Sign posted at Man Camp ordering workers not to leave premises
ST. CROIX — Limetree Bay workers residing at the Man Camp have been ordered not to leave the facility by Governor Albert Bryan, following an outbreak at the refinery that has resulted in a total of 20 individuals being infected.
"I just think the public should know about this," a Man Camp resident who shared the poster with the Consortium said Saturday. This employee, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said they are allowed to work, but not go out into the community. This employee further stated that if employees residing at the Man Camp want to be tested, they were advised that they have to pay for the tests themselves.
"I am not showing symptoms or nothing, but I would like to be on the safe side and I would like to get tested. And I don't feel right that I should be paying for it. They had mentioned that if I wanted to get tested, that I would have to pay for it. But why do I have to wait until we have Covid-19? We can be carriers; they don't know that. And the sooner we find out the better. So I believe that we should all get tested," this Man Camp employee said.
Directive from Governor Albert Bryan for Limetree Bay Man Camp workers posted inside the Man Camp near the entrance.
V.I. Department of Health Territorial Epidemiologist Esther Ellis told the Consortium this morning that the 20 infections reported at Limetree Bay have been accounted for in D.O.H.'s data published Friday. "Those are in our numbers," she said.
On Thursday, Limetree Bay announced that it had 6 infections. On Friday, that number jumped to 20. This means 14 cases were confirmed at the refinery on Friday, however, the Dept. of Health only reported 13 new cases territory-wide, with 11 on St. Croix and two in St. Thomas.
Even if you add the single case the Dept. of Health listed as recovered on Friday, with total recoveries moving from 75 to 76 Thursday to Friday, the numbers still don't add up.
Dr. Ellis said the confirmed cases at Limetree Bay on Friday include a mix of local and off-island employees, enhancing the risk of spreading the disease into the wider community. The D.O.H. data shows close contact of the virus more than doubling from Thursday to Friday, from 17 to 32.
On Thursday evening, Dr. Ellis said the latest numbers represent an outbreak of the virus in the community, adding, "If you take the tests that were run and the positives that we got today, it's over 14 percent positivity in one day. That's very concerning, and everybody should definitely keep the guidance, wear your masks, don't have big parties this weekend, stay home if you can. If you're elderly and immune compromised, stay home. Have someone else do the shopping for you; this is the most amount of positives that we've ever gotten in a single day, so it's very concerning."
