements soon, first for St. Croix and then for St. Thomas. "You're gonna like it," he added.

Limetree Bay Refinery

Govenor Bryan acknowledged that there are ongoing odor issues that may be related to the refinery, despite shutting down operations last week. Residents of St. Croix say the noxious, gasious odor remains and one individual was hospitalized over the weekend.

“Our goal here is to find out what the problem is," said the Governor. He is not ruling out causes unrelated to the refinery. In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency has two air monitoring stations in operation and is working to set up another three.

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