What Islanders are saying about the Atlantic bubble reopening
Comments range from 'Let's go' to 'No way'
News that the Atlantic provinces are planning to remove travel restrictions and reopen the Atlantic bubble by April 19 has Islanders talking.
Many took to social media to express their feelings about the prospect of being allowed to once again travel freely among the Atlantic provinces — something that happened for a few months in 2020 before cases ballooned again in the region late in the fall.
Here's a sampling of what you said on Facebook and Twitter about the #AtlanticBubble.
(Please note that usernames are not necessarily the names of commenters. Some comments have been altered to correct spelling and to conform to CBC style.)
"Wonderful news," said Andrea Hill. "Thank you for all your amazing efforts to make this happen. We should all continue to stay vigilant." (Can't wait to return home P.E.I.)
"Four weeks and counting. Start the truck," wrote Ed Nick Nickerson of Summerside.
"Awesome news! Can't wait to see my family in N.B.," commented Leanne Greene.
I know someone who is excited to hear the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlanticBubble?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtlanticBubble</a> is going to open again!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParentingIn2Provinces?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ParentingIn2Provinces</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PE</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pw8unRePgM">pic.twitter.com/Pw8unRePgM</a>
—@MorganSmallman"Hello Port Elgin and cheap beer!" said Jimmy Hackett of Charlottetown.
"I'd leave now and camp out till then! That lineup last year was six hours long," said David Sobey, to which Dianne Gallant replied, "Worth every second after not being able to travel for almost five months!"
"Hopeful but too soon to get excited! So much can happen with COVID in four weeks," commented Kathy Martin on the CBC P.E.I. Facebook page. "But it will be nice to get some real hugs. Virtual hugs are not the same."
'We will be right back where we were'
Not everyone was excited by the prospect, however.
"I'm sorry; this should not happen at all," wrote Joanne Sauvé of Summerside.
"I really don't think this a good idea," agreed Kyle Hillier of Charlottetown.
April 30th. <a href="https://t.co/AM5cGc7hdn">pic.twitter.com/AM5cGc7hdn</a>
—@cycleguy57"All this is going to do is start cases all over again," said Kim DesRoches of Summerside. "It happened before and it will happen again. They opened the bubble before and shocker, looked what happened — more new cases. We will be right back where we were before."
"Please, please, please open to the rest of Canada," wrote Anne Marie Gauthier. "For the first time in years, I was unable to come home last year. My soul resides in P.E.I. Keeping fingers crossed."
Gerard Deveau of Summerside tweeted that waiting till mid-April to reopen the bubble is a "good strategy on behalf of the Atlantic premiers and chief medical officers ... That will be two weeks after Easter weekend and should any case arise in numbers they can keep the Atlantic bubble closed."
<a href="https://twitter.com/dennyking?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dennyking</a> My kids made a couple of cards for you & the government’s consideration. This was all their idea at age 6 & 8 and we encouraged their efforts. We have family an hour and a half that we cannot see & it’s just not right considering the statistics. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/atlanticbubble?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#atlanticbubble</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PEI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PEI</a> <a href="https://t.co/OvYN1AJUuU">pic.twitter.com/OvYN1AJUuU</a>
—@kathleenqbgBefore the announcement was made, kathleenqbg tweeted some artistic pleas her children had made for P.E.I. Premier Dennis King to open the bubble. Maybe that angry T-Rex motivated him!