Restaurant servers and bartenders are at the highest risk of being infected by coronavirus in the territory, as restaurants and bars are the only places where a mask-wearing mandate does not fully apply.
Six of the 12 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past four weeks are food service employees, Gov. Albert Bryan said during the weekly Government House update on pandemic news. “The most vulnerable place that you can be in the Virgin Islands is a bar or restaurant,” Mr. Bryan said. “It’s not that they are not safe or not doing what they are supposed to do, but they are the only places in the Virgin Islands that you can go into without wearing a mask.”
According to the Virgin Islands Department of Health, there are currently 84 positive COVID-19 cases in the territory. That is up from 69 positive cases one month ago. Forty cases were recorded on St. Thomas; 40 on St. Croix and four on St. John. “We knew that we would have this increase once we opened our doors a little wider,” Mr. Bryan said.
With half of new positive tests being associated with the food service industry, public health officials are watching the numbers closely, but are not yet prepared to re-impose the broad restrictions under the government’s “Safer at Home” phase, which saw bars shuttered and restaurants limited to take-out orders. “If any unmanageable increase (in positive cases) occurs, we will resort back to “Safer at Home,” said Government House spokesman Richard Motta.
Routine testing of food industry workers has been discussed, said Mr. Motta, but it’s only a “consideration” unlikely to happen because public health authorities must be mindful of testing resources.
Lisa Hamilton, president of the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association, said the organization’s members continue to follow the VI Department of Health guidelines. “The safety and security of our staff is the number one priority always,” she said. “We continue to promote the training webinars offered by our partners… to ensure all understand and comply with the guidelines.”
Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said all restaurant and bar staff should wear a mask or face-covering at all times on the job. The public should wear masks when entering a restaurant and leave them on until seated for meals or drinks.
Dine-in service began again at bars and restaurants on May 26th, coinciding with the recent spike in cases. The food and beverage industry is operating under certain restrictions, including mask-weaing, social distancing and capacity limits. “Ironically, it’s not the patrons who are turning up with the virus, it’s the workers,” Mr. Bryan said.
Ms. Encarnacion said health officials would be visiting restaurants to reinforce the rules and ensure that “ … restaurant owners and restaurant staff (know) exactly what they need to do in order to protect themselves and protect others.”
Ms. Hamilton said the pandemic has created “unprecedented times with no playbook. It’s critical the public and private sector continue to work together to navigate our reopening in the safest way possible.”
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