ST. CROIX -- Governor Kenneth Mapp during his Tuesday post-Hurricanes Irma and Maria press briefing at Government House, said some schools in St. Thomas opened today for classes as planned, with a total of 1,814 students returning to school along with 271 teachers. The number represents only a percentage of students in St. Thomas, and the governor was scheduled to meet with Department of Education officials this week to discuss more reopenings.
No reopening school date was announced for St. Croix, and Mr. Mapp again cast doubt that D.O.E. would meet its Oct. 16 tentative date. He restated that seniors on the island would begin school before other students, so as to not undermine their graduation and high education plans. But a date for when classes would commence for seniors was not announced either.
The governor altered the curfew, which he said came as a result of complaints from some individuals who contended that the 8:00 p.m. hour was too late, as most streets are still without lights and the roads are pitch-black. The curfew on St. Croix is now 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., meaning St. Croix residents have between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to conduct business. In the St. Thomas-St. John District, the curfew is now 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
The Department of Health's Harwood Complex in Christiansted has been closed until further notice. The facility suffered water damage during Hurricane Maria, and one of its transformers recently blew. Employees who work at the Christiansted facility will be notified by D.O.H. of temporary locations of operation soon. In the meantime, some may be asked to assist the government at the Department of Labor and other department and agencies, the governor said.
Here are some other important updates from the briefing:
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