Members of a police sanitation team spraying disinfectant to quell the spread of the coronavirus in Bozhou, in China’s eastern Anhui province. By. GETTY IMAGES
The V.I. Legislature late Saturday called on Governor Albert Bryan to step up his action in protecting the territory from the coronavirus. The deadly pathogen which causes the Covid-19 disease has infected more than 300,000 people worldwide and has killed over 13,000, according to John Hopkins University.
The Legislature's suggestions come with a number of actions yet to be implemented by the governor, including a curfew and the need for police officers to patrol the territory's streets to enforce orders already put in place. It also calls for a strategy to protect the territory's airports and seaports, as guests are still allowed into the territory and a strategy to protect the seaports has yet to be revealed.
The Legislature also called on the governor to start holding daily briefings to update residents.
The coronavirus pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on the global economy, has grabbed hold of the western world as its new epicenter, with Italy being ground zero. On Saturday, Italy reported 793 additional deaths — by far the largest single-day increase to date. In total, the coronavirus has killed 4,825 people in Italy, and has infected 53,578. The country's Covid-19 crisis has been labeled as the worst since the second World War, according to Italian leaders.
Yet some trace Italy's current horror to missteps by its leaders, who at first resisted the strict actions needed to contain the virus. Now, Italy is chasing the virus and physicians are having to make unthinkable decisions: who should live and who should die, as the European country's hospitals strain under the weight of the crisis.
Senate President Novelle Francis said it is no question that the stringent new actions are warranted. “We only have to look at hard lessons learned across the globe to recognize that the sooner that aggressive measures are put in place, the better the outcomes for the public health will be,” Mr. Francis said.
The actions senators are calling for include:
- Implement a curfew
- Limit restaurants and bars to take-out only
- Instruct VIPD and all other peace officers to patrol to ensure that business establishments are closed
- Close all government offices with the exception of essential employees, i.e. Unemployment, SNAP, and any other government offices required to perform critical duties
- Implement measures to protect the borders (air and sea)
- Activate medical military personnel to support the Department of Health and the hospitals
- Request that CMS issue blanket waivers to provide licenses to out of state providers
Governor Bryan on Saturday night released a video that showed him providing an update to the territory on his administration's latest efforts to combat the coronavirus. Mr. Bryan ordered that hotels and other occupancy operations stop accepting guests. He also ordered non-essential businesses not to open until April 6, though a list of essential operations Mr. Bryan included in a release Government House issued late Saturday is vast, and leaves ample room for relatively free movement.
The governor also called on residents territory-wide to shelter in place. “If we all do our part and adhere to these containment strategies, the U.S. Virgin Islands will weather this storm, as we have many times before,” said the territory's' leader. “If you are not working at an establishment or in a job deemed essential during this state of emergency, you are asked to stay home and avoid any unnecessary social interactions.”
