Good afternoon ladies and gentleman of the press corps and persons listening via social media and radio.

My Administration remains committed to engagement with the press and the public, so I am very pleased to have this press conference today.

Thank you, Madame Speaker for allowing me this opportunity to make this brief statement to this Honourable House.

Honourable Members, over the past few weeks there have been a number of significant developments as it relates to the Governance of the Virgin Islands and how we are continuing to ensure the good conduct of the business of the people as their democratically elected Representatives under our current Constitutional arrangement.

Madam Speaker, officials in the Ministry of Health have been monitoring developments related to the unusual detection of monkeypox cases in countries where the virus does not normally spread, particularly given our dependence on international travel and tourism.

Madam Speaker, large fires occurred at the dumpsite in Pockwood Pond on the evening of May 16^th and on the morning of May 22^nd, 2022, respectively.  Fortunately, no one was injured nor were there any damages to public or private equipment on site.  I am sadly aware, however, that smoke from the fires may have been a source of discomfort to residents on the western side of Tortola.

His Excellency, the Governor John J. Rankin, CMG, chaired the Meeting held at the Premier’s Conference Room on 11th May, 2022.
All Members were present.

Fellow Virgin Islanders,

A pleasant good morning. As the Government of National Unity continues its third week in office, I would like to provide you with an update on key issues regarding reform.

It is with great pleasure that I greet you today, on International Museum Day 2022. The theme for this year’s International Museum Day is “The Power of Museums.” The Department of Culture has once again organized related activities for the entire week 16th to the 21^st of May.

Greetings to the residents and visitors of these beautiful Virgin Islands.  I am Marlon Penn, Minister of Health and Social Development and I am pleased to lend my voice to this critical topic of vaccination and COVID-19 in this new capacity.

Today, I wish to address two matters in my opening remarks. The first matter will be that of the SeaTrade conference. I am sure that many persons are interested to know about the commitments for additional cruise ship calls that we would have secured at Seatrade.

A pleasant good morning to the Virgin Islands community; those of you joining us live via the radio and the various social media channels.

I especially wish to welcome the members of the media who are with us.

Consistent with your Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and overall keeping you informed on the work that we are doing to properly manage your affairs, I intend, as Premier, to continue the practice of holding regular press conferences to provide updates on current matters and answer questions from the media.