Lieutenant Governor Tregenza A. Roach informs the public that the St. Thomas Recorder of Deeds Division, located at Suite 1 B Ground Floor of the Nisky Center, will resume regular operating hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Monday, April 26, 2021.
The operations of the Recorder of Deeds have been significantly interrupted over the course of the last month. Lieutenant Governor Roach recently reported via press statements, a breach of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor’s computer systems which severely impacted all of its divisions as well as other Government agencies and later, a COVID outbreak which shut down all of the Nisky Center Ground Floor offices.
“We moved with haste to address the computer issues,” said Lieutenant Governor Roach. “However, as soon as the offices appeared to be getting back on track and were addressing the resulting backlog in services, then a COVID outbreak occurred with the Recorder of Deeds Division being particularly hard hit. We then activated sanitization protocols, and COVID screenings of the employees at that site. In adhering to guidelines by the Department of Health, employees were then quarantined for varying periods, and offices closed for more than a week,” Lieutenant Governor Roach added.
“This has been a real coco bay pon top a yaws situation,” Lieutenant Roach said, in explaining the Offices predicament of one calamity compounding the effects of another. “We recognize the importance of the services that this Division provides, but the temporary closure was both necessary and unavoidable to protect the health and safety of both our employees and the members of the public.”
Lieutenant Governor Roach said his offices apologizes to clients and customers for any inconveniences caused by these events. However, he added, “We also commend our employees, some of whom have continued to work, even while in quarantine, on addressing the backlog so that the Division may reopen with substantial efficiency.”
“Please bear with us when we reopen, as there may still be come delays. COVID is not over, so we recognize that some employees are still somewhat traumatized by this COVID close call and are still mindful of the realities of the pandemic, its uncertainties, anxieties, and other facets that may be immediately outside of our control,” said Lieutenant Governor Roach.
The Offices of the Tax Assessor and Tax Collector, Cadastral Unit, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), V.I. Medicare/Virgin Islands State Health Insurance Assistance Program (VISHIP), and cashiers re-opened on Tuesday, April 20th and resumed regular business hours from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.