Canada-U.S. border closure extended to Oct. 21
The Canada-U.S. border will remain closed to non-essential travel until Oct. 21, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said on Friday.
The mutual ban on non-essential travel between the two countries has been in place since March 21.
The ban prohibits discretionary travel like vacations and cross-border shopping without restricting trade, commerce and essential employees.
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Blair and his American counterpart, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, each tweeted the latest one-month extension of the closure agreement.
We are extending non-essential travel restrictions with the United States until October 21st, 2020. We will continue to base our decisions on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe.
— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) September 18, 2020
We continue to work with our Canadian and Mexican partners to slow the spread of #COVID19. Accordingly, we have agreed to extend the limitation of non-essential travel at our shared land ports of entry through October 21.
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— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) September 18, 2020
The pandemic has raged in the United States throughout the spring and summer, and cases in Canada have recently started rising again as well.
At the same time, leaders in border communities have asked federal authorities to loosen restrictions slightly to allow people with links on both sides to live more normally.
The Conservatives also called Friday for Blair to allow more compassionate exemptions to the closure, such as for people who are engaged to be married or where loved ones are seriously ill.
