Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. has issued a proclamation briefly extending the current COVID-19 Health State of Emergency, then allowing it to expire June 30, Government House announced Thursday.
The order extends the emergency from June 9 to June 30. According to Government House, the extension’s purpose is to enable “an orderly winding down” of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.
The state of emergency expands the governor’s powers temporarily and allows the government to bypass normally mandatory spending and procurement procedures.
The territory has been in a state of emergency since May of 2020. During the transition State of Emergency continuing through June 30, all standing clauses of the 35th Supplemental Executive Order, as amended by the 36th through 38th executive orders, still remain in effect, according to Thursday’s announcement.
“Together we’ve successfully managed this pandemic and its expected surges. We are at a point now where we have moved solidly into the endemic phase of Covid-19,” said Bryan. “I want to thank all Virgin Islanders for coming together and facing the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic as the resilient and determined people we are. We’ve emerged from two years of hardships and losses of loved ones to be truly stronger than ever, and I am confident that if we continue to do the common-sense things and follow the basic guidance of our Health Department we will continue to be alright moving forward.”
