No sympathy for isolating snowbirds

Re Snowbirds hope to avoid hotel ‘jail’, Feb. 5 I am already tired of reading about snowbirds whining about the possible hotel quarantine while they wait for their COVID-19 test results.

Stop being selfish and for the greater good of your fellow Canadians follow the government restrictions! Or come home before the restrictions go into place.

You will survive.

Lynn Mytroen, Ridgeway, Ont.

Cry me a river! These people thought it was OK to fly to Arizona for five or six months, in the middle of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they just breeze right back to their homes in Canada. As if.

They were warned; they were told not to fly and that restrictions could change at any time with or without notice.

And now they’re crying that they cannot and will not stay in a government-mandated quarantine hotel for three days, at their own expense, because they’re on a fixed income and won’t eat stale bagels and an apple.

Boo-hoo! Yes, the rules have changed. In case you missed the memo, this is a virus that kills people.

There should be no special privileges for anyone, especially those that went against the explicit rules and travelled for a vacation.

Georgia Volker, Toronto

How is the weather down south for the entitled and privileged?

The couple in the article complain about the rules being changed halfway through the game for their re-entry into Canada.

Our government has continually warned travellers about the possibility of tightening travel restrictions.

It’s not just the rules, but the game that continually changes because of COVID-19 and its variants.

Frontline health care workers, especially with the increased numbers we saw in January, put their lives at risk while snowbirds enjoy holidaying in the sun.

Students, parents and educators have had so much to handle. For them the game has changed many times: no school, in-school learning/teaching, online learning/teaching, now back to school learning/teaching.

Physical challenges are addressed in the article. Hotels have accommodations to provide for these needs.

The couple in the article had their COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S., and are scheduled to receive their second dose. My parents who live independently, and are 89 years old and 90 years old, have not had their shot.

My son who has Down syndrome, with respiratory issues, has not had his shot.

Not all of us are as privileged as this couple who have the gall to complain. Lynn Crymble, Stouffville

We are snowbirds who have spent the last 13 seasons in our Florida winter home. This past fall, we had to make a decision whether to travel. The government told everyone do not travel and if you do, go at your own risk. Things can change quickly with little notice.

Like 70 per cent of other Canadian snowbirds, we made an educated decision to follow the public health advice and are weathering a cold winter in the north.

We do not think that snowbirds who decided to travel in spite of warnings have the right to question the decision to protect all Canadians by exerting new measures at this time.

They were well aware of the situation as we were when they made their decision to go south.

Now they need to sacrifice just as the rest of us have this season.

Bev Robertson, Brampton