0
Governor Albert Bryan said Thursday during a Covid-19 response update that Virgin Islanders should start receiving their stimulus payments provided by the U.S. Congress as part of a Covid-19 relief bill in about three weeks.
According to the governor, the administration is expected to receive the funds from the U.S. Treasury in two weeks. Thereafter, the V.I. Bureau of Internal Revenue — with experience in distributing the previous stimulus payments and the data collected during that time — will make payments available to Virgin Islanders the following week.
"We're hoping that we would have it here within the next two weeks," Mr. Bryan said, adding that "probably the following week" the funds would go out to residents. "We already have all the check runs together so after that we will get them out pretty quickly."
The governor previously told the Consortium that the funds would be made available to Virgin Islanders, once in the possession of the local government, expeditiously. "This time it's going to be rapidamente," Mr. Bryan said, using the Spanish word for quickly.
The stimulus payments are part of the $900 billion in Covid-19 relief funding signed into law by President Trump late December. Americans (including Virgin Islanders), will receive $600 per adult and $600 per child. The stimulus payments phase out for individuals making $75,000 annually, and $150,000 for couples.
The measure also includes $300 a week in enhanced unemployment insurance through March 14, funding for small businesses, schools, health care providers, among other relief measures. The agreement also extends two additional unemployment programs through April 4.
Additionally, the latest measure includes funding for rental assistance and vaccine distribution.
The funding provides $277 billion for small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program, which is the bulk of the $325 billion funding allocated to small businesses as part of the package. Elsewhere in the agreement, $15 billion goes toward airline payroll support.
