U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – Governor Albert Bryan Jr. on Tuesday announced the prohibition of Easter Camping at the Territory’s beaches this year in accordance with the territory’s existing state of public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Bryan has prohibited camping on all beaches beginning Monday March 22 through Saturday April 10.
“While I realize that this is a time-honored tradition for Virgin Islanders, we can’t afford as a community to take a step backwards in our battle against the spread of COVID-19 and especially not while we are vaccinating our population and working toward achieving the herd immunity that will let us put this pandemic behind us,” Governor Bryan said.
“Our traditions, like Easter Camping and our Carnival and festivals, will return, and I want everyone in the Territory to stay safe and COVID-free so we all will be able to enjoy them once again,” the Governor said. “We have to stay on task with shutting down this virus. I want to thank our residents in advance for their continued cooperation and for making this sacrifice to protect the lives of our friends, families and loved ones.”
The Governor cited the plights of cities that are being inundated by spring breakers who are ignoring masking guidelines and social distancing requirements, resulting in hundreds of arrests in cities such as Miami Beach.
“It would be a tragedy if what was meant to be a time of family and good will was to turn into a super-spreader event and result in the sickness, or even death, of even a single Virgin Islander,” Governor Bryan said.
The current guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Virgin Islands Department of Health call for residents to wear masks in public, stay 6 feet apart and do not gather in large group.
The Bryan-Roach Administration is committed to transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government and ensuring the disaster recovery is completed as quickly as possible.
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