Jun 19, 2021

Pandemic stress: US-Canada border restrictions extended

Posted Jun 19, 2021 4:00 PM
Washington State Dept. of Transportation border traffic camera looking south from Canada 9:37 a.m. CDT  
Washington State Dept. of Transportation border traffic camera looking south from Canada 9:37 a.m. CDT  

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s public safety minister says border restrictions on nonessential travel with the United States will be extended until July 21.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the move has been made in coordination with the U.S. He says Canada’s number one priority is to keep Canadians safe during the pandemic.

The border between Canada and the U.S. remains closed to all nonessential travel. The restrictions were announced in March, 2020 in the early months of the pandemic and have been extended every month since. There are growing calls in the U.S. to open the Canada-U.S. border for nonessential travel like tourism, but less than 20% of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated now.