P.E.I. will not rejoin Atlantic bubble until at least Jan. 25

With COVID-19 numbers soaring around the world and uncertainty around the movement of people during the Christmas holidays continuing, P.E.I. Premier Dennis King says the Island will not rejoin the Atlantic bubble next week.

On Nov. 24, P.E.I. suspended its participation in the bubble, which allowed freer movement around Atlantic Canada while the regional number of cases stayed low.

The suspension is being reviewed every two weeks. Most recently, the province had left open the possibility of rejoining the bubble on Jan. 11, but speaking at the regular weekly briefing Tuesday morning,King pushed that date until at least Jan. 25.

"We continue to monitor the potential increase of cases because of holiday and New Year's gatherings," he said.

"More people were moving around, more people were gathering in larger numbers, and more people were returning home, or coming into our region from outside of the region. We need more time to see what impacts that could or will have."

King said that like the other Atlantic premiers, he is keen to see the bubble re-established when it is safe to do so.

1 new case on Prince Edward Island

King's announcement came as Dr. Heather Morrison confirmed the province's 97th case of COVID-19, in a female under 19 with a recent history of travel outside Prince Edward Island.

Contact tracing is complete and the patient is self-isolating at home, Morrison said.

P.E.I. now has four active cases of COVID-19, including the most recent diagnosis.

The confirmation of yet another case linked to travel underlined the premier's case for continuing to impose isolation restrictions for returning Islanders.

King also noted that delaying a bubble reinstatement for another two weeks will also give Prince Edward Island time to vaccinate more people, especially those most vulnerable to infection.

'Can't let our guard down'

The new year brings new hope and optimism, King said, and that has never been more needed than it is now.

While continued restrictions can be frustrating, he said, Islanders need to remember how lucky they are compared to people in other parts of the world.

"Prince Edward Island is seeing more flexibility than other jurisdictions," he said.

"It's very important we don't take this for granted. If there's one cold, hard fact we've learned about our lives during this time of COVID, it's that things can change very, very quickly. We can't let our guard down."

Reminder about symptoms

The symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever.
• Cough or worsening of a previous cough.
• Possible loss of taste and/or smell.
• Sore throat.
• New or worsening fatigue.
• Headache.
• Shortness of breath.
• Runny nose.

More from CBC P.E.I.