US-Canadian border restrictions to remain in place until June

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Nonessential travels across the US-Canadian border will continue to be restricted until June.
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that at least 75 percent of Canadians should be vaccinated before the border can be reopened.
• Sources said that Canadian officials have initially discussed reopening the border.

Canadian news agency CTV News reported Tuesday that nonessential travels across the US-Canadian border will remain restricted until June.

The report came two days prior to the expiration of the most recent policy extension. Last April 20, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that restrictions will be enforced until May 21.

According to the Canadian Press, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized on Tuesday that at least 75 percent of Canadians should receive the COVID-19 vaccine shots before they can reopen the border.

Nearly half of the country’s population had already obtained the first dose of the vaccine. In the US, at least six out of 10 adult Americans had already received shots, based on the data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Speaking with The Hill, Canadian Minister of Public Safety director of communications James Cudmore neither confirmed nor denied the report.

“The measures have been in place for more than a year and have been modified and strengthened over time to keep our communities safe from COVID-19. Alongside our counterparts abroad, we have extended the current measures until May 21, 2021, and they could be extended again,” Cudmore said.

“As Minister Bill Blair has said, ‘until we can be assured, based on the advice that we receive from our public health officials and our evaluation of those conditions is such that we believe that those restrictions can be lifted safely, we’ll keep them in place,’” he continued, adding that he anticipated that “the government will have more to say on this matter in the days ahead.”

Referring to three sources familiar with the issue, the Bloomberg News reported last week that Trudeau’s government started initial discussions about reopening of the border. The informant said that reopening the border is not something urgent, and could likely be a potential virus spreader for both nations.

The Hill has already reached out to the DHS for comment awaiting response.

Essential travels and tradings will still continue to be functional amid the pandemic. The restrictions, which have been continuously imposed up to present, were first placed during the start of the virus outbreak in March 2020.

Source: The Hill